oro Barristers Gallery
2331 St. Claude Ave and Spain, New Orleans, LA 70117   504- 710-4506     Tues-Sat 11am-5pm
Andy Antippas, Director  Directions

 
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AFRICAN

HAITIAN
THE METAL ART OF HAITI
(catalog essay)

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2331 St. Claude Ave & Spain
New Orleans, LA 70117  504-710-4506 
Tues-Sat 11am-5pm 
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History of Barrister's Gallery

 

history

 

"Barrister's The heaven of hell on earth"     Marilyn Manson

     "Barrister's Gallery of folk and ethnographic art moved in July after 23 years at 526 Royal Street. The new space at 1724 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard is 10 times as large as the old French Quarter landmark, allowing rotating exhibits of gallery artists, as well as more breathing room for the Asian, African, and Oceanic art. But the weird, claustrophobic, Twilight Zone atmosphere of the former location will not be forgotten by the generations of artists it affected."

--The Times-Picayune, 1999

 


 
the old Barrister's on Royal street in the French Quarter

The move, while giving both Andy and the art a bit of breathing space, hasn't changed the Gallery's spirit. If anything, it's intensified it; he has carved out about 2,500 square feet for an exhibition space that gives him a wonderful opportunity, every month, to mount new, unorthodox and original, frightening and enlightening exhibitions by both fine and folk artists. And, as always, Andy will continue to feature work by folks who are so far removed from the accepted mainstream aesthetic that the term 'outsider artist' doesn't even begin to describe their current location in space and time. "

 
roy ferdinand outside the old gallery

 

 "...Barrister's has of late entered a Twilight Zone of its own devise, a Gothic hyperspace on the far side... More than just a gallery, it may have inadvertently become a kind of conceptual art environment in its own right. And, unlike most such things, it is an environment devoted to a concept that is ultimately beyond all concepts: the ancient and eternal mysteries of this planet and the cosmos -- as well as lots of other freaky, weird and far out stuff."

-- D. Eric Bookhardt, Gambit, 1994

 

 

As more and more beautiful things were spending too much time in storage, and the artists represented all clamoring for exhibition space, it became clear that it was time for Barrister's to move to less congested quarters...

 

the new location at Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.

 

the new location at Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.

 
 
"Another writer from The New York Times said that Barrister's brought to mind a 'Shaman's attic.' Part of that portrayal referred to the wide-ranging collection of tribal art from Africa, Indonesia, the Pacific Basin, the Americas, and the Caribbean. Those who have visited the gallery know that it does look like a place where, for centuries, people have been heaping up their talismans and totems a time capsule into which ancient wizards and priestesses and modern day medicine men and voodoo queens have been and still are stashing everything that's important and real for future generations to find.
 
"However, it also accurately described a space that was cramped, somewhat (to put it kindly) cluttered, and even a bit gloomy--in the Gothic sense of the word. Of course all of that added to the ambiance as much as it detracted from it. But finally, as more and more beautiful things were spending too much time in storage, and the artists he represents clamoring for exhibition space, it became clear that it was time for Barrister's to move to less congested quarters."
 
 
 

the new location at Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.

 

John Lawson was drawn to Barrister's for the inspiration. "It's like a living museum," he explains. In the tiny space on Royal Street (as even now in a cavernous warehouse in Central City), was a forest of African statues and masks, an aviary of beaded flags and Mardi Gras Indian costumes, and a multiplying bestiary of outsider art pieces.

Myrtle Von Damitz, Where Y'at Magazine, Sept. 2000

 
 

"Andy clearly has an eye that others are beginning to appreciate. Add to this an eclectic, carefully selected, and ever-expanding assortment of the best primitive and tribal work from around the globe, and you've got a gallery with real art and soul."

-Michelle Delio, contributing writer, Wired

 

Mat James

Barrister's DVD available. Click Here for Details



Barrister's Gallery Today


Since March 2007, Barrister's Gallery has been located at 2331 St Claude Ave, at the spear point of the St. Claude Art District, and 10 minutes from The French Quarter. Although we still keep available a fine collection of ethnographic and outsider art, the Gallery's emphasis is, as the New Orleans Underground Guide notes, "on monthly-featured contemporary exhibits in keeping with their focus on the eclectic, unorthodox and freaky." Although the Gallery's hours are equally "eclectic, unorthodox and freaky"--we are always near-by, even on Sundays and after hours. (504 710-4506)

1/3 scale model by Christopher Saucedo

1/19th scale model of Barrister's Gallery by Professor Christopher Saucedo


Barristers exterior


Barristers interior

Barristers gallery interior