Batiste has become a nationally recognized primitive painter whose joy of life is expressed in simple and direct paintings of his native Donaldsonville upbringing.
His favorite subjects are from the African tradition of storytelling passed on by his mother — religious subjects, churches, baptisms, funerals and plantation life. “I remember Momma told stories of how things were when she was growing up,” he says.
The work of primitive artist Alvin Batiste hangs in the permanent collection at Southern University Museum of Art in Baton Rouge, as well as in collections throughout the United States and Europe. He is included in the book Self-Taught: 20th Century Folk and Outsider Art by Betty-Carol Sellers. Visit Batiste at his painting studio located in Rossi’s Custom Framing at 510 Railroad Avenue in Donaldsonville, where owner Sandra Imbraguglio serves as his agent. Call Rossi’s at (225) 473-8536 for wedding commissions or other requests.