Pioneers of Fine Arts
One of the West Indies' greatest art connoisseurs is certainly Jérôme Filleau, who runs the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Saint-François with his wife Catherine. Located on the marina, this venue opened in 2017 and fills a real gap in the archipelago, as it focuses on artists born and working in Guadeloupe. On the museum's scarlet walls, the display goes back as far as the 16th century, with works by the Italian, Dutch and Flemish schools... In its two rooms, paintings and drawings from the 19th and 20th centuries, and even a few older works, introduce visitors to Guadeloupe's first, sadly overlooked artists. It has to be said that most of the painters of past centuries studied or made their careers on the European continent. For example, the painter and draughtsman Pierre-Jérôme Lordon (1779-1838), a pupil of Prud'hon, left us some very fine compositions in a classical style. Or Jean-Baptiste Gibert, born in Pointe-à-Pitre in 1803. Often cited as the greatest talent of his time, Guillaume Guillon Lethière (1760-1832), a neo-classical master who taught in Europe, was born in Sainte-Anne to a slave mother and a colonial father. In 2024, an exhibition dedicated to him will be held at the Musée du Louvre, co-organized with the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, on view until February 17, 2025.
Art from the street
After a long period in which other forms of expression were given pride of place, it wasn't until the 1960s that artistic personalities began to make their presence felt on Guadeloupean soil. Street art, a local peculiarity, emerged around the same time as the more traditional fields. Similar themes are addressed, such as the colonial past, the quest for identity or the bounty of flora and fauna, all bathed in shimmering light.
In the archipelago, the dynamic street art scene is assured by the collectives, or crews, that have been active since the 1980s: BCP, CAF, FDP and KSA. Whether you're in the towns or out and about, you're sure to come across murals begging for your attention. From Baie-Mahault to Basse-Terre, from Sainte-Rose to Grand-Bourg or Morne-à-l'Eau, via the Gosier cemetery, the wastelands of Pointe-à-Pitre or the Grand-Camp interchange, Peyi graffiti artists are geniuses! Using cans of acrylic paint, the artists (Jimmy Sheikboudhou, Philippe Laurent, but also Pwos, Cédrik Boucart, Steek, Pacman) embellish the butterfly island. Their often large-format mural creations are displayed on the most unusual supports: bridges, perimeter walls, warehouses, traffic circles, electrical transformers and bus shelters. In an explosion of colors, idyllic beaches, tropical landscapes, jungles, sunsets, portraits of fishermen or women in traditional costume, divinities or lion-haired rastas. While many of these graffiti are commissioned by local authorities, the art form has become such an integral part of the cultural landscape that it is now the subject of private commissions.
Shuck One is considered one of the pioneers of this art form. Already recognized in Paris since his arrival in 1983, the graffiti artist has benefited from media exposure with one of his works installed at the Mémorial ACTe, a Caribbean center of expression dedicated to the slave trade and slavery located in Pointe-à-Pitre. Shuck One created a fresco based on the map of Guadeloupe. It is a reconstruction of the fighting that took place in Guadeloupe in 1802, when Napoleon re-established slavery in the face of Delgrès's resistance.
In Port-Louis, you can also discover the work of Eddy Firmin, an artist of Guadeloupean origin. He often works on old Creole huts, covering them with new skins and very clear messages.
Al Pacman has become a benchmark in decorative painting and murals throughout the Caribbean islands, as well as in France. His talent and notoriety have enabled him to create numerous works for video clips, TV films and TV shows. Even as a child, he was already drawing and developing a passion for hip-hop culture and street art, particularly from 1993 onwards, when he began to dabble in what was then known as "graffiti".
As well as expressing himself on walls, with frescoes that he has exhibited around the world, artist Steek Oner also reveals his talent for bodypainting. A discipline that earned him the title of French champion in 2022 and world champion (2017, 2018 and 2019).
In Pointe-à-Pitre, every alleyway is a treasure trove. Each more beautiful than the last, these figurative works evoke a moment in history or the condition of a people with a fascinating culture. But that's not all: at the airport, two painted butterflies welcome visitors, and at the exit, a block houses a cubic fresco by Jimmy Sheik, whose colorful abstract forms recall the lush vegetation of Guadeloupe. An iguana on a fence, wolves rowing in a boat... it's up to you to find them!
Contemporary scene
In Guadeloupe, a wide variety of artistic fields merge and enrich each other. Easel painters don't hesitate to exalt their art on façades, and vice versa. Among the leaders of the contemporary scene is painter, sculptor and illustrator Michel Rovelas, born in 1938 in Guadeloupe. He exhibited in Paris from 1963 and founded a painting school in Pointe-à-Pitre in 1972 on his return from France. Don't miss the mural panels created for the bicentenary of the Lycée Carnot, or the monumental paintings executed in 1990 for the INSERM in Pointe-à-Pitre. As for sculptures, there's plenty to take you on a journey that starts in Gosier, at the marina traffic circle, with Douvan jou a jôdi la or Les Matins du présent, then on to the town of Lamentin, with the bronze bust of René Toribio (1991).
Goodÿ, a self-taught artist who lives and works in Guadeloupe, has been drawing and writing poetry since childhood. But it was only after meeting a number of artists that he decided to devote himself to the visual arts in November 2000. That same year, he took part in a number of art-related events and held his first solo exhibition. Since then, in addition to group exhibitions, he has presented a solo show every year, with the aim of always exchanging with his public and remaining true to his overall approach, which is to "look at the evolution of the world". Also a fresco artist and participant in happenings ( live painting at events), his work constantly pushes back the boundaries of art.
A complete artist, Joël Nankin lives and works in Guadeloupe. Born in 1955, he is both a painter and a musician, but also a political activist, having made his life a struggle for Creole identity. His fight for Guadeloupean independence led to him being sent to prison from 1983 to 1989. It was there that he discovered painting, and was introduced to the art of the Haitian islands and to abstraction. From then on, he used mixed techniques, ink, acrylic and spray paint. His works, veritable poems dedicated to suffering men, denounce domination and injustice.
Jean-Marc Hunt, a Guadeloupean artist born in Strasbourg in 1975, grew up in the suburbs, where he immersed himself in the art of graffiti and rap music. Since moving to his native Guadeloupe in 2003, he has developed a neo-expressionist style combining drawing, painting, sculpture and installation. His art shakes consciences with irony. Invited to group exhibitions in Europe, the Caribbean and the United States, he takes his taste for experimentation to the level of scenographer and curator.
Rosy Auguste, a self-taught painter from Marie-Galante, makes no secret of her interest in art brut. Her residencies in Japan and Africa have fuelled her technical explorations. She was inspired by Janet Sobel's "all-over" and New York abstract expressionism to found the "fluid'art" method, which offers a unique take on the world around her. Rosy enjoys exhibiting in collaboration with sculptor Armand Baptiste, well known to the Marie-Galantais community.
The contemporary art scene can be found at l'Art s'en mêle in Gosier, Kreol West Indies in Saint-François and the UKA gallery in the Pointe-à-Pitre marina.
Multiform creation
Félie-Line Lucol comes to art through drawing. Committed to environmental protection, she works with recycled materials, transforming them into accessories, sculptures and installations. In 2004, she invited the population of Morne-à-l'Eau to install 350,000 plastic corks in the Place Gerty Archimède to take part in the Telethon. Lucol also practices her art in portrait painting, illustration and mural frescoes, including the one on the Gosier bell tower.
A self-taught photographer, Hélène Valenzuela has been taking pictures since the age of 18, and regularly exhibits in France (Palais de Tokyo) and abroad (Finland, Belgium, United Kingdom, Dak'Art Biennial). Attached to the notion of memory, she devotes herself to the elderly, whom she photographs in retirement homes or at home. She has also exhibited alongside Renée Cox at Galerie T&T Basse-Terre, and takes part in numerous projects around the world.
Kitsimi studied fine arts before becoming a globetrotter. Faced with tragedy, sculpture seemed the only way to bounce back. Creative projects are now an integral part of his daily life. Her sculptural objects reflect her inner reflections on the meaning of life. Kitsimi's art combines plastic arts and urban creation.
The next generation of young Guadeloupean artists also deserves to be recognized, already exhibiting in Paris, Dakar and elsewhere, including visual artists Béliza Troupé, Pauline and Mathilde Bonnet, painters Alice-Anne Augustin, Mixi, photographers Anaïs C, Cédrick-Isham Calvados, Giorgiana Gace, multidisciplinary artist Pock, designers Steeven Macal, Dach & Zéphir, publishing house Damalia and many more.
