GE Ducasse came from a middle-class background and received, compared with the majority of Haitian artists, an excellent formal education.  After his baccalaureate, he became an agriculture agent for the government, giving him an opportunity to travel extensively in Haiti.  He even visited the United States several times; characteristically, he was most impressed by the dynamic life of New York City.

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Ducasse worked for the government until 1948, losing his job because of a lack of funds.  Forced to find a new profession, he turned to painting, which had, from the age of four, been more than a mere hobby to him.  His mother was a milliner, and as a child, he had enjoyed copying fashion designs out of her magazines.  His sketchy manner of drawing might come from this source.

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Stebich, Ute.  Haitian Art.  Brooklyn:  The Brooklyn Museum, 1978