Marie-José Nadal (Haitian, 1931-2020)

Marie-José Nadal was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on April 22, 1931, and died on December 23, 2020. Raised in a family of artists, she studied under the noted Haitian painter Tamara Baussan before continuing her education in France and Canada, where she specialized in ceramics and metal sculpture. An accomplished artist, writer, anthropologist, and educator, Nadal exhibited throughout Canada, the United States, the Caribbean, and Europe. After living in France for more than twenty years, she returned to Haiti and remained active in the country's cultural life. Nadal is also recognized as a leading scholar of Haitian art. In 1986, she co-authored La Peinture Haïtienne / Haitian Arts with Gérald Bloncourt, one of the most important reference books on Haitian painting. Through both her artwork and scholarship, she helped preserve and promote Haiti's artistic heritage. Explore her available works below.