All of the wonderful local galleries mentioned here are only a short walk from Rathbone Mansions. Come visit our historic hotel and knock out that Christmas list!

You may think that it is too soon to starting thinking about gifts for the upcoming holiday season but it’s not. However, if you’re not in the mood to buy for others – how about something for yourself? Keeping this thought in mind I am writing about six galleries in New Orleans that you my find fun and interesting to visit. Out of a total of six, there are four on Royal Street – gallery hopping has never been easier.

1.

Name: A Gallery for Fine Photos

Location: 241 Chartres Street

When I did the research for this gallery I was very impressed with it. This beautifully constructed gallery was founded in 1973 when photography was just beginning to secure a foothold in museum collections and in the art market at large. Thanks to the staunchly independent vision of the founder, Joshua Mann Pailet, it has remained a haven for photography for 47 years.

Pailet seldom went anywhere without his trusted Nikon 35mm camera, capturing who and what he saw while traveling throughout America and the world. And, with his Nikon in-hand, Pailet amassed a catalogue of over 400,000 images, as he focused on capturing once-in-a-lifetime moments that include monographs on the 1976 American Freedom Train, the 1984 World’s Fair and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

This impressive gallery has prints such as William Henry Jackson’s early 20th-century views of New Orleans and rare images of Storyville prostitutes, made from the photographer’s original glass plates. The gallery also regularly features Herman Leonard’s shots of Duke Ellington and other jazz legends. CLICK HERE FOR  “Take the A Train” by Duke Ellington – it’s fantastic, trust me. The Duke’s smile alone is worth the price of admission.

2.

Name: Gallery Burguieres

Location: 736 Royal Street

Females can be a rara avis in the gallery world. That’s why I was interested in writing about Burguieres, an artist, designer and inventor who specializes in popular and conceptual pieces. She has shown her work in Brazil, England, France, Germany and the US. Among her most popular décor collections is “The Notebook Series” a sequence of large acrylic paintings mimicking sketches on notebook paper. Her brick-and-mortar shop – which she owns and operates with her mother Janice – opened in 2011 in the center of New Orleans’ French Quarter.

3.

Name: Hemmerling Gallery of Southern Art

Location: 733 Royal Street

Artist Bill Hemmerling is a self-taught folk artist who has incorporated wood, debris and found objects into a vital body of work. His gallery displays his originals, as well as art by other folk painters and sculptures.

He began painting in 2002 after finding a board on the side of a road during a morning jog and adorning it with some house paint he had on hand. He is famed for creating the 2005 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival poster. His work has also been on display in an art show that took place in a palace in Santa Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.

4.

Name: Harouni Gallery

Location: 933 Royal Street

This gallery features the work of David Harouni, a native of Iran who creates artwork that shows his love for figurative painting. The finished product often has a surreal, eerie beauty. His work has been shown all over the country in private and corporate collections.

5.

Name: Michalopoulos Gallery

Location: 617 Bienville Street

The artist Sam Michalopoulos has become one of New Orleans most popular painters in recent years – in part because of his best-selling Jazz Fest posters. This gallery holds frequent openings on Friday nights. 

6.

Name: Rodrigue Studio

Location: 617 Royal Street

This gallery showcases the artwork of the late George Rodrigue and his unbelievably popular “Blue Dog” paintings. He was born and raised in Cajun Country, Louisiana. In the early 1990s his series (based on the French-Cajun loup-garou legend) catapulted him to worldwide fame. As a passionate philanthropist, Rodrigue provided art supplies to schools and offered scholarships to art schools. NOTE: A loup garou is a mythical creature that prowls the swamps around Acadiana and Greater New Orleans. He is described as having a human body and the head of a wolf or dog. Good heavens! I’m nervous just typing this!

COMING UP:

All Saints’ Day falls on Sunday, November 1, 2020 so CLICK HERE to read how it was celebrated last year.

AND DON’T FORGET: CELEBRATION IN THE OAKS takes place from November 27, 2020 and goes until January 1, 2021

Shaun Nelson-Henrick