Ulrick Jean-Pierre

Embodying the centuries-old cultural connection between Haiti and New Orleans, Ulrick Jean-Pierre’s paintings of historic Haitian milestones are infused with pride and spirituality. He apprenticed under Lavorancy Exumé and René Exumé at Le Froyer des Arts Plastiques in Haiti before furthering his studies at the University of the Arts and Fleisher Memorial School for the Arts in Philadelphia. Jean-Pierre moved to New Orleans in the mid-1990s. He is well-known for his historical painting series depicting various scenes of Haiti’s history and cultures. His subjects range from presidents and ambassadors to social activists and queens. In his paintings, Jean-Pierre pays tribute to the Arawak Indians who inhabited Haiti before the European colonists arrived. He also represents women at the forefront of history and highlights their ongoing participation in it.

Jean-Pierre will visit the Spencer in fall 2018 in conjunction with an exhibition featuring many of his paintings: The Ties that Bind: Haiti, the United States, and the Art of Ulrick Jean-Pierre in Comparative Perspective.

His visit coincides with the Unexpected Caribbean symposium, which celebrates the surprising interplay between Caribbean cultures and the rest of the world, organized in part by Dr. Cécile Accilien, Fall 2017 IARI Faculty Fellow and Director of the Institute of Haitian Studies at KU.