Georges Liautaud

(1899-1991)

Georges Liautaud pioneered the artform referred to as Metal Drum Art. A highly educated man, who worked as a blacksmith in his hometown of Croix-des-Bouquets, Liautaud's ornate cemetery crosses caught the attention of Dewitt Peters in 1953. His artistic career was launched at the Centre d'Art; by the sixties, museums in New York and Paris as well as other prestigious institutions had acquired his work. An avowed Catholic, Liautaud eventually incorporated Vodou-related themes in his work, expanding beyond the crucifixes, which brought him notoriety. Lasiren (goddess of the sea) is one of his most recurring — and reportedly favorite — subjects, as are ritual objects, mysterious creatures (manlike animals, living trees), and other lwas (the snake that is Danbala, the marasa twins) that populate the trance state. The brute force that characterizes Liautaud's work is evident in its legacy: today, Croix-des-Bouquets is a breeding ground and center of activity for hundreds of inventive artists working in the metal tradition inspired by the artist who gave birth to sculpture in the midst of a painting revolution.