CAP HAITIEN SCHOOL

The first Academy of Haitian Art was created at Cap-Haitien by king Christophe, little after independence (1804). In 1816, Petion opens an art school in Port-au-Prince where French painters come as teachers. Between 1830 and 1860, historical subjects, linked to slavery, religion –especially voodoo- are the main themes painted by the artists. At the time, their production is still mainly unknown but already widely copied.