est. 1974
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FLAGS... by Oleyant Antoine

This is an Archive page, the flags are sold. At the moment, we have no Antoines to sell but we do come across them from time to time. If you have an interest in his flags, email us and we will put you on the Antoine List.

Oleyant Antoine was born on September 16, 1955 in Plaisance du Sud, a small village in the mountains off the road between Aquin and Les Cayes in the south of Haiti. His father, Troinesca, aspired to be an Houngan, or Vodou priest. During his initiation rite, the loa left Troinesca and, according to Oleyant, entered his own mind. During his youth, Oleyant worked on the family farm. By 1971, he had outgrown the work and headed for Port-au-Prince, where he began calling himself Antoine Oleyant. He apprenticed to wood and metal sculptors and bought clothing and household goods which he resold for a profit on his trips back home.
Around 1981 A beautiful woman, perhaps Erzulie Freda, appeared in a dream and instructed Antoine in the art of drapeau, sequinned flags. In the ensuing years, he became the acknowledged master of the artform, moving it from craft to high art. On April 21, 1992, Antoine Oleyant died from a massive stroke. He was 37 years old.
For a heartfelt, first- person account of the career of Antoine Oleyant, we recommend Tina Girouard's beautiful little book," Sequin Artists of Haiti", from which the above biographical information has been taken.
#R03M Antoine Oleyant
39x33" sequinned flag
$1500
sold
#R01M Antoine Oelyant
30x22" sequinned flag
$1200 sold
# R04M Antoine Oleyant
( unsigned)
40x32' sequin flag
$1500 sold 2002
#123 Antoine Oleyant
29"x 29.5"
"MARASSA"
$2000 sold, May 2000
HAITIAN ART:FOOD FOR THE SPIRIT©
#R02M Antoine Oleyant
46x15" sequin flag
$1500.
Sold November 2000
If you have any interest at all in Vodou Flags, you should have this book. It's a very personal account of Tina Girouard's relationship with Antoine Oleyant and the other drapeau artists of Haiti.
The book is a labor of love.
It's a small book, 8.5 x 5.5 inches. 113 pages . It is becoming scarce. We will have to sell it for $50 plus $5. Priority Mail postage

The book is signed by Tina and includes 4 5x7 postcards of flags from the book.

Update:
We have only one of these books left. It has a broken spine and the pages are loose. $25

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