Adam Leontus (Haitian, 1923-1986)

Adam Leontus was born in April 1923, reportedly either in Anse-à-Galets (La Gonâve) or Port-au-Prince, Haiti. One of nine children, Leontus worked as a dockworker before his artistic talent was discovered through wall paintings he created in a Vodou temple in a poor neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. His creativity soon brought him to the Centre d’Art in 1947, where he became recognized among Haiti’s pioneering self-taught painters. During the 1950s, Leontus contributed a major mural, “The Annunciation,” for the Episcopal Cathedral of Sainte-Trinité in Port-au-Prince—one of the most celebrated commissions in Haitian modern art. His distinctive style combined vibrant color, spiritual symbolism, and deeply rooted Haitian cultural themes. Leontus painted actively until his death on May 1, 1986. His works are represented in several important museum collections, including the Musée d’Art Haïtien du Collège Saint-Pierre in Port-au-Prince, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Waterloo Museum of Art in Iowa, the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History in Los Angeles, and the New Orleans Museum of Art. Source: Island on Fire, by Jonathan Demme and Edwidge Danticat, 1997, p. 45.