Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 16

Wilson Bigaud
Modern Colorful Abstract Figurative Christian Nativity Scene Haitian Painting

20th Century

Price Upon Request
Price Upon Request
Price Upon Request
Price Upon Request
Price Upon Request
Price Upon Request
Price Upon Request
Price Upon Request
Price Upon Request
Price Upon Request
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

Modern colorful figurative painting of the Christian nativity scene. The work feature a central baby Jesus figure in a manger surrounded by Mary, Joseph, the Three Wise Men, and various farm animals. Through the back window the star of Bethlehem can be seen in the sky. Signed by the artist in the front lower right corner. Currently hung in a light gold frame. Dimensions Without Frame: H 24 in. x W 24 in. Artist Biography: Wilson Bigaud first had the notion to become an artist from watching his neighbor, Hector Hyppolite, paint. He did a few sculptures out of clay, which he took to the Centre d'Art. DeWitt Peters suggested that he should try painting instead, which turned out to be Bigaud's real medium. He joined the Centre d'Art in 1946. Bigaud's art gave new meaning and purpose to his life. It gave him both the possibility of overcoming poverty and desperation and the opportunity to release inner tensions and express his own thoughts about the social fabric of Haitian life. However, he suffered a series of nervous breakdowns between 1957 and 1961. According to Rigaud Benoit, who knew him very well, a shooting in Bigaud's neighborhood caused his illness. The years of his creativity and collapse were years of political upheaval in Haiti. Con­sidering the artist's themes in retrospect, it is as if he antici­pated the events that eventually overwhelmed his sensibil­ity. He is said to live now in Petit-Goave under the close surveillance of his family. Bigaud's masterpiece is the mural Marriage at Cana, exe­cuted between 1950 and 1951 for Holy Trinity Cathedral. The wedding scene can be understood as a pretext for showing Haitian life as the artist sees it. Most of his themes are included. The murder in the jungle, the cemetery, the unnerving rhythm of the drums and the primeval sounds of rara, the poverty, and the mystery of voodoo are all bathed in a strange yellow light typical of Bigaud's work. In his paintings, the world is transformed into a demonic place, full of violent feelings, held together by the power of authority. Characteristic of Bigaud's style is an emphasis on perspective and volume and an awareness of the effects of light and shadow. His color range was broad, although he rarely used pure, bright colors. Bigaud has continued to paint, but his work is no longer of high quality. The colors are now chalky and muddy. The themes have become more peaceful and subdued, awakening hopes for a recovery and a return to previous greatness.
  • Creator:
    Wilson Bigaud (1931 - 2010, Haitian)
  • Creation Year:
    20th Century
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 30.13 in (76.54 cm)Width: 30.25 in (76.84 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age.
  • Gallery Location:
    Houston, TX
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: CA246.2022.0804.43101stDibs: LU551311546442

More From This Seller

View All
Limones y Limones 1
By Valentina Atkinson
Located in Houston, TX
Textured block painting of lemons and lemon halves. Mainly deep yellow and light browns. The lines appear to be carved into the paint creating a layered affect to the composition. Fi...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Geometric Abstract Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Oil

Untitled Expressionist Style Figurative Abstract On Masonite
By Morris Gluckman
Located in Houston, TX
Early Morris Gluckman abstract painting of a black shadow figure holding a pink item. Artist Biography: Morris Gluckman was born in 1894 in Kiev, Russia. He was an active artist in...
Category

1950s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

"Bali" Impressionist Figurative Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Impressionist figurative painting of a woman dancing. The work is signed by, I Fantje who was an Indonesian Asian Modern & Contemporary painter born in 1931. ...
Category

20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden Reimagined in Jacmel, Haiti Folk Art Painting
By Dieudonne Vital
Located in Houston, TX
Colorful, tropical interpretation of the Garden of Eden in Jacmel, Haiti by Haitian artist Dieudonne Vital. The work features a pair of central figures...
Category

1980s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Warm-Toned Abstract Figurative Black Art Portrait of a Mother with Children
Located in Houston, TX
Warm toned abstract figurative black art portrait painting of a woman with two children clutching her hips set against tropical foliage. The centr...
Category

20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Warm-Toned Abstract Figurative Portrait of Boxer Jack Johnson
Located in Houston, TX
Warm-toned abstract figurative painting by an unknown artist. The painting depicts Galveston, TX boxer John Arthur Johnson in profile view. Unsigned. Unframed but framing options are...
Category

1950s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

You May Also Like

Oil on Canvas “Cabo Azul 3”
By Frank Arnold
Located in Fresno, CA
“Cabo Azul 3” is 43” x 36”. Frank Arnold’s paintings exhibit the highest quality materials for a truly archival piece, created to last generations. Much of Frank Arnold’s work is so...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mod 7
By Frank Arnold
Located in Fresno, CA
“Mod 7” is 20”x 16”. The heavy handed application of pigment renders an impasto portrait from another place in the deeper mind of the artist. Frank Arnold is one of the foremost abst...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Oil on Canvas “Understander 8” by abstract-figurative artist, Frank Arnold
By Frank Arnold
Located in Fresno, CA
Frank Arnold is thought by many to be one of the foremost abstract figurative painters and sculptors of our time. He is a living master whose work is considered to be both personal a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Oil on Canvas “Azul Paseo”
By Frank Arnold
Located in Fresno, CA
Frank Arnold is thought by many to be one of the foremost abstract figurative painters and sculptors of our time. He is a living master whose work is considered to be both personal a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Oil on Canvas “Black 5” by abstract-figurative artist, Frank Arnold
By Frank Arnold
Located in Fresno, CA
" Black 5" is 36” x 36”. Solo figure, head and shoulders in bold white outline. Frank Arnold’s paintings exhibit the highest quality materials for a truly archival piece, created to ...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Oil on Canvas “BS Trust”
By Frank Arnold
Located in Fresno, CA
“BS Trust” is 36” x 36”. Frank Arnold’s paintings exhibit the highest quality materials for a truly archival piece, created to last generations. Much of Frank Arnold’s work is sourc...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil