The institution was at the center of what became known as the
Haitian Art Movement, often also known as
naive art, educating and exhibiting founding artists including
Albert Mangones,
Gerald Bloncourt,
Maurice Borno,
Rigaud Benoit,
Hector Hyppolite, Daniel Lafontant,
Marie-Josée Nadal,
Rose-Marie Desruisseau,
Philome Obin,
Micius Stephane, and
Castera Bazile.
Jason Seley was an early teacher. French
Surrealist writer and poet
André Breton is known to have visited, having written in the guestbook, after meeting Hector Hyppolite, "Haitian painting will drink the blood of the phoenix. And, with the epaulets of
Dessalines, it will ventilate the world". Le Centre d'Art was destroyed in the
2010 earthquake and many artworks from its collection were damaged. The
Smithsonian Institution as well as several other local and international organisations has since collaborated with recovery and conservation efforts. Since their reopening in 2014, the museum has been housed in temporary premises as issues of funding have meant they were unable to restore their original premises. ==References==