[Many thanks to the MCC Communication Haïti and to Veerle Poupeye (Critical.Caribbean.Art) for bringing this item to our attention.] Haitian visual artist Patrick Vilaire passed away at the age of 84 today (August 16, 2026) in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Born on September 16, 1941, “he was celebrated internationally for conceptual works blending science, anthropology, and Haitian ancestral culture.” See more information below from the Ministry of Culture and Communication (MCC).
The Ministry of Culture and Communication (MCC) respectfully pays tribute to the memory of Patrick Vilaire, whose passing is a great loss for Haitian art.
Born on September 16, 1941, in Port-au-Prince, this sculptor, painter, ceramist, writer, collector, and specialist in ceramics and renewable energy was president of the Foundation for Iconographic and Documentary Research [Fondation pour la recherche iconographique & documentaire] and founder of GATAPHY [Groupe pour l’assistance technique aux potiers et à la petite hydraulique des mornes / Group for Technical Assistance to Potters and Small-Scale Hydraulics in the Hills].
A member of the International Academy of Ceramics (1964) and a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (France, 1991) he was a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution since 2004 and received the Édouard Glissant Prize in May 2010. A committed artist and creator deeply attached to the history, memory, and identity of the Haitian people, Patrick Vilaire made a significant contribution to enriching and preserving the national cultural heritage. His work testifies to his talent, his vision and his deep commitment to Haiti. [. . .]
See https://www.facebook.com/groups/702169783457461
Also see more about his work at https://www.lecentredart.org/publication-2/articles/artistes/vilaire-patrick/, https://www.fondationcartier.com/en/program/exhibition/patrick-vilaire, and https://lenouvelliste.com/article/232369/les-vitraux-signes-patrick-vilaire-de-la-paroisse-saint-paul-de-furcy
[Photo of the artist from https://lenouvelliste.com/article/232369/les-vitraux-signes-patrick-vilaire-de-la-paroisse-saint-paul-de-furcy.]