American painter Noel Rockmore (Noel Montgomery Davis) was born on this day in New York City in 1928.
By 1939, painting and art had become Rockmore’s passion. By 16, he was copying Rembrandt at the Metropolitan Museum. And by 18, he was studying at the Art Students League of New York.
A friend recommended that Rockmore visit New Orleans in 1959, and arranged a studio for him. By 1963, Rockmore had executed over 350 portraits of musicians at Preservation Hall.
The Ogden Museum is proud to have five portraits from the Preservation Hall series in its Permanent Collection, all gifts from the Roger H. Ogden Collection.
Today, we celebrate the life of Noel Rockmore!
Image: Noel Rockmore (1928 – 1995), “Billie and DeDe Pierce, Preservation Hall,” 1963, Oil on canvas, Gift of the Roger H. Ogden