Best known to visitors for her bars and restaurants, the French Quarter of New Orleans is also home to dozens of art galleries, constituting one of the greatest concentrations of studio space in the American South. In fact, the history and demographics that led to the Quarter becoming a hotbed of nightlife likely laid the foundation for its abundance of art galleries as well.
For decades, the Quarter’s historical buildings were seen as crumbling ruins. The confluence of creativity and cheap rents led to the arts taking hold in the Quarter, although said arts did not manifest as public gallery retails space in the beginning. The French Quarter was a bit too rough in her earlier days to accommodate a gallery scene, but as the neighborhood began offering more to visitors in the late 20th century, art spaces became a natural outgrowth of the local scene.
That’s not to ignore some truly steadfast art galleries that have held it down in the Quarter for what feels like ages. In any case, if you want to see local art, head to Royal Street, which lined with galleries on multiple blocks. While it’s not as jam packed as Royal, Chartres Street is also a mini mecca for art retail. Also, don’t miss the artists hawking their wares around the edges of Jackson Square, street artists throughout the Quarter, and Dirty Linen Night, an annual party that celebrates the Royal Street gallery scene.
Some notable local art galleries include:
Frank Relle Photography
910 Royal Street
One of the city’s most famous photographers, Frank Relle has made a career out of his love of New Orleans architecture, history, and light – or lack thereof, in the last case. Confused? Relle is best known for taking shots of New Orleans homes, buildings and street scenes late at night, using long exposures to create a singularly eerie (yet also oddly comforting, and always beautiful) micro genre of fine art photography.
Le Jardin
612 Royal Street
When we think of French Quarter art galleries, a place like Le Jardin – that’s French for ‘The Jardin’ (ha ha) – often comes to mind. Effectively a narrow corridor that leads to a spacious dream of a Vieux Carre courtyard, all of the wall space in Le Jardin is crammed wall to groaning wall with the work of local artists. Much of the stuff you’ll see on display has a folk art-y feel; the bright colors, bold presentation, locally focused subject matter and the general haphazard, slightly chaotic atmosphere of the place makes for an art experience that feels quintessentially New Orleans. While you’ll find original work here, there are plenty of prints as well. Also on site is Adorn, a local jewelry and crafts shop.
Tresor Gallery
811 Royal Street
We live in an unapologetically weird city, and places like Tresor, devoted to showcasing the best of New Orleans contemporary art, have always been idiosyncratic outposts against creeping normality. While it’s hard to pin down any one kind of art at this spot, you can always expect something, well, unexpected. Eclectic at the least – we’ve seen darkly decorated baby dolls, folk art-style wall panels, fantastical mixed media sculptures, graphic novelesque illustrations and work that feels graffiti-ish in origin.
Gallery Burguieres
736 Royal Street
African American Artist Large Scale Art Paintings