New Orleans: Elegance and Decadence

Hardback. New. The classic book on New Orleans' creative scene is back in an updated 2nd edition for a new generation! New Orleans: Elegance and Decadence 2nd edition focuses on the interiors, furnishings, art collections, and gardens of New Orleans' most eccentric and creative dreamers of the '90s. These bohemian artists, artisans, architects, preservationists, activists, antiquarians, restaurateurs, and teachers lived outside the American mainstream and tolerated crumbling plaster, exposed lathe, and sagging galleries in exchange for communal festivity and joie de vivre. Photographer Richard Sexton documented where and how they lived; what they hoarded, collected, and worshipped. In this second edition, historian Randolph Delehanty weaves together the history of New Orleans from the fragments he saw in those photographs. The authors explore in words and images how the combination of climate, a strongly European and Catholic culture, African influences, and the revelry of Mardi Gras have created a modern ambience unlike that of any other city in America. A new layout, larger photos, and a revised narrative that includes the city's recent history, this second edition of New Orleans: Elegance and Decadence celebrates the joyous spirit of this distinctive culture! AUTHORS: Richard Sexton is a fine-art and media photographer whose work has been published and exhibited worldwide. He has authored, coauthored, or photographed 14 books. Randolph Delehanty has authored more than a dozen books on cities, architecture, visual art, historical landscapes, and national parks. He seeks what makes places distinct, and explores how art expresses lifestyles and values. He lives in a shotgun double in Faubourg Marigny in New Orleans. SELLING POINTS: . Second edition offers a look into the soulful homes and gardens of 1990s NOLA creatives, updated with a new layout, larger photos, and a narrative that includes the city's recent history . For everyone who fantasizes about interiors that evoke an artistic world of color, myth, and romance . The first edition sold more copies (90,000-plus) than any other photographic book about New Orleans in the city's history 204 colour and b/w images