Murat Brierre or Murat Briere (1938–1988) was one of Haiti's principal metal sculptors[1] and was known for his recycling of surplus oil drum lids.[2] He was influenced by George Liautaud, but his work acquired its own highly experimental style, often focusing on multi-faceted and conjoined figures, fantastically personified elements, and unborn babies visible within larger creatures.[3]
Brierre worked as a brick mason, cabinetmaker, tile setter, and blacksmith.[4] He was born in Mirebalais or Port-au-Prince,[5] Haiti and was the younger of two brothers. His older brother, Edgar Brierre, was a painter and sculptor. The brother's signed their works with only their last name, creating some confusion within their professional circles about the authorship of their work.
Brierre's sculptures typically ranged from three to six feet in length and reflected Christian, Haitian Vodou, and folklore themes. Brierre was also a painter, but ultimately chose to work with metal because he felt that the material was saturated with spiritual energy.[6] It was a laborious process. The oil drum lids were hammered flat, drawn onto, then cut with a razor. The sheet was then cut with a chisel before finishing was completed with a file. By the mid1970s, Brierre's sculptures included pronounced areas of cut outs surrounding long curved lines of metal. Brierre's iron sculpture titled Chien de Mer overlays a dog head onto the body of a fish.[7]
1967 – Haitian Art Gallery, New York[8]
1968 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Bradley Galleries, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Georgetown Graphics Gallery, Washington D.C.; Menschoff Gallery, Chicago; John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin; Roko Gallery, New York
1969 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Showcase Gallery, Washington D.C.; Botolph Group, Boston
1970 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
1971 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
1972 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Roko Gallery, New York
1973 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
1979 – Areta Contemporary Design, Boston
1969 – Davenport Art Gallery, Iowa[9]
1974 – Davenport Art Gallery, Iowa
1978 – Brooklyn Museum, New York (traveling)
1980 – Davenport Art Gallery, Iowa
1982 – Studio Museum in Harlem, New York
1983 – Chicago Public Library Cultural Center
1985 – Davenport Art Gallery, Iowa
1987 – Musée du Panthéon National, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
1988 – Galeries Nationales d'Exposition du Grand Palais, Paris
1989 – Museum of Art, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
2006 – Phyllis Kind Gallery in conjunction with the Outsider Art Fair, New York[10]
L'Araignée (The Spider), 1970, iron[11]
Bawon Samdi, 1970, iron
Christ sur la Croix (Christ on the Cross), 1970, iron
Four Sirens, 1966, iron
Ogou, 1970, iron
Le Sagittaire en Démon (Sagittarius and Demon), no date, iron
Visage en Fer (Face in Iron), 1965, iron