NEW ORLEANS – With spring in the air, there’s no better time to look around the city and find some art. In New Orleans, there’s no shortage of places where you can find it.
News with a Twist caught up with sculptor Thomas Bruno, whose body of work includes some of the most iconic sculptures in and around New Orleans.
Judge Skelly Wright in front of Loyola Law School, the 700-pound cross leafed in gold atop St. Stephen’s Church, and the majestic eagle perched in front of the federal courthouse are just a few of the big pieces that Bruno has accomplished.
Then there’s St. Catherine of Siena, the woman whose words moved the Pope from France back to Rome. She sits in front of St. Dominic School.
But there’s no sculpture Thomas takes more pride in than Joseph Bartholomew, the first African-American to be inducted into the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of fame.
“I’m most proud of the Joseph Bartholomew piece, in benig able to glorify such a fabulous, stoic, heroic figure in the history of our city,” Bruno says.
Thomas’ grandfather was a Sicilian cabinet- and furniture-maker whose genius trickled down the family tree.
“These were gorgeous pieces of beautiful furniture,” Bruno recalls. “I wanted to be able to do that. That’s how I fell in love with sculpture.”
His Madame Butterfly in front of the New Orleans Opera Guild home is breathtaking.
When News with a Twist stopped by, the statue that Thomas was pouring was The Venus. Soon, she’ll have a home at Trinity Restaurant in the French Quarter.
