James Michalopoulos
James Michalopoulos, (nee James Mitchell), was born in Pennsylvania, but moved to New Orleans and became famous, for capturing the iconic architectural landscape of the city with a certain whimsical fluidity that mirrors the New Orleans joie de vivre.
Michalopoulous is a self taught artist who began his career working in Jackson Square as a street artist. He drew sketches of the square and of people for $2-3 each. After growing tired of drawing portraits, Michalopoulos started traveling around New Orleans on a Vespa with a portable easel, painting the buildings and architecture of New Orleans. His early works were exhibited at local restaurants, and throughout the French Quarter.
Michalopoulos has served as the official artist of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival six times, and his highly collectable prints have featured Dr. John, Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, Fats Domino, Alan Toussaint, and Aaron Neville.
His paintings are colorful and feature "exaggerated viewpoints and perspectives." He uses palate knives in his work to provide intense color and texture, and each original oil takes two to three days to complete, although Michalopoulos leaves "completed" works in his studio for weeks and continues to add paint as he feels necessary. His early works were signed "Mitchell" or "M," and his later works, are signed Michalopoulos.
Few painters have been able to capture New Orleans and Louisiana in the way that James Michalopoulos has, and for that reason he is one of our featured artists. His works are featured in the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art.
Looking for a Michalopoulos? We can help! Cayman served as the Director of Development and then Gallery Director of the Michalopoulos Gallery, overseeing the production and fundraising for a feature length PBS Documentary, procuring, planning, and fundraising for multiple significant solo Museum shows, and leading the Gallery in record sales. Cayman left the Michalopoulos Gallery in 2025 on amicable terms to pursue his writing and art business full time.
To discuss selling a Michalopoulos original, please email Cayman at Cayman@LouisianaArt.com. He would be happy to assist you promptly and answer any questions you may have and direct you to a trusted Michalopoulos team member to make a purchase.
For more information on Michalopoulos please visit his website at www.Michalopoulos.com
"Strollalodian," from the private collection of Cayman Clevenger by James Michalopoulos
James Michalopoulos with important work “Strollalodian,” as featured in Garden and Gun Magazine, as well as the artist’s retrospective at the Louisiana State Capitol.
"St. Philips Stand," and original oil on canvas by James Michalopoulos
Many of Michalopoulos’ earlier works are signed “Mitchell,” the surname that was assigned to his ancestor upon immigration to America. (24x30)
"Simple Sweet," an original oil on canvas by James Michalopoulos
"Simple Sweet," was the featured piece by the RW Norton Art Gallery in their debut Michalopoulos solo exhibition entitled “Heart of the Matter,” in 2019. This piece was selected by the Michalopoulos Gallery to be included in the Norton show, and is on loan from the Clevenger private collection. (30x40)
"Turk Parabola," by James Michalopoulos
Here you can see an early work by Michalopoulos, also signed “Mitchell,” that shows his talent as a rising artist. The incredible use of bright, vibrant, color that defined his later work is already present here. The actual home this piece is based on is in the Lower Garden District in New Orleans.
"Wood Rocker," by James Michalopoulos
A stunning early night scene with a crescent moon over the Crescent City and the iconic Michalopoulos lamp post. You can truly see the artist’s incredible use of light in this piece.
"Garden Quake," an original oil on canvas by James Michalopulos
This large work is the sister piece to the featured spring piece from the Michalopoulos book published in 1997. This piece features a large, iconic “Michalopoulos” signature, and shows his incredible range as an artist with a stunning landscape that truly jumps off the canvas and feels fully three dimensional. This piece was also chosen as a featured landscape in the James Michalopoulos solo exhibition “Heart of the Matter” at the RW Norton museum of art in Louisiana.
"Aurora Crux," an incredible oil on canvas by James Michalopouolos
Featuring a two story Garden District home that truly shows the beauty of New Orleans as a muse, the piece features wrought iron, trees, and a bright palate of blues and greens.
"Slow Timin" an original oil on canvas by James Michalopoulos
This piece perfectly demonstrates James Michalopoulos’ 2019 color palate of bright, bordering on neon, colors. The sky in this piece pops with purples and blues, a rare dusk scene that perfectly captures a New Orleans evening. The rose bush is dotted with bright, cheery purple roses, and a fence can be seen, as well as as a green house. The study for this piece was featured in the R.W. Norton Michalopoulos solo exhibition “Heart of the Matter.”
"Study for Yellow Perch" an original oil on canvas by James Michalopoulos
This brilliantly colored study perfectly exhibits Michalopoulos’s bright and cheery 2018 color palate, crescent moon atop a three story yellow French Quarter building with beautiful wrought iron work.