Lot 130: Rudolf Bohunek (American, 1875-1936) Portrait of a New Orleans Sugar Planter Oil Painting

Rudolf Bohunek (American, 1875-1936) Oil Painting Portrait. Oil on canvas portrait of a member of the Louisiana Sugar Planters' Association. The Louisiana State Museum at the Cabildo in New Orleans has a collection of similar portraits of the Louisiana Sugar Planters' by R. Bohunek on loan from the Louisiana Sugar Planters? Association. In February 1908, a five member committee of the LSPA was appointed to take steps to secure portraits of past presidents of LSPA from its first organization to it's present time. The committee held a meeting and arranged with Mr. R. Bohunek, a portrait painter of marked ability, with a studio in New Orleans, to paint the portraits. The idea to form a portrait gallery embracing in its scope the whole history of sugar making in Louisiana. Rudolf Bohunek began by painting a portrait of founder Etienne de Bore (1741-1829) first mayor of New Orleans and French planter who produced the first granulated sugar in Spanish Louisiana, and essentially made sugar cane profitable as a commodity crop. The portrait along with other portraits of Louisiana Sugare Planters by Rudolf Bohunek hang in the historic Cabildo Mueseum on Jackson Square in New Oreans. (See March 1908 article from The Louisiana Planter and Sugar Manufacturers volume below). On page 51 of the July 23, 1910 volume of The Louisiana Planter and Sugar Manufacturers there is a notice (see photo below), that states Bohunek would be leaving New Orleans shortly and that the LSPA paid Mr. R. Bohunek $100 per commissioned portrait. The portriat of a handsome southern gentleman is signed lower right R. Bohunek. In good restored condition. There is some in-painting below his hands and scattered retouch on the face revealed by UV light inspection. The painting measures 32 inches high by 21 inches wide. The high quality Arts and Crafts frame measures 40.5 inches high by 29 inches wide. The Louisiana Sugar Planters' Association was founded in 1877 by a group of prominent planters, including John Dymond, Duncan F. Kenner, Henry McCall, and Edward J. Gay. Based in New Orleans, the group was largely responsible for setting in motion the modernization of Louisiana's sugar industry. The organization ultimately merged with the American Cane Growers' Association in 1922, creating the American Sugar Cane League.

From AskArt: Born in Bohemia, Rudolph Bohunek was both a painter and printmaker. He studied art in Prague at the School of Art and in 1907 traveled to America. In 1909 he made his way down south and worked in New Orleans for four years. There he maintained a studio in the Maison Blanche building on Gravier Street. While in New Orleans, he received a large commission to paint the Louisiana Sugar Planters Associations members' portraits. Twenty-one of these portraits are on long term loans to the Louisiana State Museum from the association. Bohunek also produced a series of portraits of historic Louisiana figures. A February 2, l909, article in "The New Orleans Daily States" publicized the exhibition of his portraits of Rene-Robert Cavalier Sieur de La Salle and Bienville in the artist's studio, both of which are currently in the museum's collection. He also did a similar series of etchings based on historic characters.

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