Andrée Malebranche
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Andrée Malebranche (28 November 1916 – 13 February 2013) was an
Afro-Haitian Afro-Haitians or Black Haitians (; ) are Haitians of the African diaspora. They form the largest racial group in Haiti and together with other Afro-Caribbean groups, the largest racial group in the region. The majority of Afro-Haitians are de ...
painter and art instructor. She has works included in the collections of the Musée d'Art Haïtien and was recognized by the Haitian government for her contributions to the development of Haitian painting.


Early life

Andrée Malebranche was born on 28 November 1916 in
Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( ; ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The me ...
, Haiti, to Clio (née Lemaire) and Lelio Malebranche. Growing up in an affluent family, her desire to work as an artist was an unusual path for the times, but from a young age, Malebranche wanted to learn painting. During her childhood, the United States occupied Haiti, which had a profound effect on her desire overcome the suppression of her African and Haitian heritage. After completing her primary education in private schools, she attended the École Normal and graduated in 1938. As her father was appointed as the Haitian envoy to Cuba, Malebranche continued her studies at the Ciriulo da Bella Artes in
Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...
in 1941.


Career

The year that she graduated, Malebranche held her first exhibition in Port-au-Prince and the following year, exhibited in
Vedado Vedado (, ) is a central business district and urban neighborhood in the city of Havana, Cuba. Bordered on the east by Calzada de Infanta and Centro Habana, Cuba, Central Havana, and on the west by the Alemendares River and Miramar, Havana, Mir ...
at the Lyceum and Lawn Tennis Club. The international exhibit was one of the first to feature a Haitian woman's work outside of the country. One of the co-founders, along with
Maurice Borno Maurice Borno (1917–1955) was a Haitian painter. Born in Port-au-Prince, Borno attended school in Haiti, New York City, and Paris. He was a founding member of the Centre d'Art Le Centre d'Art, also known as Centre d'Art d'Haïti, is an art cent ...
,
Albert Mangonès Albert Mangonès (26 March 1917 – 25 April 2002), was a Haitian architect. Biography Albert Mangonès was born the son of Fernande Elisabeth Auguste and Philippe Auguste Edmond Mangonès on March 26, 1917, in Port-au-Prince. Like most children ...
,
Lucien Price Junius Lucien Price (January 6, 1883 – March 30, 1964), who also published under the name Seymour Deming,
...
, and Georges Remponeau, of the Centre d’Art d'Haïti, Malebranche taught painting and drawing at the Centre beginning in 1944. In 1947, she had her first exhibit in the United States, exhibiting at the 44th Street Gallery in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. In 1945, commissioned with
Gérald Bloncourt Gérald Bloncourt (4 November 1926 – 29 October 2018), also known as Gérard Bloncourt, was a Haitian painter and photographer resident in the suburbs of Paris, France. Born in the small city of Bainet, in Haiti's Sud-Est department, Bloncour ...
and James Peterson through the Centre d’Art, Malebranche created murals for the chapel of Sainte-Marie-Thérèse in
Pétion-Ville Pétion-Ville (; ) is a commune and a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in the hills east and separate from the city itself on the northern hills of the Massif de la Selle. Founded in 1831 by president Jean-Pierre Boyer, it was named after Alexa ...
. These were some of the first murals created in Haiti. In her
mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...
, ''Holy Family'', she depicted the family as Haitian peasants, making a
black Madonna The term ''Black Madonna'' or ''Black Virgin'' tends to refer to statues or paintings in Western Christendom of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus, where both figures are depicted with dark skin. The Jungian scholar, San Begg publ ...
, Joseph and the Christ Child. When the curate of the chapel was replaced, Rev. Poirier ordered the painting destroyed in 1960 because he felt it showed inappropriate references to race and class. Other of her works featured black and indigenous women from Cuba and Mexico, presenting an honest depiction of the human condition and difficulty of their lives. She avoided colorful exotic scenes of markets and musicians,
voodoo Voodoo may refer to: Religions * West African Vodún, a religion practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups * African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo ** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...
or heroic icons, instead focusing on the lives of poverty stricken peasants or urban poor women. Her palette was often subdued shades of grays and browns with dark backgrounds, in which the figures melted into the blackness. Like many women artists, Malebranche struggled to achieve recognition and like other women in her period were omitted from books discussing
Haitian art Haitian art is a complex tradition, reflecting African roots with strong Indigenous, American and European aesthetic and religious influences. It is an important expression of Haitian culture and history. Many artists cluster in "schools" of pai ...
. Because socially, there were perceptions that women should remain in the home, she had to develop unique venues to show her art, exhibiting in places like dress shops, rather than art galleries. Throughout her career, Malebranche exhibited works in Brazil, France, Mexico, and the United States. Most of her works went into private collections, though she has paintings in the permanent collection of the Musée d'Art Haïtien. In 2007, the Ministry of the Condition of Women of Haiti presented her with a plaque in recognition of her contributions to the development of painting in Haiti. Two years later, she was recognized with "honor and merit" by the government.


Death and legacy

Malebranche died on 13 February 2013 at her home in La Boule, a suburb of Port-au-Prince and her funeral was held in Pétion-Ville on 20 February. She is remembered as one of the pioneering women artists in Haiti and was honored in 2016 among other women artists at the Feminist Festival Nègès Mawon.


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Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Malebranche, Andree 1916 births 2013 deaths Artists from Port-au-Prince African diaspora in Haiti Haitian women Haitian artists 20th-century women artists Haitian expatriates in Cuba