Albert Mangonès

Albert Mangonès
Albert Mangonès
	Citadelle Laferrière, near Milot in Haiti : Albert Mangonès text on the plaque commemorating the death of Henri Christophe.
Born	Joseph Albert Mangonès; 26 March 1917; Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Died	25 April 2002 (aged 85); Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Nationality	Haitian
Occupation	Architect
Known for	Le Marron Inconnu; (also called "Le Nègre Marron / Nèg Mawon")

Albert Mangonès, (26 March 1917 – 25 April 2002), was a Haitian architect.

Biography

Albert Mangonès was born the son of Fernande Elisabeth Auguste and Philippe Auguste Edmond Mangonès on March 26, 1917 in Port-au-Prince. Like most children of Haitian elite, Albert Mangonès was sent away to study abroad.

He was trained at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts of Brussels, one of Europe’s most prestigious institutions, and at Cornell University in New York where he studied architecture between 1939 and 1942, where he received a gold medal for excellence.

Albert Mangonès in 1944 is one of the founders of the Art Center in Port-au-Prince build in 1941, which plays an important role in the discovery of popular painters of Haiti.

In 1968 Mangonès is the author of an iconic sculpture of Haiti's history: the monument of Le Marron Inconnu ("The Unknown Slave") created in 1968 to pay tribute to the maroons of the Haitian Revolution.

Founder in 1979 of Institut de Sauvegarde du Patrimoine National (ISPAN), Institute for the protection of the national heritage, Albert Mangonès is one of the pioneers of the preservation of architectural heritage of Haiti.

He participated in the restoration of the Citadelle Laferrière, and the historic National Park including the palace of Sans-Souci Palace and the Ramiers site in the north of Haiti, declared World Heritage by UNESCO.

Personal life

Albert Mangonès married Emmelyne Bonnefil in 1944; they were later divorced and he married Vonik Tourdot in 1959, and they remained married until his death; she died in Pétionville in 2006.