Murat Briere
Murat Brierre or Murat Briere (1938–1988) was one of Haiti's principal metal sculptors and was known for his recycling of surplus oil drum lids. He was influenced by George Liautaud, but his work acquired its own highly experimental style, often focusing on multi-faceted and conjoined figures, fantastically personified elements, and unborn babies visible within larger creatures.
Murat Briere
- Born
- 1938 · Port-au-Prince.
- Died
- 1988 · Port-au-Prince.
- Nationality
- Haiti
- Occupation
- sculptor · printmaker
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Documentary summary
Murat Brierre or Murat Briere (1938–1988) was one of Haiti's principal metal sculptors and was known for his recycling of surplus oil drum lids. He was influenced by George Liautaud, but his work acquired its own highly experimental style, often focusing on multi-faceted and conjoined figures, fantastically personified elements, and unborn babies visible within larger creatures.
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wikidata · Q3709595
In this article
Early life and career
Early life and career
Brierre worked as a brick mason, cabinetmaker, tile setter, and blacksmith. He was born in Mirebalais or Port-au-Prince, Haiti and was the younger of two brothers. His older brother, Edgar Brierre, was a painter and sculptor. The brother's signed their works with only their last name, creating some confusion within their professional circles about the authorship of their work. Brierre's sculptures typically ranged from three to six feet in length and reflected Christian, Haitian Vodou, and folklore themes. Brierre was also a painter, but ultimately chose to work with metal because he felt that the material was saturated with spiritual energy. It was a laborious process. The oil drum lids were hammered flat, drawn onto, then cut with a razor. The sheet was then cut with a chisel before finishing was completed with a file. By the mid1970s, Brierre's sculptures included pronounced areas of cut outs surrounding long curved lines of metal. Brierre's iron sculpture titled Chien de Mer overlays a dog head onto the body of a fish.
Solo exhibitions
Solo exhibitions
1967 – Haitian Art Gallery, New York 1968 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Bradley Galleries, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Georgetown Graphics Gallery, Washington D.C.; Menschoff Gallery, Chicago; John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin; Roko Gallery, New York 1969 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Showcase Gallery, Washington D.C.; Botolph Group, Boston 1970 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti 1971 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti 1972 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Roko Gallery, New York 1973 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti 1979 – Areta Contemporary Design, Boston
Group exhibitions
Group exhibitions
1969 – Davenport Art Gallery, Iowa 1974 – Davenport Art Gallery, Iowa 1978 – Brooklyn Museum, New York (traveling) 1980 – Davenport Art Gallery, Iowa 1982 – Studio Museum in Harlem, New York 1983 – Chicago Public Library Cultural Center 1985 – Davenport Art Gallery, Iowa 1987 – Musée du Panthéon National, Port-au-Prince, Haiti 1988 – Galeries Nationales d'Exposition du Grand Palais, Paris 1989 – Museum of Art, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 2006 – Phyllis Kind Gallery in conjunction with the Outsider Art Fair, New York
Works of art
Works of art
L'Araignée (The Spider), 1970, iron Bawon Samdi, 1970, iron Christ sur la Croix (Christ on the Cross), 1970, iron Four Sirens, 1966, iron Ogou, 1970, iron Le Sagittaire en Démon (Sagittarius and Demon), no date, iron Visage en Fer (Face in Iron), 1965, iron
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1938
Murat Briere born at Port-au-Prince.
1988
Murat Briere died at Port-au-Prince.
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Haiti
Residences
Port-au-Prince.
Birth place
Literature
Scholarly footprint
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authority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Prints
4,138 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Moses HarrisEngraver
- Moses Haughton the youngerEngraver
- Moshe GershuniEngraver
- Mukul DeyEngraver
- Muriel JacksonEngraver
- Mykola DmitrukhEngraver
- Myra Kathleen HughesEngraver
- Myrna BáezEngraver
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