Born April 24, 1940 in Petite Riviere de L’Artibonite, Haiti. Ismael completed his primary studies at the school ‘Freres de Saint Marc’ and his secondary studies at J.B. Damier and the Lycee Antenor Firmin in Port-au-Prince. In 1967, he was one of a group of artists commissioned to paint the community exhibition hall at Deschapelles. He was director of the Ceramic Centre there for several years. Ismael was a man of great integrity, simplicity and mystery. He was knowledgeable of many things, but a master in painting. He was a professional agriculture specialist, and even had a diploma as a mason. He spent a total of 7 years in prison at different times because of political reasons during the reign of Duvalier.
Ismael is the progenitor of the ‘Artibonite’ style of painting. Respected in the Haitian art world, within as well as outside of Haiti. He had around 22 students. Some of his students are Faiderbe and Michel-Angel Altidort, Clothes Dominique, Kedson Estigene, Carlos Jn. Baptiste, Claude Joachim, Benson Myrthil, Hyggens and R. Errol Louis. Ismael died in March of 2000. Even after his death in March 2000,Ismael is still considered one of the foremost contemporary Haitian painters. His paintings often revealed a mixture of voodoo and Christianity. Famous for his “madonnas”, Ismael also painted “majo Jonc”and “market scenes”.
