This room contains memorabilia collected by George Rodrigue. Moving clockwise
around the room, the first case features a number of “one of a kind”
jewelry pieces from cufflinks, pins and cameos to belt buckles and watches
designed by Rolex and Hublot, featuring the likeness of the iconic Blue Dog.
The next case along this wall contains some family photographs, early sketchbooks
and a small photograph of Rodrigue with Chef Paul Prudhomme.
The long wall case contains a number of magazines, books and ads that featured
his paintings. At the far end of the case are the Neiman Marcus publications,
and hanging in the corner is a one-of-a-kind leather jacket that Neiman Marcus
had made especially for Rodrigue in appreciation for his collaboration.
Rodney Fontenot, a.k.a. “The Ragin’ Cajun,” was a junk dealer
in Ville Platte, Louisiana.
Rodrigue depicts one of their famous transactions, in which the artist gave
Fontenot one of his small landscape paintings in exchange for an early Coca-Cola
ice chest.
Rodrigue collected Coca-Cola memorabilia for a time and has a similar ice
chest (circa 1950) on view in his studio in this exhibition.