작품 상세

Rise Delmar Ochsner (American/Louisiana, b. 1944), "Phyllis S. Dennery", 1988, acrylic on canvas, signed and dated lower left, 48 in. x 36 in., framed, overall 50 3/4 in. x 38 1/2 in. x 1 1/2 in. Note: Rise Delmar Ochsner was born and raised in New York City where her mother was an artist. She graduated from Columbia University and Tulane Medical School in New Orleans, where she practiced as an ophthalmologist for almost twenty years before retiring. She had discovered her own love of art while at Columbia and continued to paint through medical school and beyond. Ochsner earned commissions to paint Mick Jagger for a poster for his New Orleans tour stop, a portrait of Queen Noor of Jordan, Carol Burnett’s cat and fifty famous chefs for the Mondavi Winery. She relocated to Santa Barbara in 1995 to be a full-time artist, however, missing medicine, she returned to the practice in 2007. After nineteen years away, Delmar Ochsner moved back to New Orleans where she lives today saying: “I came back for the hugs…from my patients and my friends, and I’m delighted to be here again.” Her works have been featured in numerous exhibitions locally and nationally. In addition to rock stars and royalty, Delmar Ochsner captured many influential and prominent New Orleanians, such as the portrait offered here of Phyllis Sugarman Dennery. Originally from New York City, Phyllis married Moise Dennery in 1941, and once settled in his hometown of New Orleans, she became an active volunteer in civic and religious projects, including the founding and development of WYES-TV. Perhaps her longest-lasting contribution was a section of federal law bearing her name, the Dennery Amendment, to the Telecommunications Act of 1978, which set a monetary value on the time volunteer workers contribute to public stations and let the stations count that as “income” in applying for federal matching money. She also founded La Fete, an annual series of summertime activities, and compiled two cookbooks, Dining In – New Orleans and a sequel, featuring recipes from New Orleans restaurants. Delmar Ochsner’s loose and lush style in her depiction of Dennery is complemented by the scale and colorful boldness that typifies her work and perfectly suits this remarkable sitter. Ref.: Pope, John. Getting Off at Elysian Field: Obituaries from the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2015; “Rise Delmar Ochsner.” Rise Delmar Ochsner. www.riseochsner.com. Accessed Oct. 3, 2023.