Murat Brierre

Murat Brierre or Murat Briere (1938–1988) was one of Haiti's principal metal sculptors[1] and was known for his recycling of surplus oil drum lids.[2] He was influenced by George Liautaud, but his work acquired its own highly experimental style, often focusing on multi-faceted and conjoined figures, fantastically personified elements, and unborn babies visible within larger creatures.[3]

Early life and career

Brierre worked as a brick mason, cabinetmaker, tile setter, and blacksmith.[4] He was born in Mirebalais or Port-au-Prince,[5] Haiti and was the younger of two brothers.[4] His older brother, Edgar Brierre, was a painter and sculptor. The brother's signed their works with only their last name, creating some confusion within their professional circles about the authorship of their work.[4]

Brierre's sculptures typically ranged from three to six feet in length and reflected Christian, Haitian Vodou, and folklore themes.[4] Brierre was also a painter, but ultimately chose to work with metal because he felt that the material was saturated with spiritual energy.[6] It was a laborious process. The oil drum lids were hammered flat, drawn onto, then cut with a razor. The sheet was then cut with a chisel before finishing was completed with a file.[4] By the mid1970s, Brierre's sculptures included pronounced areas of cut outs surrounding long curved lines of metal.[4] Brierre's iron sculpture titled Chien de Mer overlays a dog head onto the body of a fish.[7]

Solo exhibitions

1967 – Haitian Art Gallery, New York[8]

1968 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Bradley Galleries, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Georgetown Graphics Gallery, Washington D.C.; Menschoff Gallery, Chicago; John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin; Roko Gallery, New York[8]

1969 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Showcase Gallery, Washington D.C.; Botolph Group, Boston[8]

1970 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti[8]

1971 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti[8]

1972 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Roko Gallery, New York[8]

1973 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti[8]

1979 – Areta Contemporary Design, Boston[8]

Group exhibitions

1969 – Davenport Art Gallery, Iowa[9]

1974 – Davenport Art Gallery, Iowa[9]

1978 – Brooklyn Museum, New York (traveling)[9]

1980 – Davenport Art Gallery, Iowa[9]

1982 – Studio Museum in Harlem, New York[9]

1983 – Chicago Public Library Cultural Center[9]

1985 – Davenport Art Gallery, Iowa[9]

1987 – Musée du Panthéon National, Port-au-Prince, Haiti[9]

1988 – Galeries Nationales d'Exposition du Grand Palais, Paris[9]

1989 – Museum of Art, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida[9]

2006 – Phyllis Kind Gallery in conjunction with the Outsider Art Fair, New York[10]

Works of art

L'Araignée (The Spider), 1970, iron[11]

Bawon Samdi, 1970, iron[11]

Christ sur la Croix (Christ on the Cross), 1970, iron[11]

Four Sirens, 1966, iron[11]

Ogou, 1970, iron[11]

Le Sagittaire en Démon (Sagittarius and Demon), no date, iron[11]

Visage en Fer (Face in Iron), 1965, iron[11]

References

1. "A Collection of Haitian Iron Works". Phyllis Kind Gallery. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
2. DeLoughrey, Elizabeth M., 1967- (9 May 2019). Allegories of the Anthropocene. Durham. ISBN 978-1-4780-0558-2. OCLC 1081380012.
3. "A Collection of Haitian Iron Works". Retrieved 29 November 2020.
4. St. James guide to Black artists. Riggs, Thomas, 1963-, Dodson, Howard,, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Detroit. 1997. ISBN 1-55862-220-9. OCLC 36470125.
5. Schutt-Ainé, Patricia; Staff of Librairie Au Service de la Culture (1994). Haiti: A Basic Reference Book. Miami, Florida: Librairie Au Service de la Culture. p. 109. ISBN 0-9638599-0-0.
6. "A Collection of Haitian Iron Works". Retrieved 29 November 2020.
7. "Visual Arts". The Crisis. 97 (8): 51. October 1990.
8. St. James guide to Black artists. Riggs, Thomas, 1963-, Dodson, Howard,, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Detroit. 1997. ISBN 1-55862-220-9. OCLC 36470125.
9. St. James guide to Black artists. Riggs, Thomas, 1963-, Dodson, Howard,, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Detroit. 1997. ISBN 1-55862-220-9. OCLC 36470125.
10. "A Collection of Haitian Iron Works". Retrieved 29 November 2020.
11. Davenport Museum of Art (Davenport, Iowa) (1995). Tracing the spirit : ethnographic essays on Haitian art : from the collection of the Davenport Museum of Art. Brown, Karen McCarthy. Davenport, Iowa: The Museum. ISBN 0-295-97504-0. OCLC 34524490.