Laurent Casimir Biography
Laurent Casimir was a Haitian painter born on May 8, 1928 in Anse-a-Veau, into a peasant family. In 1940 he moved to Port-au-Prince, the city where in the late 1940s he was introduced to the Center d'Art by a friend, Dieudonne Cedor. Later, in 1950, Casimir joined the Foyer des Artes Plastiques, a group of modern artists and intellectuals, including his friend Cedor. Casimir was one of the creators of the archetypal Haitian market paintings, using his distinctive colors of red, orange and yellow. Throughout the 1970s, Casimir could be found in his home in Martissant, where he held court and sold paintings in the front room, while in the back yard some apprentices painted on canvases designed by the master, awaiting his signature. Unfortunately, Casimir was one of the most counterfeited painters in history and this has hindered the recognition and monetary value of his work, as it is difficult to determine which paintings attributed to him were actually painted by him. Casimir died in 1990, but his contribution to Haitian art was recognized and he left a lasting imprint on his country's art scene.
