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  • Visit

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    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Food and Drink
    • Tours and Guides
    • Explore the Campus

    Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
    Admission is always free

    6th and Constitution Ave NW 
    Washington, DC 20565

    Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

    Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights

    Through September 5

  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Calendar
    • Kid-Friendly Events

    America’s 250th

    Celebrating American art and artists

  • Art & Artists

    • Artworks
    • Artists
    • Stories
    • Fun and Games
    • Educational Resources
    • Research

    Open Call

    Artists Reimagining the Collection

    Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Utility

  • Support
  • Shop
  • Become a Member

  • Visit

    • Plan Your Visit
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Food and Drink
    • Tours and Guides
    • Explore the Campus

    Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
    Admission is always free

    6th and Constitution Ave NW 
    Washington, DC 20565

    Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

    Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights

    Through September 5

  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Calendar
    • Kid-Friendly Events

    America’s 250th

    Celebrating American art and artists

  • Art & Artists

    • Artworks
    • Artists
    • Stories
    • Fun and Games
    • Educational Resources
    • Research

    Open Call

    Artists Reimagining the Collection

    Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Utility

  • Support
  • Shop
  • Become a Member

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  • See extended hours

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    1. Home
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    3. Gérard Valcin

    Gérard Valcin

    Haitian, 1927 - 1988

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    Artwork

    This painting shows a vibrant festival or parade with people playing instruments and dancing. A long street stretches in a straight line from the bottom of the painting towards the center, and it is lined with houses with colorful walls and gray, pointed roofs. The street is packed with people dressed in colorful clothing waving their hands in the air, appearing to walk towards us. Closer to us, the street opens up into a wider area with orange earth, round gray stones, and short green bushes. At the front of the procession, we see several musicians, one playing a long drum and two playing round tube-shaped instruments. A person on the left wearing a tall hat with long feather-like decorations and a pink cape seems to lead the procession. This person is wearing white shoes, while everyone else is barefoot. All of the people are dressed in bright shades of blue, green, yellow, and red, and they have light brown skin and black hair. The sky above is deep blue and filled with green palm fronds, sprouting from thin trees that frame the scene. In the background, behind the houses, low purple hills are partially visible.
    Gérard Valcin, RaRaband, 1986, oil on canvas, Gift of Kay and Roderick Heller, 2023.44.8

    RaRaband

    RaRaband

    Gérard Valcin · 1986 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  2023.44.8

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    This is a painting of a ceremonial procession passing through a tan wall with three large archways decorated with vibrant red-and-blue flags. Through the large, central archway, a group of men on horseback process toward us, the men wearing hats and uniforms in shades of green, gray, and blue. At the front of the group is a man with brown skin and a gray beard, wearing a red-and-blue sash over a green jacket and a black hat with a white plume. A well-dressed crowd is gathered around the procession, wearing colorful dresses and suits in shades of pink, teal, blue, and purple. They look towards the figures on horseback, and many of them clap. Among the people in the crowd and those on horseback, there is a wide variety of skin tones, including dark brown, light brown, tan, and pale pink. Beyond the arched openings, a long road lined with small, colorful buildings in shades of pink, yellow, and brown is visible under a blue sky.
    Article

    Article:  10 Haitian Artists to Know

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