This vibrant mid-century work is by Pétion Savain, a seminal figure in Haitian art and a founding member of the Centre d’Art in Port-au-Prince. The composition depicts a classic Haitian market scene, featuring a group of figures in traditional attire, including a woman balancing a basket on her head and another tending to a bowl of red fruit. Savain’s signature style is evident in the bold, rhythmic use of color—vivid oranges, deep purples, and earthy browns—and the stylized, elongated forms of the subjects. The background includes stalks of sugarcane, a common motif in his work that reflects the agrarian life of the island.

The painting is signed "Savain Haiti" on the lower right. The verso retains a collection label from the Glenn & Yvonne Stokes Collection, a notable provenance for Haitian fine art, and is mounted on a wooden stretcher with historical stamps.

Specifications

• Artist: Pétion Savain (Haitian, 1906-1973)

• Title: "Untitled (Market Scene)"

• Medium: Oil on canvas

• Year: mid-20th Century

• Dimensions: 20 x 10 inches

• Condition: Good; minor age-related craquelure and light surface wear consistent with age.

• Provenance: Glenn & Yvonne Stokes Collection

• Keywords: Haitian art, Pétion Savain, Caribbean Modernism, Indigenist movement, market scene, sugarcane, Port-au-Prince, oil painting.