Ron Bechet Sold at Auction Prices

Ron Bechet (American/New Orleans, b. 1956)

Ron Bechet (American/New Orleans, b. 1956), "Reconciliation", 2006, charcoal on paper, unsigned, 63 1/2 in. x 72 in., framed . Provenance: Acquired from the artist; Collection of Noted Preservationist and Aesthete Dorian M. Bennett, New Orleans. Exh.: "Lovely As A Tree", Louisiana Art and Science Museum, Baton Rouge, LA, Aug. 6 to Nov. 27, 2016, and illustrated in accompanying catalogue, p. 10. Note: New Orleans native Ron Bechet earned a BA from the University of New Orleans and MFA from Yale School of Art, returning to New Orleans in 1982 to teach and create art. He is a former longtime chairman of the art department and a current professor of art at Xavier University of Louisiana. Bechet’s preferred medium is large-scale painting and drawing, and his work is often inspired by south Louisiana. "His works explore the interstitial zone between ideas, such as reality and illusion; the boundary where both entities exist or are possible." Trees are a common subject of Bechet’s work, and he has uncovered unlimited potential in their varied forms. The meaning often goes well beyond the surface with layers of double entendre, symbolism and anthropomorphic elements even in the more literal works such as "Reconciliation" offered here. As Elizabeth Chubbuck Weinstein writes, "For Bechet, the tree symbolizes human strike, endurance, and ultimately the hope of reconciliation." Bechet's art encourages the viewer to look deeper for meaning through his deft handling of material and skillful renderings. Ref.: McNulty, Ian. "Artist Profile: Ron Bechet." My New Orleans. Apr. 18, 2007. www.myneworleans.com. Accessed July 26, 2020. "Ron Bechet Biography." Ogden Museum of Southern Art. https://ogdenmuseum.org. Accessed July 26, 2020. Weinstein, Elizabeth Chubbuck. Lovely as a Tree. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 2016