Les Trois Esprits d'Nago (The Three Spirits of Nago), André Pierre

Artwork Overview

André Pierre, Les Trois Esprits d'Nago (The Three Spirits of Nago)
André Pierre, Les Trois Esprits d'Nago (The Three Spirits of Nago)
André Pierre
Les Trois Esprits d'Nago (The Three Spirits of Nago)
circa 1972
André Pierre, artist
1914–2005, active 1940s–2004
Les Trois Esprits d'Nago (The Three Spirits of Nago), circa 1972
Where object was made: Haiti
Material/technique: possibly canvas; oil
Dimensions:
Canvas/Support (Height x Width x Depth): 61 x 91 cm
Canvas/Support (Height x Width x Depth): 24 x 35 13/16 in
Frame Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth): 26 x 38 x 2 in
Credit line: Mary Lou Vansant Hughes Collection
Accession number: 2011.0317
Not on display
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Images

Label texts

The Ties that Bind: Haiti, the United States, and the Art of Ulrick Jean-Pierre in Comparative Perspective

As illustrated in Ulrick Jean-Pierre’s Céremonie du Bois Caïman II (hanging to your right), the onset of the Haitian Revolution was marked by a Vodou religious ceremony, demonstrating the deep connections between religion, liberty, and freedom in Haitian culture. In that painting, Vodou priest Boukman Dutty holds a conch shell, which would have been used to call forth a lwa, or
spiritual being. With these two works of art, we might imagine the angel using her trumpet to call forth a different set of spirits—in this case, manifestations of Nago, as imagined by Haitian artist André Pierre in the painting below. The Nago are a group of lwas who originated in the beliefs of the Yoruba peoples of western Africa.

Exhibitions

Haitian Art from the Hughes Collection
Sean Barker, curator
Amanda Martin-Hamon, curator
2007
Teaching Gallery: Folklore in African Diaspora Literature
2015
Haitian Art
1994–1995
The Ties that Bind: Haiti, the United States, and the Art of Ulrick Jean-Pierre in Comparative Perspective
Cassandra Mesick Braun, curator
2018–2019

Resources

Audio

Didactic – Art Minute
Didactic – Art Minute
I'm David Cateforis with another Art Minute with the Spencer Museum of Art. It may surprise you to learn that the Spencer’s contemporary gallery is alive with powerful spirits. These spirits dwell in the lush and vibrantly colored forest of Haitian painter André Pierre’s "The Three Spirits of Nago". Standing among swaying green branches and thick carpets of grass, a female figure in aristocratic dress gazes at the viewer with a discerning look. Flanking her are two bearded men in green and blue regalia. These three figures are the lords of Nago, which in the Haitian language denotes the green things, forests and plants native to Nago-land, or present day Nigeria. Besides being an accomplished religious painter, André Pierre is a priest of the Haitian Vodou religion, and many of his paintings represent the symbolic appearances of African spirits. Shortly after painting this work, Pierre sold it to the wife of an American diplomat, who later moved to Lawrence. Harry and Mary Lou Hughes have generously lent the work to the Spencer, sharing with visitors the brilliant colors, the rich decorative style, and the benevolent presence of "The Three Spirits of Nago". With thanks for the text by Patrick Frank and Anna Smith for their text, from the Spencer Museum of Art, I'm David Cateforis.