The Works of Bunny Matthews Coming Soon to HNOC
Beginning on September 18, 2026, through May 9, 2027, the collected works of Bunny Matthews will be on display at the Historic New Orleans Collection.
The exhibit will feature drawings, cartoons, and posters from Matthews' illustrious career spanning over four decades. The exhibit, along with others currently on view, is included in the museum's free entry.
About Bunny Matthews
Born in 1951 in Monroe, LA, Bunny
Matthews moved to New Orleans at
the age of 3, where he'd grow to cultivate his artistic legacy. Beginning
his career writing and publishing cartoons for the now defunct Figaro, Matthews' commitment to a culturally enriched oeuvre was apparent. His first
published cartoons were for a strip titled F'Sure: Actual Dialogue Heard on
the Streets of New Orleans, which he ran from 1970 till the early '80s. Then, Vic and Nat'ly took New Orleans by storm.
First appearing in Dixie, a
subsidiary of Times Picayune, in 1982, Vic and Nat'ly featured two overweight husband
and wife at the helm of a bar and po-boy spot. Their accents reflected the "Yat"
stereotypes, although if you asked Matthews, he found the term to be profane. His work, always satirical, sometimes controversial, was always in service of an authentic New Orleans voice.
His artistic fingerprint is all over the city. He designed the post for the first Po-Boy Festival in 1979, truck-side advertisements for the Leidenheimer Baking Company, a mural for the 1984 World Fair, and even Where Y'at's first logo!
Alongside his artistic career, Matthews was also a prolific
music writer, interviewing many artists over his career including Bob Marley, Elvis
Costello, Fats Domino, James Brown, and many more. From 1999 to 2005, he served
as editor of OffBeat, cementing his place in
New Orleans' music culture.
His artistic
style is energetic, humorous, and outlandish. His widespread recognition due to Vic and Nat'ly only scratches the surface. The HNOC has been collecting Bunny Matthew's
works since 1979, acquiring many more post-mortem, culminating in the launch of
their latest gallery Bunny Matthews: His Life, Art, and Obsessions. The
works have been collected into a book with the same title that will be available
at the gallery opening. It will feature hundreds of images from his life and
immense body of work.
