Daniel Cooney Fine Art is honored to present “George Dureau: Photographs”, the gallery’s first exhibition of the late artist’s work and Dureau’s debut solo exhibition in Santa Fe, New Mexico. On view from May 31 through July 19, 2025, the show features 40 vintage black-and-white photographs spanning the 1970s through the 1990s, offering a rare and intimate view into the formal and emotional depth of Dureau’s celebrated practice.
A lifelong resident of New Orleans, George Dureau (1930–2014) turned to photography in the 1970s, having previously established himself as a painter. His lens captured a deeply personal circle of friends, lovers, and fellow eccentrics, many of whom existed on the margins of society. Dureau’s photographs are known for their rigorous composition and profound empathy, portraying his subjects with dignity, tenderness, and heroic strength.
While Dureau remains lesser known to the broader public, his work holds iconic status among artists, historians, and curators. His photographs are widely studied by a new generation of creative minds who revere not only his artistic mastery but also his radical inclusivity and compassionate worldview—qualities that feel more resonant now than ever.
Dureau received his B.A. in Fine Art from Louisiana State University in 1952 and studied architecture briefly at Tulane University. His work has been exhibited internationally and is the subject of two monographs: George Dureau: The Photographs (Aperture, 2016) and George Valentine Dureau: Life and Art in New Orleans (University Press of Mississippi, 2025).
Image: "Terrell Hopkins", 1987 © George Dureau
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