From his iconic “Blue Dog” paintings to his acclaimed, authentic bayou-inspired works, George Rodrigue played an integral role in visually and publicly elevating Cajun tradition and folklore across the United States and around the world. As a vigorously collected and highly revered figure, George Rodrigue (1944–2013) is regarded as one of Louisiana’s most important artists. Named the state’s official Artist Laureate, he remains a key force in contemporary American culture.

BLUE: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue is the first-ever career-spanning documentary on Rodrigue’s remarkable journey as an artist – bringing to life an inspiring story on how he overcame immense adversity to become an international Pop Art sensation with his instantly recognizable, golden-eyed Blue Dog. BLUE: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue will premiere on public television stations around the country starting Thursday, May 29, 2025 (check local listings) and stream on PBS.org from May 29-July 30, 2025. BLUE will also be available on PBS Passport through your local PBS affiliate starting May 29. WLAE in New Orleans is the presenting station for the film, which will be distributed by American Public Television.

A recipient of numerous awards and an official selection at film festivals over the last six months, BLUE is an intimate portrait of resilience and creativity, of the world-renowned Cajun artist who told the story of his exiled ancestors through brushstrokes. BLUE offers a rich, in-depth look at George Rodrigue’s life and work through new, candid interviews with his family, curators, critics, collectors, and notable admirers, including chef/restaurateur Emeril Lagasse, former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, political strategist James Carville, former New Orleans mayor and President of the National Urban League Marc Morial, artist James Michalopoulos, along with family including sons Jacques and Andre Rodrigue, second wife Wendy Rodrigue-Magnus and first wife, Veronica Hidalgo Redman. The film also includes rare footage, unseen for nearly fifty years, offering an up-close look into Rodrigue’s reflections on his roots and artistic inspirations.

“I hope audiences see BLUE as a tribute to George Rodrigue’s enduring impact on art and culture in Louisiana and around the world. His story as an artist is layered and deeply inspiring. From his majestic oak trees and evocative Cajun portraits to the iconic Blue Dog, his masterworks weave an extraordinary narrative and serve as a powerful testament to his perseverance and the deep impact he and his art have had on so many lives,” said director/producer Sean O’Malley in a press release.

Produced by the award-winning team and executive producers of Fats Domino—Walking Back to New Orleans, A Tribute to Toussaint and Irma Thomas: The Soul Queen of New Orleans, the intimate documentary follows Rodrigue’s life and career, from his childhood in New Iberia, Louisiana – the heart of Cajun country, through his rise to international acclaim with the Blue Dog series. After being confined to bed with polio in the third grade, Rodrigue began painting—famously turning over a paint-by-numbers canvas to create his own original work.

Inspired by the works of Andy Warhol, Rodrigue studied art at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and later at the ArtCenter College of Design in Los Angeles, before returning home to document the fading Cajun culture through his series depicting oak trees with moss-laden limbs and Cajun people of the past with evocative works like his first masterpiece, “The Aioli Dinner” (1971) and “Jolie Blonde” (1975). “The more I stayed in Los Angeles [for art school], the more I realized how different I was. Louisiana is different. The people are different. I wanted to paint my early childhood feeling,” said George Rodrigue in a newly restored interview from the 1970s, included in BLUE. It was important to Rodrigue that the Cajun traditions and people were portrayed, which were rarely depicted in art: “We had a different food, we had different music. There was nobody to record the last 200 years why we were here.” As George Rodrigue commented in another interview: “They [the Cajuns] had to go to live in the swamps, you know? They were not allowed in New Orleans. They were not allowed in the populated areas. This is what I want to show: the pain, the suffering of all these people.”

In the 1960s and 1970s, critics in the art world dismissed or struggled to understand Rodrigue’s paintings, while museums and galleries wouldn’t show his artwork. His first ever review for a solo exhibition in Baton Rouge in 1970 called his work “Painter Makes Bayou Country Dreary, Monotonous Place.” He learned early that no press is bad press, since folks flocked to see what the “flat and drab” paintings were about, and Rodrigue ended up earning more money than he ever had in his life. The rejection from art institutions also motivated him to work harder to gain more visibility by hanging up his paintings anywhere, including restaurants and bank lobbies. Rodrigue said in a newly-restored interview that he had been told that he’s a “genius in marketing,” but said “no, I’m a genius at painting.”

The one-hour film explores the origins of the Blue Dog, first painted in 1984 and inspired by the Loup-Garou—a “crazy werewolf dog” from Cajun lore—and was modeled after Rodrigue’s family canine, Tiffany. What started as a ghost story illustration evolved into a global pop icon in the early 1990s, featured in presidential portraits, high-profile ad campaigns for Absolut Vodka, Neiman Marcus, and Xerox, and acquired by celebrity collectors including Sylvester Stallone and Whoopi Goldberg. By the 2000s, the Blue Dog had developed into more abstract and minimalist interpretations, and through the combination of his imagery and titles, Rodrigue utilized his work to make comments on life. Rodrigue used the Blue Dog to reflect on life and loss, raising millions for relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina and 9/11. By this time, art institutions and critics warmly embraced his works, with positive reviews and retrospective exhibits around the country.

BLUE: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue includes never-before-seen photos, captivating, newly-restored interviews with the artist– as well as excerpts from his final, deeply personal interview. Newly-revealed visuals include Rodrigue’s photographs of models who he would then emulate in his classic paintings. Among the revelations in the film is the cause of his death in 2013 – his son, Jacques says he believes his dad’s terminal lung cancer resulted from inhaling fumes from the oils and spray varnishes he used in his third-floor studio, where he created as many as 1,000 Cajun paintings, offering a cautionary tale.

The documentary had its U.S. premiere at New Orleans Film Festival in October 2024, where it was named Winner of the Southern Feature Audience Award. It was also named Best Documentary at Amsterdam New Cinema Film Festival 2024 and Best Biographical Feature Film at the World Film Festival in Cannes-Remember the Future, as well as winning top honors at the Bangkok Movie Awards, IndieX Film Fest, and Southeast Academy International Film Festival. It was also an official selection at various film festivals. The film had a special sneak preview on Louisiana PBS stations in December 2024 as a tribute to Rodrigue’s home state.

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