Hector Hyppolite

Hector Hyppolite (1894–1948) was a Haitian painter. Considered as the "Grand Maître of Haitian Art" Born in Saint-Marc, Hyppolite was a third generation Vodou priest, or oungan. He also made shoes and painted houses before taking up fine art painting, which he did untrained. Hyppolite spent five years outside of Haiti from 1915 to 1920. His travels abroad included trips to New York and Cuba. Although he later claimed those years had been spent in Africa, such as Dahomey and Ethiopia, scholars regard that as more likely an instance of promotional myth-making than factual.