New OrleansSights

Gallery sights in New Orleans

  1. A

    New Orleans Museum of Art

    The elegant New Orleans Museum of Art was founded in 1910 and is well worth a visit both for its local exhibitions and top-floor galleries of African, Asian, Native American and Oceanic art.

    reviewed

  2. B

    Berta’s & Mina’s Antiquities

    This cluttered gallery, with paintings seemingly tumbling out onto the sidewalk, specializes in regional folk art, especially the works of the late Nilo Lanzas, whose daughter operates the shop. Lanzas began painting at 63 and produced an impressive body of work, most of it of an outsider art/religious bent, up until his death. Museums and serious collectors have snatched up many of Lanzas’ paintings already, but there are dozens of nice pieces, all very eye-catching and worthy of homes. Lanzas’ work is, in fact, very easy to like. His daughter, Mina, also paints and her works show alongside her father’s and a few other artists from the city and its surrounds.

    reviewed

  3. C

    Ogden Museum of Southern Art

    One of our favorite museums in the city, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art manages to be beautiful, educating and unpretentious all at once. New Orleans entrepreneur Roger Houston Ogden has assembled one of the finest collections of Southern art anywhere - far too large to keep to himself - which includes huge galleries ranging from Impressionist landscapes to outsider folk-art quirkiness to contemporary installation work. There's free live music from 6pm to 8pm Thursday.

    reviewed

  4. D

    A Gallery for Fine Photography

    This impressive gallery usually has prints such as William Henry Jackson’s early-20th-century views of New Orleans and EJ Bellocq’s rare images of Storyville prostitutes, made from the photographers’ original glass plates. The gallery also regularly features Herman Leonard’s shots of Duke Ellington and other jazz legends, as well as the occasional Cartier-Bresson enlargement (available at second-mortgage prices).

    reviewed

  5. E

    Perrin Benham Gallery

    Typifying the neighborhood's exciting sensibilities, this small gallery features some locally renowned painters, but really makes its mark with stellar works by lesser known artists. A case in point is the Brazilian painter Mauro Tambeiro, who the gallery has introduced to North America. Tambeiro's lush technique and warm, jazzy images are a soothing tonic against the desolation so much in vogue in contemporary New Orleans art.

    reviewed

  6. F

    Michalopoulos Gallery

    Michalopoulos has become one of New Orleans’ most popular painters in recent years, in part on the strength of his best-selling Jazz Fest posters. His shop showcases his colorful and expressive architectural studies and paintings that look like van Gogh meets the Vieux Carré. The gallery holds frequent openings on Friday night. Check out the website or call ahead for hours and to check on specific events.

    reviewed

  7. G

    Kurt E Schon Ltd Gallery

    For moneyed art collectors, and the rest of us who just like to look at great artwork, Kurt E Schon is an immense gallery and storehouse that purveys fine paintings from the 19th century. The gallery is like a small museum showcasing the works of the lesser-known contemporaries of the master impressionists; most of the works on display are pieces of remarkable beauty.

    reviewed

  8. H

    Animazing Gallery

    You won't find local art here. This national dealer specializes in very cool works by legendary illustrators and animators. Chuck Jones' cells from classic Loony Toon cartoons, rare and personal art pieces by Dr Seuss, and the finished doodlings of Simpsons creator Matt Groening are but a few examples of what you're likely to encounter here.

    reviewed

  9. I

    KKProjects

    KKProjects has taken six abandoned homes and, with the input of the local community, turned them into studios/galleries/structures/works of art in their own right. Examples include a house floored and roofed with sod and turf that looks like a hobbit hole in the middle of the ghetto, community gardens and greenhouses.

    reviewed

  10. J

    Newcomb Art Gallery

    Part of Tulane University and flanked by beautiful Tiffany stained-glass triptychs, the Newcomb Art Gallery is a great spot to soak up some art; just outside is a pretty green where students sunbathe, toss Frisbees and generally recede into the ­happiest rhythms of American higher ed.

    reviewed

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  12. K

    Barrister’s Gallery

    A little ways beyond the Lower Garden District, this gallery has some edge to it. It has represented the works of Julie Crozat, who gained some notice for her lurid and visually stunning ‘Deadly Sins’ series. The gallery also specializes in works by African American and Haitian artists.

    reviewed

  13. L

    Lemieux Galleries

    Gulf Coast art is the emphasis in this nationally recognized gallery, and it’s a good place to get a handle on the breadth of the regional arts scene. Paintings here include Kate Samworth’s sardonic grotesqueries and Jon Langford’s depictions of local musicians.

    reviewed

  14. M

    George Schmidt Gallery

    New Orleans artist George Schmidt, a member of The New Leviathin Oriental FoxTrot Orchestra, describes himself as a ‘historical’ painter. Indeed, his canvasses evoke the city’s past, awash in a warm, romantic light. His Mardi Gras paintings are worth a look.

    reviewed

  15. N

    Rodrigue Studio

    Cajun artist George Rodrigue’s gallery is the place to go to see examples of his unbelievably popular ‘Blue Dog’ paintings. He just keeps painting and painting that darn dog. Look for topical works, in which the dog quietly comments on post-Katrina issues.

    reviewed

  16. O

    Harouni Gallery

    Artist David Harouni is a native of Iran who has lived and worked in New Orleans for several decades. He creates works of absorbing depth by painting and scraping multiple layers of medium; the finished product has a surreal eerie beauty.

    reviewed

  17. P

    Heriard-Cimino Gallery

    Established contemporary artists from across the USA are represented in this elegant space. The emphasis is on abstract and figurative paintings, but you might also encounter photography and sculpture here.

    reviewed

  18. Q

    Cole Pratt Gallery

    Contemporary Southern artists are showcased in this fine-art gallery. Paintings here might include Lea Barton’s earthy abstractions or Gustave Blanche’s warmly rendered still-lifes.

    reviewed

  19. R

    Bergeron Studio & Gallery

    This gallery has a superb collection of historic photographs by key artists who worked in New Orleans over the past century, from Pops Whitesell to Michael P Smith.

    reviewed

  20. S

    Soren Christensen Gallery

    This impressive space showcases the work of nationally renowned painters and sculptors. The gallery is known for its ­nontraditional sensibility.

    reviewed