The Life and Art of George Dureau
Williams Research Center
410 Chartres St.
Free admission, registration is required
Join us for a special discussion about New Orleans contemporary artist George Dureau. Author Howard Philips Smithwill explore the life and work of the artist through the lens of his new book, George Valentine Dureau: Life and Art in New Orleans, made possible by HNOC’s acquisition of the artist’s archives following his death in 2014. HNOC outreach historian Robert Ticknor will facilitate the conversation, with an introduction by HNOC President and CEO Daniel Hammer, who wrote the foreword for Smith’s book.
Admission is free with registration required (space is limited).
Book Signing at the Shop
Earlier on the same day, from 2–4 p.m., the Shop at the Collection will host author Howard Philips Smith for a book signing. Copies of his book will be available prior to and during the signing. Admission is free and open to the public. Learn more
About the Book
George Dureau was an important and prolific artist who rose to prominence in New Orleans during the 1980s who deftly moved from drawing to painting to photography and back again. After his death in 2014, national recognition waned and his legacy appeared uncertain. Luckily, his archives—including negatives, prints, letters, journals, notes and contact sheets—were acquired by HNOC and preserved at the Williams Research Center.
Howard Philips Smith’s George Valentine Dureau: Life and Art in New Orleans revisits the remarkable life of the consummate artist and shines a light on his unknown works, many of which have remained unpublished. The culmination of a decade of research based on the personal archive of George Dureau housed at HNOC, Smith’s book also showcases important artists who helped shape the contemporary art scene in New Orleans during the same period. HNOC President and CEO Daniel Hammer wrote the book’s foreword, underscoring the vital importance of archives as repositories of history.
About the Author
Howard Philips Smith
Howard Philips Smith
Howard Philips Smith is a writer, novelist, and photographer, known primarily for his historical works, which focus on expanding the scope of gay history, especially in New Orleans. He is author of Unveiling the Muse: The Lost History of Gay Carnival in New Orleans and A Sojourn in Paradise: Jack Robinson in 1950s New Orleans, both published by University Press of Mississippi. His first novel, which is a work of historical fiction about the gay community in 1980s New Orleans, is The Cult of the Mask: The Strange and Delectable Tale of Life Among the Sybarites. His photography was included in Louisiana Lens: Photographs from the Historic New Orleans Collection by John H. Lawrence.
Photo credit: Michael Joseph Bo
Support
Publication of George Valentine Dureau: Life and Art in New Orleans was made possible in part by a generous donation from the John Burton Harter Foundation.
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