The Hilliard Art Museum will be showcasing the works of one of Louisiana’s most celebrated artists, George Rodrigue, who is known for his Blue Dog paintings. On Jan. 27th, 2024, the Hilliard will be opening the exhibition in tribute to Rodrigue called, “Sitting with George Rodrigue.”
The Hilliard Art Museum will be showing his paintings of influential cultural and political figures, as well as his Blue Dog paintings that have been an iconic “symbol of human existential queries”.
George Rodrigue’s work was heavily influenced and inspired by his Cajun roots. Upon returning to Louisiana after attending an art school in Los Angeles in the 1960s, he saw that the Cajun heritage was dying. His work showcases the Cajun culture in many ways and his portraits along with his Blue Dog paintings demonstrate that.
Jacques Rodrigue, George Rodrigue’s son, shares what his father’s inspirations were, how he wants people attending the event to gain insight on his fathers career and how the people of Louisiana deeply influenced all of his work.
“I hope that everyone in Lafayette and the surrounding region will have the opportunity to view these original paintings in person, allowing them to gain a deeper insight into his entire career and the imagery in the Blue Dog works,” said Jacques Rodrigue.
Along with George Rodrigue’s painting of the Blue Dog, there will be many other pieces in this exhibition that have never been showcased in Lafayette. Such as the “Aioli Dinner,” which will be displayed in Lafayette for the first time.
“The painting played a crucial role in my dad’s development as an artist and is genuinely a pivotal piece,” said Jacques Rodrigue. “We have already received inquiries from many relatives of the actual people depicted in the painting, and we hope that anyone descended from those who attended those dinners will have the opportunity to see it in person.”
Jacques Rodrigue and his brother are hoping for the painting, “Aioli Dinner,” to receive recognition as one of America’s most significant paintings as well as hoping to find a permanent home for this piece.
Ben Hickey, the Hilliard’s interim director, says that he is happy to temporarily host this iconic painting and hopes to introduce George Rodrigue’s paintings to a new generation.
“I’m really excited that that is something of a homecoming and given the kind notion of memorializing George, I think that symbolically is important,” Hickey said. “I think this exhibition is a great opportunity to reintroduce George’s work to the community. Introduce it in a really meaningful way to a whole new generation, maybe even two generations of people who are less familiar with it.
The Hilliard hopes to celebrate George Rodrigue’s work, along with everyone who helped make this exhibition happen, and hope that people gain a deeper insight about his career and who he was.
“George has people who care about his legacy. There’s the Life and Legacy Foundation run by Wendy Rodrigue. There’s the Rodrigue family trust, who owns a lot of the work that they’re lending to the museum and then of course, there’s the Rodrigue Foundation for the arts, who has been responsible for touching the lives of countless students in the state,” said Hickey. “I feel like this exhibition is a way of acknowledging all of that work that people have been doing, and then celebrating that.”
This exhibition showcasing a large display of George Rodrigue’s work will show many of the original paintings, which will allow people to see the crucial role that the Cajuns played in shaping the imagery, especially in the Blue Dog works.
George Rodrigue took great inspiration from Cajun culture, evident in all of his paintings that will be showcased.
Jacques Rodrigue has said that his father’s work led to the creation of one of America’s iconic pop art symbols, the Blue Dog, which had solidified his fathers position “as one of the most significant painters in all of American art.”
“Dad was a cultural icon, not only in Louisiana but throughout the entire United States. The Cajuns represent a distinct cultural group that could only have existed in the United States,” said Jacques Rodrigue. “I anticipate that exhibitions like this one and the upcoming first-ever feature-length film about dad will contribute to raising awareness of his endeavors to visually portray this culture.”
The legacy of George Rodrigue will be showcased at the Hilliard Art Museum, where many of his iconic paintings that portray the Cajun culture will be shown, as well as the Blue Dog, seen in his work, “Cajun Man.”