22468: (Hermantin) PalmBeachPost-Journalist has 200 paintings from Haitian artists (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>


Journalist has 200 paintings from Haitian artists

By Lady Hereford, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 23, 2004



Clayton Willis knows a very different Haiti from the one many Americans see.

The Haiti he knows has a rich, vibrant culture, one that often has been
overshadowed by the country's civil unrest. He has traveled to Haiti more
than 30 times in the past 50 years both as a journalist and as an art
collector.

"I just fell in love with the country and with the art," the Hypoluxo
resident said. "The culture of Haiti is just fantastic."

Willis, 70, now has more than 200 paintings by Haitian artists. His
collection is believed to be among the top three major private collections
of Haitian art in the world. Willis said filmmaker Jonathan Demme and a
Canadian man round out the top three.

A few of Willis' pieces will be featured on an upcoming episode of New
Florida on WPBT-Channel 2, a Miami-based PBS affiliate. The show is
scheduled to air at 9 p.m. July 8 and again during the next few days.

Some pieces are quite valuable today. Two by artist Hector Hyppolite are
valued at about $300,000 each, Willis said. The two paintings, Heaven and
Hell and Flowers of My Imagination, once belonged to Planned Parenthood
founder Margaret Sanger.

He also owns works by painter Seneque Obin and other members of Obin's
family who are artists, as well as 42 paintings by LaFortune Felix. "In my
opinion, he's the best colorist they've ever had in Haiti," Willis said of
Felix.

Some of his pieces have been shown at places like the Milwaukee Museum of
Art, the Haitian embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Fort Lauderdale Museum
of Art. Willis has no immediate plans to sell his pieces. "I don't buy as an
investment," he said.

Nor is his interest limited to the art of one country. In all, he has more
than 400 paintings from around the world, including 20 from Argentina.

One piece of Americana that found its way into his collection is a silk
embroidery by George Washington's niece. Also, some of his most treasured
pieces are four paintings by Willa May Martin Pierce, stepmother of former
first lady, Barbara Bush.

Willis' passion for collecting began with a piece of obsidian from Mexico
that he obtained when he was 9 years old. In 1953, he bought his first
painting in Paris. He paid $35 for it.

He took his first trip to Haiti two years later while on holiday break from
George Washington University. The work he saw by the mostly self-taught
artists left a lasting impression.

It wasn't just his passion for art that took him back to Haiti so often. As
a journalist, Willis reported on conflicts there. Earlier this year, Willis
went to Port-au-Prince to cover the Haitian rebellion and the fall of
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide for a Canadian radio station and for local
talk radio station WPBR-AM 1340. He also filed reports for some newspapers.

Willis has appeared on his own talk show on WPBR, and he said he is in
discussions with the station to revive it.

During his career, he has worked both sides of the government. He served as
a White House correspondent for The Evening News Broadcasting Co. (a company
he later bought) and other media outlets, and he also worked as a staffer
with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Willis' travels have taken him to 150 countries, and he said he plans to
return to Haiti soon. "I'm always looking for a painting in every port."

Lady Hereford is a staff writer for Neighborhood Post. Reach her at
820-4790. Send faxes to 837-8320.

lady_hereford@pbpost.com

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