Levoy Exil (1944) - Spirit with Birds

Acrylic on canvas by Levoy Exil, Haitian painter of the Saint Soleil movement. A work from 2008 titled "Spirit with Birds" - dimensions 30.5 x 60.5 cm. Purchased in 2010 from a gallery (The Art of Haïti)

Levoy Exil was born in 1944 in Soisson-la-Montagne, Haiti, and became one of the leading figures of the Saint Soleil movement, a school of Haitian art rooted in spirituality and almost hypnotic collective creation. His paintings are mystical and abstract, often depicting the Loas of Voodoo, the sun and the stars, birds and marassas, the central twins of Haitian spiritual symbolism. His style draws on primitive and naive traditions while remaining resolutely dreamy, built through a pointillist technique of small distinct dots that gradually reveal a larger image, influenced by Africa, Haiti and Voodoo. The writer Gerald Alexis described the effect in Peintres Haïtiens, noting that winding lines create the impression of dancing figures on Levoy's canvases. Exil has exhibited internationally throughout his career and enjoys strong enthusiasm among collectors, particularly in Europe.