Rodrigue Comes Home

The Bayou Teche Museum will present a major exhibit on the life and work of New Iberia-born, world-famous artist George Rodrigue. Rodrigue is most famous for his Blue Dog paintings, which can be seen (and seen imitated) widely in Louisiana. Recently, his painting “Stand Up Straight and Tall” (2001), from the collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art, was featured on the “I Voted” stickers passed out at Louisiana voting polls.

Though Rodrigue lived and worked predominantly in California toward the end of his life, he began his career painting scenes of rural Louisiana and he never lost his connection to his native state. His widow, Wendy Rodrigue, has worked with the Bayou Teche Museum to establish a permanent rotating exhibit of his art, to be titled Rodrigue Comes Home.

The exhibit will feature many of Rodrigue’s paintings, but the most interesting (and poignant) aspect will be the reconstruction of his Carmel studio within the museum. Everything from his studio that can be removed has been, down to the paint-flecked floorboards. The contents were shipped to Louisiana and will be reconstructed as closely as possible. Visitors will be able to glimpse the workspace of this deeply beloved local artist, including the painting left unfinished by his early passing and displayed on the very easel on which he worked.

Still under construction, the installation will be unveiled as part of the museum’s annual gala in January 2017. Also on display until December 1, 2016 is an exhibit by acclaimed artist Hunt Slonem. The Bayou Teche Museum is located in downtown New Iberia and is open Thursday through Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm. For more information, visit BayouTecheMuseum.org.