Philippe Dodard (Haitian, b.1954)

 

Dodard (born 1954, Port-au-Prince, Haiti) is a Haitian graphic artist, painter, and multidisciplinary creator known for angular, architectonic compositions that organize space without conventional perspective. As Haitian art critic Gérald Alexis noted in Peintres Haïtiens, “a graphic artist, Dodard depicts angular subjects which he fits into space without perspective,” a description that captures the distinctive structural clarity and design-driven rhythm that define his work. Dodard began his career as an advertising illustrator and earned early recognition when he received first prize in drawing at the Junior Seminary of St-Martial’s College in 1966. He later studied at the PotoMitan Art School with leading Haitian artists Jean-Claude “Tiga” Garoute, Patrick Vilaire, and Frido Casimir. In 1973, he entered the Academy of Fine Arts and went on to work as a layout artist, eventually founding an audiovisual and graphic arts studio. In 1978, Dodard received a scholarship to the International School in Bordeaux, France, where he specialized in pedagogic graphic design. Two years later, he was awarded a scholarship from the Rotary International Foundation and traveled with Haiti’s Group Study Exchange, giving conferences on Haitian culture. His work has been exhibited throughout Europe and the Americas, reflecting both his international presence and his role as a cultural ambassador for Haitian visual language. Over time, Dodard’s artistic practice expanded beyond painting to include large-scale sculpture, fine ironwork, and jewelry design. His imagery has also crossed into fashion and contemporary museum contexts; his paintings inspired American designer Donna Karan’s Spring 2012 collection and were featured in a joint exhibition with her at the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami. Today, Dodard is recognized for a uniquely modern Haitian aesthetic that merges graphic structure, cultural symbolism, and experimental form across multiple media.