Haitian artisans make beautiful metal sculptures from recycled steel oil drums. These sculptures are made into decorative metal wall art decor and other décor items. The artists, mostly men, are centered around Croix-des-Bouquets, a small town near Port-au-Prince. The artists flatten the drums and use stencil drawings they’ve made on cardboard to transfer their designs onto the metal. Chisels and hammers are used to cut and shape the steel into beautiful creations. Large creations can take an entire day to create, while smaller pieces can be finished in 2-3 hours. Most sculptures are signed by the artists.

Many pieces are left in their natural silver color, while other are hand painted in bright colors. Each piece is coated with a weather-resistant varnish and can be used for indoor or outdoor use. Sculptures placed outside should be coated with an additional clear anti-rust enamel spray once a year to prevent rust.

This art form originated in the 1940s, Haitian blacksmith Georges Liautaud created artistic cemetery crosses of iron bars and metal from steel drums. His work was discovered by DeWitt Peters, a Haitian art patron. As Mr. Liautaud’s art grew in popularity, he took on apprentices and other began creating metal art. Today, the streets of Croix-des-Bouquets are filled with sounds of hammers coming from most homes. Many artists are well-known and produce pieces that are highly collectible. The production of this art is providing income and job opportunities to these many artists.

View our collection of Haitian Metal Wall Art Decor.