NEW ORLEANS – Neal Auction will offer the collection of internationally acclaimed “Blue Dog” artist George Rodrigue (1944-2013) in its June 12-14 Important Summer Estates Auction. The collection, which was lovingly put together by the artist and his wife, Wendy, features works by Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Dale Chihuly, Todd Hido, Pablo Picasso, Annie Leibovitz, Hunt Slonem and Clementine Hunter. It also features a large selection of wine from the Mouton Rothschild Artist Series. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale will benefit the Life and Legacy Foundation Inc. (https://legacyarttour.org). The Life and Legacy Foundation Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that inspires children of all ages and diverse backgrounds to explore the world of art through unique programming centered on and honoring the life and art of George Rodrigue.
A quintessentially Louisiana artist, George Rodrigue broke through regional boundaries with his iconic Blue Dog to become a great American artist with international renown. With his iconic Blue Dog and distinctive depictions of Cajun life framed beneath the live oak trees of Acadiana, Rodrigue graphically interpreted his culture, coining a new phrase, “Cajun Artist.”
Rodrigue first painted what would become his most famous image, the Blue Dog, in 1984, imagined for a collection of Cajun ghost stories, including the loup-garou – a werewolf or ghost dog said to lurk in cemeteries and sugar cane fields. Over the following 10 years, the loup-garou developed into the emblematic Blue Dog, an image that catapulted Rodrigue’s fame worldwide. In 1992, The Wall Street Journal featured Rodrigue and his Blue Dog with an article on its front page [How Many Dogs Can Fetch Money for Their Masters? About 400 So Far for Artist – Alchemist Rodrigue, Bridget O’Brian, March 5], and in 1993, he joined artists such as Andy Warhol and Keith Haring in creating art for the international Absolut Art campaign.
Rodrigue and his muse, Wendy Wolfe, married in 1997. They coordinated on the development of all aspects of Rodrigue’s career and life, including his galleries, numerous museum exhibitions, a dozen books published both nationally and internationally on his art and extensive education outreach. Wendy, always by George’s side, dedicated her time and energy toward supporting his ever-growing career and legacy. Her celebrated blog, Musings of an Artist’s Wife, and subsequent book, The Other Side of the Painting, faithfully documented their life together and showcased George’s exceptional talent, humor and character.
Unsurprisingly, the dynamic duo surrounded themselves with art – George’s own and an extensive collection of works by others, many of them good friends. The couple’s homes in New Orleans and Carmel, Calif., reflected their eclectic taste and eye for the bold and colorful. Both avid scholars of art history, Wendy and George admired the classics and always supported the up-and-coming. Their collection represents a shared love of the arts by two remarkable people with a mutual passion for creativity.
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