Recently re-discovered in LSEM’s collection is a magnificent artwork by noted artist Louis G. Sicard. Measuring 6 feet by 6 feet, the iconic subject is a life sized portrayal of a tailor at work surrounded by the tools of his trade – a spinning wheel and pants press. According to Camille Sicard Hirsch, daughter of the artist, the model for the young man’s hands was her brother. Commissioned by Selber Brothers for the opening of the downtown store in 1955, the painting hung in the Men’s department for years. Restored by conservator Elise Grenier, it now hangs in the Rotunda for all to enjoy.
Born in New Orleans, Sicard studied at Tulane University under Elsworth Woodward, Charles Wellington Boyle, Claude Jackson and Luis Granier. He moved to Shreveport in 1933 and resided there until his death in 1990. He exhibited at the New York World’s Fair in 1940 and later organized the Men’s Art Guild in Shreveport. Who’s Who in American Art listed Sicard and he was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (F.R.S.A.).
The museum is fortunate to have two historical murals also by Sicard – Mississippi River Boat and the Evangeline Oak on Bayou Teche. The Tailor’s soft color palette, the agricultural landscape and the monumental scale beautifully complement the existing artwork in the Rotunda.
The Tailor, 1955
Oil on canvas, mounted on board by Louis G. Sicard
Gift of Leonard Selber & Aaron Selber, Jr.