#Yolène Legrand

[brooklynmuseum]

In anticipation of the (now virtual) New York Caribbean Week and the annual Labor Day Parade, this August we're highlighting artworks in the Museum's collection that celebrate the presence of Caribbean culture and its diasporas.

Hatian-born contemporary artist, Yolène Legrand (@atelier_legrand), sources her inspiration from her travels to her homeland, France, and the United States. Often captivated by color, landscape, and cultural presentation, Legrand’s images range from the mountainous lush of Haiti to cityscapes of the Manhattan skyline. Tete de Femme depicts precisely what the title entails, “the head of a woman,” achieved through the intaglio print method of linocut. The colors in this work suggest a nod to the colors on the Haitian coat of arms, a symbol of the battle of independence for the republic––led by Toussaint Louverture. Such an achievement of independence became foundational to the Caribbean pride seen around the world today, as Haiti was the world’s first Black-led republic and the first independent Caribbean state.

Posted by Jenée-Daria Strand Yolène Legrand Legrand (Haitian). Tete de Femme. Color lino-cut on laid paper. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Vivian D. Hewitt, 2015.14.8.