NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) will present the first monographic exhibition dedicated to the work of American modernist Hayward L. Oubre, Jr. (1916–2006). Through 48 sculptures, paintings and prints, Hayward Oubre: Structural Integrity reveals how the artist shaped American art while working in the South. Organized by the Birmingham Museum of Art, the exhibition is on view at NOMA from Jan. 30 through May 3.
“This exhibition is an important reexamination of American modernism from the vantage point of the South—and through the eyes of a New Orleans–born artist,” said Susan M. Taylor, The Montine McDaniel Freeman director of NOMA. “This thoughtful retrospective of Oubre’s work will provide a new consideration of color, materiality, and representation in 20th-century art.”
Oubre is best known for his work with a seemingly ordinary everyday material—wire coat hangers—which he used to create modernist masterworks. These artworks fuse his lived experience, wide-ranging interests, and art historical influences in compositions that range from realism to pure abstraction. He completed nearly forty wire sculptures prior to the early 1980s, and also painted throughout his career, experimenting with new materials and depicting Black experiences.
Born in New Orleans in 1916, Oubre became the first student to graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Dillard University. While pursuing postgraduate studies at Atlanta University, Oubre was profoundly influenced by the tutelage of internationally-acclaimed painter Hale Woodruff (1900–80) and prominent sculptor Nancy Elizabeth Prophet (1890–1960). Following his military service in World War II, Oubre enrolled at the University of Iowa, where he earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in 1948.
In addition to Oubre’s artistic innovations, Structural Integrity underscores the crucial role of art departments at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in shaping the artistic landscape of the twentieth century. Oubre served as the first chair of the art department at Alabama State University (ASU) in Montgomery, from 1949 to 1965. After leaving ASU, Oubre established the art department at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, building on the legacy he shaped at ASU. Through his teaching career, Oubre dedicated his life to growing and enhancing a Southern network of Black artists.