James Michalopoulos
James Michalopoulos is New Orleans' most notable living painter. HIs Impressionistic paintings of charming New Orleans subjects, including architecture and scenes, are both highly prized and highly valued. His most typical paintings are "wavy" versions of New Orleans architecture, but I actually greatly prefer this engaging scene of a jazz combo in full swing - very rare in his oeuvre. It is painted in oil on a wood panel and complemented by a well-matched frame. This is a large painting for the artist and will lend its joyous mood to any room it graces. The painting measures 46" x 22" inside the frame.
James Michalopoulos, (nee James Mitchell), was born in Pennsylvania, but moved to New Orleans and became famous, for capturing the iconic architectural landscape of the city with a certain whimsical fluidity that mirrors the New Orleans joie de vivre. Hebest known for painting New Orleans scenes using an off-kilter perspective and thickly applied paint. His technique emulates an overall psychedelic effect, as evidenced in his work Que Tupee (1994), which almost appears as if it were being viewed through water. Recently, the artist has also branched out to sculpture, using wood and steel to create public art in New Orleans. Born in 1951 in Pittsburgh, PA, Michalopoulos attended Bowdoin College in Maine before moving to New Orleans. He is largely self-taught, save for a few classes he took at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. Today, Michalopoulos’ work is in the collections of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans and the New Orleans Museum of Art. He lives and works between New Orleans, LA and Burgundy, France.