Gesner Armand, painter, poet, and political activist, was born June 11, 1936, in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti. Under the supervision of Maurice Borno and watercolorist Pierre Monosiet, he began his career during adolescence at the Haitian Centre d' Art in Port-au-Prince. During the 1950s, Armand traveled to Mexico City where he began taking classes in ceramic and sculpture at the Talleres de Artesianas. By 1960, he had completed his first solo exhibit at the Centre d’Art. By that time, Armand’s focus had shifted from watercolor to oil painting. In 1961, he departed for Paris, where he pursued a multi-year scholarship sponsored by the French government.

Since 1957, Armand has participated in dozens of individual and group shows throughout the Americas, Europe, and the Middle-East. As one of Haiti’s finest non-primitive, impressionist painters, Armand focuses on everyday themes in Haitian life, including peasant life, carnivals, and pigeons in an array of rich, bright colors. Yet while the colors and themes Armand explores are inherently Haitian, his extensive travels have allowed him to learn other techniques that have enriched and solidified his original style. Armand’s professional career culminated in an appointment as Director of the Musee d’Art Haitien du College St. Pierre. Retiring in 1995, he continues to live with his family in Haiti.

About this Piece
This is a very early work of Armand, who began his career as a watercolorist in his native Haiti. Unlike Armand’s rich and vibrant oil paintings, this watercolor exhibits a very delicate color palette. Along with being shown at the Centre d’Art in Haiti, this painting was exhibited at the XX International Watercolor Biennial at the Brooklyn Museum in 1959. The painting has not been show publicly since it came under private ownership during the early 1960s.