Exhibition Dates: August 6 – September 17, 2016
Opening Reception: Saturday, August 6 from 6–9 pm, in conjunction with White Linen Night
Gallery Location: 434 Julia Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 10 am–5 pm
Contact Info: 504.522.1999; arthurrogergallery.com
The Arthur Roger Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of work from the estate of George Dureau. The exhibition will be on view at Arthur Roger Gallery, located at 432 Julia Street, from August 6 – September 17, 2016. The gallery will host an opening reception on Saturday, August 6 from 6-9 pm in conjunction with White Linen Night.
B. J. Robinson (Triptych), 2016 | Oil on canvas | 76 x 103 inches
George Dureau passed away in 2014 leaving the legacy of a remarkable 40-year career. This exhibition features works from the late artist’s personal collection, many of which are being made available by the estate for the first time ever. Included among the many medium- to large-scale drawings and paintings is a charcoal study of the New Orleans Museum of Art’s Gates at North Court, as well as a charcoal on canvas study of the pediment sculptures at Harrah’s Casino. The works in the exhibition date from the late 1960s through 2000.
Some familiar faces unite the figural drawings and paintings with the one hundred 10 x 8 inch photographs hung in the center gallery. However, many of the featured photographs are less familiar than the more iconic images often presented in publications or past exhibitions. Several of the photographs have notes and well-worn edges, denoting frequent handling by the artist who had immense empathy and affection for his models, many of whom he considered friends, if not lovers. This exhibition coincides with the recent release of George Dureau: The Photographs (Aperture, 2016), a 160 page monograph with an essay by Philip Gefter.
George Valentine Dureau was born in New Orleans in 1930. He received a B.A. in Fine Arts from Louisiana State University in 1952 and briefly attended Tulane University where he studied architecture. In 1990, as part of the Louisiana Percent for Art Program, he was commissioned to paint The Parade Paused for Gallier Hall in New Orleans. In 1993, he and artist Ersy Schwartz were commissioned to design and oversee the fabrication and installation of the bronze and steel Gates at North Court at the New Orleans Museum of Art. In 1999, he designed the pediment sculptures for the Harrah’s Casino in New Orleans, as well as created the year’s official New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival poster depicting Professor Longhair. In October 2011, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans presented Dureau its highest honor, the Opus Award, in recognition of his contributions to the art and culture of New Orleans and the larger South. His art is included in numerous museum collections, including Le Musée de la Photographie in Paris, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Georgia. He has two monographs, New Orleans: 50 Photographs, published in 1985 and George Dureau: The Photographs, published in 2016. The latter is available for sale at the gallery.