Luce Turnier (Haitian, 1924-1995)

Luce Turnier was born in Jacmel, Haiti, on February 24, 1924, and passed away in Paris, France, in 1995. She became one of the few female founding artists at Haiti's Centre d'Art, speaking of modernism in 1945 when she was only 21. However, almost as soon as Haitian artists burst onto the global scene, stereotypes about what their art should look like began to set in, determining what would and would not sell. Haitian painters were seen as simple and primitive, unaware of any broader art world context. These artists were also overwhelmingly male. As a woman and an artist whose work spoke to modernism, Luce never won the same recognition or success as other Centre d'Art painters. Instead, Luce left Haiti in the 1950s on scholarships to study in New York and then in Paris - an isolating time when she was forced to confront a significant challenge: how to make art genuinely for herself, outside the pressures of what looked like "Haitian" or what would sell. Around this time, she began to experiment with abstraction and collage. Her style incorporated European styles but always stayed true to Haiti's people, texture, and colors. Today her work is shown in reputable galleries and museums worldwide and widely collected. "Turnier's portraits reflect the Haitian's soul while her studies are a hymn to tropical nature." (Peintres Haitiens, Gerald Alexis). Scroll down to make your selection(s)!