Galerie Marassa

Featured Artists​

GIANNI ACRA

Gianni Acra is not merely an artist but a visionary with a mission. As a Haitian-American based in Miami, he uses his creativity to shed light on paths to wisdom and truth. His art serves as a beacon, promoting a lifestyle of knowledge and positive action that overcomes life’s various challenges, especially those related to mental and physical health. Having confronted these struggles personally, Gianni has developed a distinctive ability to heal through his art. His works, now treasured in collections across the United States, are more than just artworks; they act as a bridge. One foot is planted in the developed world, where he shares his insights and truths, while the other reaches back to his homeland of Haiti, supporting education and welfare through his creative endeavors. Gianni Acra has transformed his own experiences into a source of hope, connecting two worlds through enlightenment and compassion.

OLIVIER BERTONI

1980

Olivier Bertoni was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 1980 and spent the early part of his childhood there. From 1990 to 1994, he lived in the Dominican Republic while his stepfather served as an ambassador. In 1999, he earned his French high school diploma and returned to Santo Domingo to study illustration and fine arts at the Altos de Chavón art school. He later received a B.F.A. from the Parsons School of Design at The New School University in New York. Bertoni currently resides in the Dominican Republic, where he teaches Plastic Arts and Painting. His work delves into themes such as the loss of innocence, the transition to adulthood, frustrations with communication difficulties, and his experiences as a migrant.

Private Collection

PHILIPPE DODARD

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Philippe Dodard earned first prize in drawing at Petit Séminaire Collège Saint-Martial in 1966. He studied at the Poto-Mitan School of Art with Tiga and later attended the Académie des Beaux-Arts. Dodard worked as a graphic designer in 1974, and in 1975, he won first prize for a poster at the Haitian Art Festival.

In 1978, he received a scholarship to study educational drawing at the International School of Bordeaux. He designed a stained glass window for the Methodist Church of Nouveau Collège Bird in 1982 and later received a Rotary International scholarship to lecture on Haitian culture. Since 1981, Dodard has exhibited through Galerie Marassa his works in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Europe, the United States, and countless other countries around the world.  Galerie Marassa has also published numerous books featuring his artwork.

An internationally renowned contemporary Haitian artist, Dodard integrates Haitian, Caribbean, and African iconographies to create complex forms. His work harmonizes painting, sculpture, drawing, words, and sounds, reflecting his belief in art as a beacon for humanity’s future. He is a co-founder of the “Fondation Culture et Création” and the “Artisan Business Network Foundation” and founded the “Dodard of the Year” award to recognize influential figures in Haiti’s cultural scene.

LEVOY EXIL

1944

Levoy Exil, born on December 7, 1944, in Fermathe, Haiti, or October 19, 1944, in Soissons-la-Montagne, is a renowned Haitian artist. An original member of the Saint Soleil movement, he contributed to a community of peasant artists fostered by Tiga and Maude Robart in the mountains above LaBoule. Saint Soleil gained international fame after André Malraux’s visit in 1975, which led him to dedicate a chapter of his book *L’Intemporel* to the movement.

Exil began painting in 1972 and joined the Saint-Soleil workshops in 1973. His work, characterized by vibrant pinks and greens, often explores Voodoo spirits and dreamlike imagery. As a prominent figure in the Saint Soleil School, he is known for his rhythmic and soulful paintings, which frequently depict Voodoo Loas, suns, stars, and other symbols using a primitive, Pointillist style.

His art has been exhibited globally, and he is celebrated for its mystical and abstract qualities, which reflect deep African, Haitian, and Voodoo influences. Exil’s work is highly valued by collectors for its poetic and calligraphic expressiveness.

Private Collection

SULLY GUTEMBERG

Sully Gutemberg was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on May 22nd, 1974. Sully is a self taught artist. He started to paint in 1996. He followed painting courses with Jean Menard Derenoncourt and at « Atelier d’Art Fer Creation » with renown Haitian artist Philippe Dodard. His remarquable style of art is pointillisme also known as Neo-Impressionnism. His works of art has been presented at several art Expositions in Haiti and the United States.

KILLY

1966

Patrick Ganthier, known as Killy, was born on October 24, 1966, in Girardeau, near Pétion-Ville, Haiti.

In 1986, he began his solo journey into recycling sculpture, sourcing his materials from his immediate environment. He learned drawing at the Centre d’Art in Port-au-Prince under the guidance of painter Franck Louissaint and attended the Kay Tiga workshop (Jean-Claude Garoute), where he experimented with “artistic rotation” (simultaneity in artistic practice). It was later, in 2005 at the Atelier Circulaire in Montreal, that Killy learned printmaking and monotype techniques. He has also participated in numerous residencies and exhibitions in Martinique (2002), Benin (2003), Montreal (2008), and Venice (2011). Killy lives and works in Haiti.

PROSPERE PIERRE LOUIS

1947 - 1995

Prosper Pierre-Louis was born in Jacmel in 1947 and passed away in November 1997. A prominent member of the Saint Soleil school, he was one of the pioneers of this artistic movement.  His work is celebrated worldwide and featured in major publications on Haitian art. Beyond his artistry, Pierre-Louis was an important educator and art advocate. He actively supported the Haitian art scene through various initiatives, including collaborations with institutions and participation in exhibitions that expanded the reach of Haitian art.

EDOUARD MARTIAL

1978

Edouard Martial was born in 1978. He is originally from Fermathe, Haiti. He started painting in 1995. Like most Saint Soleil artists he started painting with the artists TIGA and Levoy Exil. He attended Tiga’s school in Port-au-Prince. He gets his inspiration from marassa’s which means twins in creole or from Grand Bois which is a man on a cross. He has exhibited in many exhibits in Haiti. Internationally he has exhibited his artworks in France, Germany, and the USA.

Private Collection

MARIE JOSE NADAL

Marie Jose Nadal comes from a family of artists and writers. At the age of thirteen she joined the Centre D’Art in Port au Prince, Haiti. She took her first art classes with Dewitt Peters, George Ramponneau, and Lucien Price. Since then, she never left the art world. She studied in France and later Canada. She studied painting and other things like anthropology. She is one of the founders of Galerie Marassa along with her daughter Michele Frisch. She has promoted Haitian art in the Caribbean, the United States, and Europe. One of her greatest achievements was the publication of her book “Peinture Haitienne”. This publication remains a useful reference for Haitian Art enthusiasts.

NAZITO

1972

Nazito is a contemporary artist from Haiti. He started painting in 1990. Nazito is the son of the famous artist from the Saint Soleil movement, Propere Pierre Louis.  Nazito did his studies in Colombia. After his studies he returned to Haiti where he started attending painting classes at the famous Saint Soleil artist TIGA’s workshop. His works are exhibited throughout Haiti, and internationally in the USA, Dominican Republic, Frnace, and a few Latin American countries.

PASKO

1974

Pasko, whose full name is Pierre Pascal Merisier, was born in Pétion-Ville in 1974. He studied art in Haiti, notably under the guidance of the artist Tiga, and received a scholarship from the French government to study engraving. He currently resides in France. Pasko has exhibited his work in various countries, including France, Haiti, the United States, Canada, Norway, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba.

Pasko is a multidimensional artist. He studied drawing and painting at the Art Workshops at École Sainte-Trinité in Haiti from 1994 to 1996 with artist Margareth Squire. He then reinforced his training by participating in workshops. He took courses of artistic rotation with Tiga, learned the nude arts after modeling with Pascale Monnin. He also studied engraving in Montpellier (France) in 2006 as a French government scholarship holder. In addition, he worked on ceramics in Lissa Jeannot’s studio.

Private Collection

JEAN ADRIEN SEIDE

Jean Adrien Seide was born in Les Cayes (Haiti) on November 18 1956. He began studying art with Jean-Claude Louis in 1973.

In 1977 he enrolled in the Academie des Beaux Arts.

He presently lives in Venezuela, painting and studying with Professor Efrain Lopez.

The landscapes that he paints represent indefinite field and plains.

They are large canvases that communicate a sense of calm, relaxation and peace.

His work has been exhibited in many countries such as Venezuela, Spain, Salvador, Canada, Haiti and France.

Seide is very well known among art collectors around the world who appreciate him for his very simple and peaceful landscapes

LOUISIANE ST FLEURANT

1924 - 2005

Fleurant’s artwork has been showcased in Asia, Europe, and the United States and has recently contributed to fundraising, relief, and awareness efforts in the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. In March 2007, the French Institute of Haiti honored her with a posthumous tribute. Saint Fleurant’s folk paintings are highly valued by collectors for their distinctive depictions of motherhood and her unique female perspective on Haitian and Vodou folk art. Her paintings are characterized by flat compositions with a deliberate absence of linear perspective, often set in densely populated spaces. She frequently portrayed women, children, houses, birds, and animals. Additionally, her ceramic sculptures, known for their playful humor, often featured whimsical elements such as bird heads on human bodies.

TIGA

1935-2006

TIGA was a prominent Haitian artist and sculptor who left a significant cultural legacy in Haiti. He co-founded the Saint-Soleil Movement in Soisson-La-Montagne and established Poto Mitan and KayTiga, which served as both an art gallery and cultural center. His Rotation Artistic method, which he used to teach art, received widespread acclaim. André Malraux was captivated by TIGA’s work, and as Gerald Alexis notes in his book *Peintres Haïtiens*, “A painter of animation, Garoute continues to experiment with both life and art.”

PIERRE-SYLVAIN AUGUSTIN PAYAS

1941

Payas was born in Petion-Ville, Haiti in 1941. He became part of the Saint-Soleil movement in 1997. He started painting with the artist Tiga. And he was inspired by the works of Prospere Pierre Louis. Payas as exhibited his first works at the World bank in Haiti and then internationally in Paris, France. He has also exhibited his works in Washington Dc.