René Exume
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Early examples of Haitian paintings featuring Vodou rituals in good
condition are hard to find. The present work, "Guedes au Cimetière" by
René Exume, is an excellent, rare example that blends European
Catholicism with West African Tribalism. In Haitian art, the Guedes
(also spelled Guédés or Gedes) represent the family of lwa (spirits)
associated with death, fertility, ancestors, and cosmic balance.
With
its flat, highly graphic style, this work bridges the physical world
and the spiritual realms of the lwa (spirits). Far from merely
decorative, these works actively participate in ritual, prayer, and
cultural resistance.
This early 1949 painting depicts a Vodou ceremony with rituals
steeped in deep authenticity. René Exume (Haitian, b. 1929) Guedes au
Cimetière, dated 1949, oil on board. Framed. Size: 16'' x 19.75'', 41 x
50 cm (sight); 22.25'' x 26'', 57 x 66 cm (frame). Provenance: Jonathan
Demme Estate; Private Collection, New York, N.Y. Zelaya Qattan Gallery
Exhibited/Illustrated,
Island on Fire, Equitable Life Building, NY, 1997, page 48, plate 21;
Bass Museum, Miami Beach, 2006 (Illustrated page 86). Frame size 26 x 22
x 1.50 Frame by The House of Heydenryk.