Faustin-Vodoo Initiation#2603GN, C1974

Vodou priest and one of the most extraordinary Haitian master painters with seemingly limitless possibilities, Celestin Faustin, one of Haiti's foundational Surrealist artists, was born in 1948 in Haiti and died in 1981. He studied art with Wilmino Domond and soon developed a style of his own that was haunting, poetic, hallucinatory, surreal, and erotic. Most of his paintings tell a story of profound personal anguish and a deep ambivalence about his Vodou beliefs. "Faustin is too much of a virtuoso to be considered a "primitive" painter, and his complex compositions, largely devoted to the divine, are an expression of his strategy," says art critic Gérald Alexis in his book Peintres Haitiens.  Celestin Faustin's work has been included in various exhibitions detailing Caribbean artists' vibrancy and accomplishments, such as Life and Spirituality in Haitian Art (2022), organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art of North Miami. His work was also included in the Venice Biennale (2022) and has been recognized in publications such as Apollo, ArtNews, and the New York Times.  On April 20, 2022, ARTNews Magazine chose two paintings by Celestin Faustin, among the best art in the Venice Biennale.