Rigaud Benoit “Erzulie” (Original Lithography)

Description

Rigaud Benoit, born in January 1911 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was a significant figure in the Naive Art movement, an artistic style characterized by its untrained, spontaneous, and often childlike depictions of life. Although Benoit had limited formal training, his work is among the most celebrated in the history of Haitian art. His story is deeply intertwined with the Centre d’Art in Port-au-Prince, founded in 1944 by Dewitt Peters, an American Quaker who promoted Haiti’s burgeoning art scene.

According to popular accounts, Benoit began his artistic career while working as Peters’ chauffeur. It is said that upon seeing the first works displayed at the Centre d’Art, he believed he could paint as well as any of the artists. Though Benoit himself denied this story later in life, it remains a widely told tale. Instead, Benoit explained that he visited the Centre out of curiosity and then decided to submit his first works. Whatever the true genesis of his career, Benoit quickly gained attention, becoming one of the Centre’s most successful artists.

1 Early Life and Artistic Growth

Before becoming an artist, Benoit held a variety of jobs, including working as a taxi driver, musician, and shoemaker. His humble beginnings provided him with a deep connection to everyday Haitian life, which would later manifest in his paintings. When he brought his hand-painted terra cotta pots to Dewitt Peters, his artistic talent was quickly recognized, and he became the Centre d’Art’s second major “discovery.”

Benoit’s works are marked by precise draftsmanship, often contrasting with the vibrant and loose styles typical of many Haitian artists. His palette tended to be more muted, though he still brought life and energy to his scenes of daily Haitian life, Christianity, and Vodou. His paintings often reflected his sense of humor and deep understanding of his cultural environment. Some of his later works ventured into surrealism, depicting Vodou deities and mystical scenes.

2 Contribution to Haitian Religious Art

In the early 1950s, Benoit was one of several Haitian artists commissioned to decorate the interior of the Episcopal Cathedral of Sainte Trinité in Port-au-Prince. His great mural, *Nativity*, depicted the birth of Christ and was placed above the high altar. The significance of this project was underscored by the fact that the Catholic archbishop had denied permission for Haitian artists to paint in the Roman cathedral, whereas the Episcopal bishop eagerly accepted the idea. Benoit, like other Haitian artists involved in the project, infused the biblical scenes with a distinctly Haitian perspective. His *Annunciation* mural, for example, portrayed the angel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary with brown skin and curly hair, standing in a lush tropical landscape. Sadly, much of the cathedral and its masterpieces were destroyed in the catastrophic earthquake of January 2010, and today, Benoit’s murals can only be viewed through photographs.

3 Artistic Style and Themes

Benoit’s paintings captured the vibrancy and spirituality of Haitian culture. Though he worked slowly, often producing fewer than half a dozen paintings a year, his pieces were meticulously crafted, earning him a strong international following. His narrative scenes depicted a range of subjects, from daily life in Haiti to biblical stories and Vodou ceremonies. His surrealist works, focusing on Vodou deities, were particularly evocative of the spiritual duality that permeates Haitian life.

One of the defining aspects of Benoit’s career was his ability to blend the spiritual with the everyday, creating a visual dialogue between Haiti’s rich Catholic traditions and its deeply rooted Vodou culture. A popular saying in Haiti is that the population is “80 percent Catholic and 100 percent Vodou,” a reflection of the syncretic spirituality that shaped much of Benoit’s work.

4 Family and Later Life

In a union that further linked him to Haiti’s artistic heritage, Benoit married Hermithe Hyppolite, the daughter of the legendary artist Hector Hyppolite, who was the first Haitian artist to achieve international recognition. Together, they had two children, and Benoit also adopted two more, Yves Lafontant and Jacques Dorce, both of whom went on to become accomplished artists. His biological son, Rigaud Benoit fils, continues the family’s artistic legacy, living in New York, while his sister resides in Montreal.

In 1980, Benoit was involved in a near-fatal car accident that significantly reduced his artistic output. Despite this, he had already attained financial stability and owned a comfortable home on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. He continued to work, albeit at a slower pace, until his death on October 30, 1986.

5 Legacy

Rigaud Benoit’s works are held in prestigious collections around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Musee d’Art Haitien du College Saint Pierre in Port-au-Prince, the Figge Art Museum in Iowa, the Milwaukee Museum of Art, and the Waterloo Museum of Art in Iowa. His careful blending of Haitian culture, spirituality, and everyday life into his paintings has left a lasting impression on both Haitian art and the global art world. Although he worked slowly and produced a relatively small body of work, each piece reflected his deep connection to Haiti’s soul, ensuring his place as one of the nation’s most revered artists.