Haitian

Murat Brierre

Haiti 1938-1988
Le Sorcier (The Sorcerer) 85.0039

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Murat Brièrre was one of Haiti's most well-known sculptors. He carried on the tradition of creating sculptures in metal, started by Georges Liautaud. In fact, Brièrre was Liautaud's first student. When he was eighteen years old the artist began studying painting and drawing at the Centre d'Art in Port-au-Prince. The majority of Brièrre's sculptures are based on vodou themes, and this piece is no exception. In Haitian vodou, there is a distinction made between an oungan (vodou priest) and a bòkò (sorcerer). The latter is said to "serve with both hands" meaning for both positive and negative purposes, while the priest is thought of positively. Whereas the priest works with the lwa (spirits) that are the center of the religion, the sorcerer may be linked with magic. Brièrre's sculpture may reflect the idea of the sorcerer as a double-faced man, whether figuratively or literally due to his service to both creation and destruction. The artist has combined this two-headed shape with a winged creature, which symbolizes magic and coming disaster.

 

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