The James Michalopoulos exhibit runs June 6-October 10 in the Manship Theatre Gallery, located on the second floor loft above the Jones Walker Foyer
The exhibit is free to view and open during regular Shaw Center building hours unless there is a private event.

Monday: 9am - 4pm
Tuesday - Thursday: 9am - 10 pm
Friday: 9am - 11pm
Saturday: 10am - 11pm
Sunday: 11am - 5pm

‍
October 7 - Artist Talk and Reception
5:30: Artist talk at LSU Museum of Art, located on the Shaw Center 5th floor
Immediately following: Reception in the Manship Theatre Gallery

Happy Times, Summer in The City

"Happy Times, Summer in the City" showcases James Michalopoulos' vibrant vision of the South through his signature undulating style and bold color palette. This exhibition brings together his celebrated architectural paintings of New Orleans, lush Southern landscapes bursting with springtime energy, whimsical portraits of cows grazing in verdant fields, and his dynamic renderings of classic cars that capture the region's distinctive character and joie de vivre.

‍

About the artist

Michalopoulos began his winding route to New Orleans by way of Washington, DC. While on the road, he began to sketch to fill the free time. A flirtation with art became an affair. Then a marriage. A strictly plein air painter, Michalopoulos was challenged to find a winter locale to continue his work. In 1979, he was drawn to New Orleans as the last bastion of hippie bohemian culture in America. The city and its “Culture of Celebration” held an intense appeal. He began sketching artists and musicians, houses and street corners.

Fascinated with the duality of beauty and decay, the architecture of the city became his muse. His portraits of shotgun houses and Creole cottages, depicted in layer upon layer of thick impasto paint, brimmed with color and energy and captured the essence of his subject. This body of work established him as the most influential living artist in the region today.

‍