Highlights of the Derek Gordon and Rodolfo Ramirez Collection

In the Summer of 2022, the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge was presented with a unique proposition. Approached by Francine Ramirez, the niece of the since deceased Rodolfo Ramirez and Derek Gordon, she asked us for help in handling their posthumous art collection. With a total of 526 individual art pieces, this collection filled an entire 3-bedroom house and eventually a 12’ x 12’ storage unit.

The couple spent years traveling to auction after auction, buying whole rooms for a single piece at times. Varying from etchings to lithographs to paintings to charcoal drawings, Derek and Rodolfo were not picky in their selections. This retrospective exhibition represents the passion that the two had for the arts— Derek in his time here at the Arts Council and Rodolfo as a champion of Derek’s endeavors. The legacy of Derek Gordon and Rodolfo Ramirez lives within this exhibition, both here in the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center and wherever this exhibition may travel next.