Maxan Jean Louis (Haitian, b.1966)

Maxan Jean-Louis (born March 17, 1966, in Jérémie, Haiti) is a self-taught Haitian painter whose work is deeply inspired by Vodou culture and the political history of Haiti. Encouraged to begin painting in 1992 by his artist cousins, Henri and Eric Jean-Louis, he quickly developed a distinctive naïve style marked by expressive freedom and symbolic imagery. Jean-Louis often alternates between two visual approaches. One is characterized by flattened human silhouettes, a lack of conventional perspective, repetitive ornamental motifs, and vibrant color harmonies reminiscent of the Saint-Soleil movement. The other adopts an almost childlike, surreal language to address social and political events, allowing the artist to comment freely and intuitively on contemporary life. Through both approaches, Jean-Louis expresses himself with spontaneity and emotional directness. His work has gained international recognition and is included in the permanent collection of the Charlotte Zander Museum in Bönnigheim, Germany. Jean-Louis has participated in numerous collective exhibitions, including presentations in France at the Musée d’Aquitaine in Bordeaux for exhibitions focused on Haitian Vodou-inspired painting, and in the United States at the Haiti Art Expo during Art Basel Miami Beach in 2010. Jean-Louis also appears in Patricia Goodrich’s 2014 multimedia installation Voices & Visions: Artists of Haiti, in which he discusses his artistic practice and personal vision. His work has been exhibited at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University in Miami, further affirming his place within contemporary Haitian art. Scroll Down To Make Your Selection (s)!