Feb 5, 2010 Friday – New Orleans, LA - Day 3 – HNOC – The Historic New Orleans Collection – John Lawrence

John Lawrence, Director of Museum Programs, was our conduit at the HNOC and arranged for us to see in person all of the Rockmores in their collection. We knew they had over 750 negatives of Rockmore’s work that had been taken by Jack Beech and belonged at one time to Gene Daymude who donated them to the HNOC. We did not know they had works until Rockmore collector and HNOC staff member Anne Robichaux alerted us. And what a collection they have, including several prints/etchings we had never seen and we have documented over 65 different Rockmore prints & etchings.

John was the best host and guide you could ever ask for. He has been at the HNOC almost since inception for over 30 years where he met his wife, Priscilla Lawrence, now Executive director, when they were both starting out. In the amazing coincidences department, John, a freelance B&W photographer in 1981, was hired by Sandra Zahn Oreck to document all of Rockmore’s works at his first show with at her gallery. John, had just donated the negatives to the HNOC, so we were able to see and help document the works from that show including the famous Easy Rider portrait.

Without doubt, the most interesting and awkward moment of the visit was provided by Noel Rockmore and his large 34X58 inch oil, Leda & the Swan, that had been acquired by the HNOC. The first tip that something was up occurred when we noticed there was a large cardboard in front of the work in the small well trafficked office. Several important folks were in the office to meet us and they watched to see how the Rockmore folks would react to this work. It was Leda and the Swan, a Bill Russell theme that had actually been made into a print/etching with Rita Posselt.

The cardboard was removed and what we then saw was a stunning oil portrait of Bill Russell, the Swan and a reclining adolescent nude girl floating in space and holding a knife in her neck. There are also some small toys strewn about. I was at a complete loss for words and fortunately Shirley & Tee filled in with observations and conjectures.

To see the work, click on this link, type in Rockmore, go to 15 artworks, then page 2, and click on the picture and then enlarge - it's worth it.

Then someone handed me a Wikipedia handout on Leda & the Swan which I read out loud to share insight, The subject undoubtedly owed its sixteenth-century popularity to the paradox that it was considered more acceptable to depict a woman in the act of copulation with a swan than with a man. The earliest depictions show the pair love-making with some explicitness—more so than in any depictions of a human pair made by artists of high quality in the same period.

Well, there you go, it all makes sense …. sort of, except that knife in the neck part and a few other details but others more knowledgeable  will figure those things out. Our mission is to find, document and bring attention to the artist, Noel Rockmore. Note to self -Stay on task. Special Thanks to John and all of the HNOC staff we met for our most professional, courteous and entertaining visit.

Comments

[Philip Beech]

Jack Beech is my father and I remember well Rockmore, Gypsy Lou,, Max Clevinger,Gene, et al from my childhood. I am glad that Mr. Rockmore's images are preserved thorough my father's pictures.