Bunny Matthews’ contribution to New Orleans’ artistic culture has been immense. Bunny captures as no one else has New Orleans’ distinctive culture and folkways. In his artist’s statement for his 2014 exhibition at the Arthur Roger Gallery Bunny wrote that his drawings were “my tribute to the human beings who make New Orleans the utterly unique place that it is.” A treasury of Bunny’s wry insights can be viewed in the walkthrough he conducted of his 2014 exhibition “The People of New Orleans A-Z.” The video is accessible below or by going to the Video page and choosing Bunny Matthews.

Bunny’s art is a truly valuable social commentary on New Orleans before and after the turn of the 21st Century. His Ninth Ward cartoon characters, the endearingly unpolished “Vic and Nat’ly,” became instantly recognizable and beloved. For Bunny, “Without its diverse denizens, New Orleans would just be a swampy environment with poor drainage and too many mosquitoes.” Bunny became close friends with James Booker and was among the founders of Tipitina’s.

Bunny worked principally in pen and ink but also did drawings in vibrantly colored pencil. For many years his art appeared in virtually every New Orleans media outlet. Bunny is now recognized as being in the tradition of great 19th century social satirists. Bunny lives in Abita Springs, LA.