Press Release

CONTACT
Anna Whitlow
504.949.3999
awhitlow@deveney.com

Jeffrey Ory, ABC, APR
504.949.3999
jdory@deveney.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2008

The New Orleans Museum of Art Presents George Rodrigue's Louisiana: Cajuns, Blue Dogs, and Beyond Katrina

Work of Louisiana's most famous contemporary artist to be featured in retrospective

NEW ORLEANS - On March 1, 2008, the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) will host a retrospective featuring the work of famed Louisiana artist George Rodrigue, best known for his now-iconic Blue Dog series. The exhibition, which will run until June 8, will feature over forty years of Rodrigue's work showcasing his evolution as Louisiana's most famous contemporary artist.

"George Rodrigue is a Louisiana treasure," said NOMA Director E. John Bullard, "and the museum is proud to showcase the past forty years of his work. From the Blue Dog and Louisiana landscapes to hurricanes and scenes of Cajun life, George Rodrigue's art epitomizes a culture that is distinctly Louisianan."

The three-month exhibition will include nearly two hundred original works which have been borrowed from private and public collections across the country. Highlights include Watchdog, his very first Blue Dog painting, two of his greatest Cajun works, Jolie Blonde and The Aioli Dinner as well as commissions for Neiman Marcus and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, presidential portraits and examples from the Hurricanes and Bodies series. Early works, sketch books and memorabilia from the artist's personal collection will also be featured.

"This is not your typical exhibition," says Rodrigue, "anyone who knows my art realizes that my greatest influence is Louisiana, so it is particularly exciting to be featured by the New Orleans Museum of Art."

Rodrigue, a native of New Iberia, Louisiana, the heart of "Cajun country," began painting Oak trees in the late 1960's before expanding his creations to include his interpretations of various myths and Cajun scenes. His paintings are credited with heralding a revival of Cajun culture that swept the country in the 1970's.

In 1984, Rodrigue's Blue Dog, based on the Cajun legend of a loup-garou or werewolf, first appeared, and the continuous series of original paintings and prints catapulted him to a new level of fame in the art world and the Blue Dog has become a Pop Art icon. The exhibition includes portraits of famous Louisianans and presidents, a unique abstract series interpreting Hurricanes and most recently, Bodies, which reflect a return to the bayou and the classical nude.

In 2006, Rodrigue was featured in the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism's "Come Fall in Love with Louisiana All Over Again" campaign. The campaign's goal was to reignite the state's tourism industry following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and Rodrigue was the sole representative from the visual arts community.

For the Rodrigue exhibition, Admission for Louisiana adults is $5.00 (seniors 65 and older $4.00) and $10.00 for non-residents (seniors 65 and older $9.00.) All children under 18 are admitted free courtesy of The Helis Foundation.

An audio tour of the exhibition featuring commentary from the artist and his wife Wendy Rodrigue, is available with admission.

The exhibition was made possible by generous funding from the following sponsors: Acadian Ambulance Service, Chevron, Lakeside Shopping Center and The Feil Organization, and Anonymous Donors. Additional support was received from The Helis Foundation, the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and WWL-TV.

Editor's Note: Images from the exhibition and a full list of works are available upon request.

IMPORTANT MUSEUM & SCULPTURE GARDEN INFORMATION

CURRENT INFORMATION is available on our website, www.noma.org
GENERAL INFORMATION: (504) 658-4100
HOURS OF OPERATION: Wednesday, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

SYDNEY AND WALDA BESTHOFF SCULPTURE GARDEN ADMISSION: Admission is FREE to all visitors. Dogs, bicycles, rollerblades, skateboards and picnicking are not allowed in the Garden. You may touch, but do not climb on sculptures. Please walk on the grass.

SPECIAL POLICIES: Backpacks, umbrellas, cameras, video devices must be checked. Baby strollers are not permitted during peak times. Photographing, sketching, lecturing require special permission. Please do not touch the works of art.

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBILITY: NOMA is fully handicapped accessible. Wheelchairs are available at the front desk. Additional special accommodations are happily made with adequate notice.

THE MUSEUM SHOP offers great collectibles, books, jewelry, gifts and art-related items.

THE COURTYARD CAFÉ is closed until further notice.

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