Arthur Roger Gallery is pleased to present Francis X. Pavy: Les Oiseaux du Fais Do-Do, an exhibition of new oil paintings and mixed-media works on paper by acclaimed Louisiana artist Francis X. Pavy. Opening on Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 6 PM – 8 PM in conjunction with New Orleans’ citywide art celebration Art for Arts’ Sake, the exhibition continues Pavy’s long-standing partnership with the gallery, where he has been represented since 1991.
Les Oiseaux du Fais Do-Do takes its title and spirit from the traditional Cajun evening dance parties (fais do-do), channeling the vibrant energy, storytelling, musical rhythm, and late-night revelry of French Louisiana. Rather than presenting literal dance hall scenes, Pavy transforms the gathering into a mythic, dreamlike experience. His vibrant visual narratives blend communal joy with nocturnal mystery, interweaving familiar iconographic elements—dubbed "Pavicons" by friends and collectors—such as dancing figures, swamp fauna, cypress skies, and glowing night scenes
Musicality and French Louisiana folklore vibrate through the titles and imagery of the exhibition. Works like The Dancer and Visions of Sonny Boy on Lamar pay homage to live performance and blues harmonica legend Sonny Boy Williamson, while titles drawn directly from French lyric tradition—such as Ton Papa M’a Jete dehors ("Your Dad Threw Me Out") and Petite au la Grosse—evoke the humorous, romantic, and theatrical storytelling embedded in dance hall culture.
The nocturnal arc of the fais do-do serves as a unifying atmospheric thread throughout the show. The Dust Sleeps at 1 AM (2026, oil on canvas, 48 x 36 in), poetically captures the quiet aftermath when the music ceases, and the dance floor settles. Elsewhere, Symmetry of the Neon Electric illuminates the buzzing neon glow of roadside honky-tonks, while Night Blooms, Fire Eyes at Night, and City Window with Candle & Bottle explore candlelight, moonlight, and dreamy late-night solitude.
Grounding this nocturnal celebration is the physical and supernatural landscape of Acadiana. Works on paper like Cajun Company on the Open Range, Ciel De Cypres avec Le Lapin, Out on the Range, and When the Frogs Sing and the Mississippi Kites Fly anchor the gathering in the prairies and cypress swamps of South Louisiana. In Chasing a Feu Follet, Pavy introduces Cajun swamp mythology, referencing the mysterious "will-o'-the-wisp" ghost lights that haunt the nocturnal bayous.
About the Artist
Born on Mardi Gras Day in Lafayette, Louisiana, in 1954, Francis X. Pavy is one of French Louisiana’s premier visual artists. After earning a B.F.A. in Sculpture from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1976 and working in architectural leaded glass, Pavy adopted painting as his primary medium in 1985. Described by folklorist Nick Spitzer as "spectacular vernacular modernism", Pavy’s work is held in collections worldwide, including the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and the Morris Museum of Art.
Pavy’s career achievements include the retrospective volume Francis Pavy: Forty Years (ULL Press, 2024), the 2025 Basin Arts Lineage Award, and designing the cover artwork (Dancers) for the Rolling Stones’ single Zydeco Sont Pas Salés. In 2026, he was commissioned as the official visual artist for the 40th anniversary of Festival International de Louisiane.
For press inquiries, high-resolution image requests, or sales details, please contact Arthur Roger Gallery at 504.522.1999 or visit ArthurRogerGallery.com.
