Antieau Gallery

The gallery’s Fall/Winter 2015 guide book. Photo courtesy of Antieau’s Gallery

After humble beginnings as a temporary pop-up gallery, which opened immediately after Jazzfest in 2010, Antieau Gallery has flourished to become one of the most unique and popular galleries on Royal Street. Owned by fabric artist Chris Roberts-Antieau, the gallery features her work prominently in addition to the paintings and sculptures of John Whipple and the mixed media works of Bryan Cunningham, plus a rotating roster of local and national artists. Roberts-Antieau has been a successful professional artist for over 25 years and found the gallery to be a natural progression in her career. According to Chris: “The whole experience of opening our gallery was so serendipitous. When things that seem insurmountable just magically fall into place, you know you’re doing the right thing. It’s been such a high privilege to bring this art to the best city in the world, and to have had it received with wide open arms. All of us here at Antieau Gallery feel like we’ve found our true home” (Antieau Gallery. http://antieaugallery.com/home.html. April 19, 2013).

The aesthetic of the gallery is a clever and appealing mix of a circus sideshow and a relaxed art venue. Many of the artists who show at Antieau can often be found there creating art or just hanging out and enjoying the Royal Street vibe. Bryan Cunningham, a self-taught local artist transplanted from Michigan, is often at the gallery creating his mixed media works, which are influenced by sideshow banners and old ads from the back of comic books. Bryan had this to say: “Antieau Gallery has been a great experience and has provided me with many opportunities. Every day offers a new experience from both the familiarity of local collectors and the ever changing international visitors that the city’s culture brings”. John Whipple, who recently won Best In Show at this year’s Jazzfest, adds: “What I love about the gallery is the wonderful “thread” running through all the work. A combination of unusual processes, ingenuity, playfulness and odd humor” (Antieau Gallery. http://antieaugallery.com/home.html. April 19, 2013).

The gallery is a regular stop for many celebrities visiting or working in New Orleans and art purchased there can be found in the collections of Daryl Hannah, Jason Segel, Blake Lively, Harry Shearer and many others. In early March of 2012, Antieau Gallery was visited by none other than former President Bill Clinton. Surrounded by Secret Service agents, Clinton toured the gallery admiring the art and purchased pieces by Chris Roberts-Antieau and Bryan Cunningham.

Looking forward to the future, Roberts-Antieau envisions building on the success of the gallery and expanding to open other Antieau Gallery venues in additional cities (Antieau Gallery. http://antieaugallery.com/home.html. April 19, 2013).