Description:

Robert "Dr. Bob" Shaffer (American/Louisiana, b. 1952), "Monumental Alligator", mixed media on panel, signed lower right, 46 3/8 in. x 95 1/4 in., artist frame, overall 48 in. x 95 3/4 in. x 2 1/4 in.Note: Dr. Bob is a beloved self-taught folk artist in New Orleans. Originally from Kansas, Dr. Bob has spent most of his life in Louisiana, where his family moved in the mid-1960s for his father’s job at the Michoud NASA Assembly Facility. Always interested in the arts, Dr. Bob got his start in building picture frames and eventually set up his own studio in the Bywater neighborhood in 1990 where he is still located today. First, he carved sculptures out of wood, but then, he says, “I ran out of wood, so I just started messing around with paint.” His environmental and cultural surroundings greatly informed the direction of his work, with alligators being a prominent motif. His emblematic catchphrase “Be Nice or Leave” is a recurring theme and the message permeates his oeuvre, full of whimsy and a bright child-like joy. The significant work offered here exemplifies this whimsicality with its smattering of polka dots and grinning gator. Dr. Bob is resourceful with his materials, salvaging the pressed tin from Memphis, Tennessee during a renovation of the former Battier’s Pharmacy at the intersection of Hernando and Beale Streets. Beale Street was the center of Black culture, featuring Blues music from the 1920s to the 1960s. The building has an illustrious history having been in continuous operation from 1896 to 1960 as a pharmacy with a hotel on the upper floors. This piece of the vintage tin ceiling has been given new life by Dr. Bob, reincarnated as an alligator. The gargantuan mixed media panel perfectly illustrates Dr. Bob’s unique artistic voice from the iconic subject matter and media to the artist’s enhanced frame studded in old Barq’s bottlecaps, yet another signature of the artist. Ref.: “About Bob.” Dr. Bob Art. drbobart.net. Accessed July 24, 2023.

  • Condition: If Condition is NOT stated in the description of the lot, the absence of a condition report does not indicate the lot is free of damage or condition issues. Available Condition Reports will appear as an additional image. Condition Reports and photographs may be requested on items until the Wednesday prior to the auction. Bid accordingly. All sales are final, no returns are accepted on the basis of condition.

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September 8, 2023 1:00 PM CDT
New Orleans, LA, US

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $29,999 $1,000
$30,000 $49,999 $5,000
$50,000 + $10,000