The French Quarter is virtually framed in fine statuary, most depicting individuals whose lives either touched or altered life in the city.
Most visitors to New Orleans have some common stops on their agendas: Bourbon Street, The Aquarium of the Americas, great jazz clubs, unique shopping venues, and, of course, the greatest eateries in the world.
But some of the finest attractions in the Crescent City are those that stand in one place, sometimes for centuries. They don’t speak or sing or change. They are the majestic and elegant statues of New Orleans, some dating back centuries, and others reflecting the most contemporary values and issues facing the city. Among all of the fine statuary of the city are the common themes of history, culture and a way of life known only in one place in the universe— New Orleans.
Morning comes early in Jackson Square, the world-renowned courtyard that counts St. Louis Cathedral as its backdrop. Centered in the square a lone horseman tries valiantly to tame his rearing animal. He is Andrew Jackson, as depicted by Clark Mills in the 19th century. Mills’ 14-foot lifelike bronze may be the city’s most well-known statue. Thousands of people pass by daily, dwarfed beneath its majesty.
The French Quarter is virtually framed in fine statuary, most depicting individuals whose lives either touched or altered life in the city. Near the entrance to the French Quarter is a grand statue of Jean Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the 18th century founder of New Orleans. Bienville was roundly criticized in his day for even imagining that a swampy netherland such as this one could ever become the center of commerce, art and culture that he envisioned, but his foresight won out. Today, his statue is prominently displayed in one of the French Quarter’s most highly traveled areas.
At the opposite end of the French Quarter is another famous figure depicted on horseback, this one gleaming under Southern sunlight. Joan of Arc, atop her horse in full military garb is finished in shiny gold leaf, near the entrance of the centuries old French Market. The statue was a gift from the people of France to the people of New Orleans.
Just outside the French Quarter is Armstrong Park, home of one of the city’s most beloved statues, Louis Armstrong. Armstrong, a New Orleans native who went on to become an international treasure in the music world, now reigns supreme in his own park, among quiet waterways, wildflowers, bicycle and walking paths and the Mahalia Jackson Theatre.
Just minutes from the French Quarter in the lushly landscaped and sumptuous environment of City Park, a number of statues blend seamlessly into the park’s waterways, meadows and lagoons. Many of them are the work of local artist Enrique Alferez, who worked on his creations right up to the time of his death just a few years ago. Alferez’s dramatic stylings often catch visitors by surprise as they are nestled into the natural surroundings almost as if they grew there.
Alferez’s creations represent his work over a seven decade period. From the 1930’s, a series of six repeating reliefs set within the metal fence enclosing Tad Gormley Stadium; the Lost Goddess of City Park, a concrete relief depicting a standing female figure holding a cloud can be found in a lagoon, while one of Alferez’s most acclaimed works, Woman with Bowl, graces a bridge in the park. Elsewhere in the park can be found nude reliefs of female figures, garden lamp standards, garden benches and one of his last works, the phenomenal The Flute Player, a bronze female figure in the Azalea Garden.
City Park not only contains the works of Alferez, but also other artists’ sculptural works as well as the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Besthoff Sculpture Garden, which is filled with a spectacular collection of contemporary art.
At the other end of the city is Audubon Park, home of gracious sculpture and statuary that fits perfectly with the spacious, natural surroundings. Chief among the many works is the 1922 work by Anna Hyatt Huntington, Diana, the bronze goddess with her dog situated in the center of the exotic lily pads in Diana Pond.
In the lovely Audubon Zoo is the Celebration of Life, Marge C. Ward’s bronze boy holding a turtle. Ward also is represented in the Zoo by Sharing, a bronze kneeling girl and man feeding ducks, just inside the entrance to the children’s village. Also in children’s village can be found Alferez’s 1930’s Aesop’s Fables, reliefs depicting fictional characters from children’s literature.
Tom Tischler’s The Elephant’s Child, a bronze seated baby elephant is a popular attraction near the elephant exhibit. A wealth of sculpture from the early 1900’s can be found throughout the zoo, as well as distinctive Works Progress Administration artwork from the 1930’s.
Some of the local statuary is simply timeless artful creations, while others are topical and monumental. Outside of the French Quarter near downtown in the Vietnam Veterans Monument, built in 1987 and represented with pyramid and abstract designs. In City Park there will soon be a full memorial to the Holocaust.
In Metairie, a suburb outside of the city limits, is a grand monument to the fallen heroes of the Korean War. Prominently displayed downtown is a sculpture of Winston Churchill, while in City Park is the simply titled War Memorial. These and other works of art are all dedicated to individuals who lost their lives for a cause.
The Mississippi River, winding gently around the city, has been inspiration to a number of artists over the years, some of whom have added to the city’s formidable collection of statuary. Taking its place as one of New Orleans most high-profile statues is Mother River, a 30-foot tall sculpture that stands inside of a fountain in front of the Port of New Orleans.
Mother River is an anthropomorphic depiction of a female form reaching skyward from her northern tributaries toward her destiny, the deep warm rivers of the Gulf of Mexico. The River’s tributaries appear as children clutching her feet. Along the base of the sculpture, riverboats, tugs and other vessels are represented in relief. The rich mix of drama, humanity and nature’s challenges is all represented in the work.
With the arrival of Mother River, cruise ships, freighters and all other vessels are greeted with the site of a mighty woman reaching skyward— much like they are in another famous harbor further northeast. Mother River is destined to take her place as the New Orleans region tribute to the maritime industry, a thriving business with great heritage in the city.
Mother River joins a select few statues that grace the city’s riverfront. One that seems to generate the most conversation is the elegant Monument to the Immigrant in Woldenberg Park. The white Carrara marble monument created by local sculptor Franco Allesandrini, rests on a series of risers constructed of blue stone and matching white marble. On one side Miss Liberty faces the mighty Mississippi, while an immigrant family faces the French Quarter, where most immigrants lived when they came to this area.
Close by is Robert Schoen’s Old Man River, a stylized stone human figure made of 17 tons of Carrara marble. Since 1991, visitors have marveled at the 18-foot monumental statue’s majesty. The figure’s circular movement seems to convey a harmony of the work to its location. The river is connected through the openings of the legs and arms to the land.
The aquatic theme is further carried out in Woldenberg Park with Ocean Song, a stainless steel sculpture consisting of eight narrow three-sided pyramids, each 10 feet tall. Native New Orleanian John Scott created polished surfaces that reflect viewers’ images. The work is meant to depict the gentle motion of the ocean coupled with the reflection of human beings, symbolizing their connection to the sea.
The timeless artistry and elegance of New Orleans statues can be found in residential neighborhoods, tourist areas, bustling downtown streets, along Interstate highways and at the edge of the Mississippi River. Along with the most popular tourist attractions, walking tours of the statues serve to tell the story of the New Orleans people and culture, and a history that stands apart from other great cities of America.
This material may be reproduced for editorial purposes of promoting New Orleans. Please attribute stories to New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau.
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