Friday, February 23, 2007

Big Ticket Items in the Big Easy


Oleander
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema
Oil on panel
Canvas: 35 3/4” high x 25” wide
$1.650


M.S. Rau Antiques has been a New Orleans institution since 1912 - an institution so deeply rooted in the city's French Quarter, not even the winds of a catagory 5 hurricane could topple it.

In a letter on the firm's website, Bill Rau, the shop's president and third-generation owner, writes, "these past months following Hurricane Katrina have been especially trying, not only for our gallery, but for our employees and for the city of New Orleans. Each day moves us closer to the rebirth and revitalization of our beloved city and the entire Gulf Coast and we are slowly, but surely, beginning to see the return of the visitors that are the lifeblood to this region. Now, more than ever, we will need to utilize the internet to stay in touch with our customers and offer them the remarkable works of art and antiques that grace our gallery. While we hope you will make a trip to New Orleans very soon to see us in person, we know that our website is the best way to reach you."

And, while it seems a bit funny, at first, the thought of ordering a million-dollar painting online, its really quite logical. And incredibly smart. Not only for the survival of one of the country's most highly-esteemed dealers, but for you, the consumer, who receives not only a guaranteed and documented work of art, but the pleasure of knowing your purchase will help ensure the continuation of a very special, and historic, American institution.



Paysage du Midi
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Oil on canvas
Canvas: 8” high x 13” wide
$595,000



It Was Yellow and Pink, I
Georgia O'Keeffe, 1959
Oil on canvas
Canvas: 30" high x 26" wide
$850,000


For more information about the shop and to view the wide range of fine and decorative arts available in their online catalogue, please visit www.rauantiques.com.

M.S. Rau Antiques
630 Royal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
504-523-5660, 800-544-9440

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