JOSEPH LOFTON (1923 - 2018)
The Long Road to Recognition
FEATURING JOHN LISTER III (b. 1985)
Opening: Saturday, 3pm – 5pm
On Exhibition: October 4 – December 30, 2025
Stella Jones Gallery is honored to present the works of JOSEPH LOFTON, an artist whose extensive career deserves to be celebrated alongside those of the most recognizable masters. Additionally, we are delighted to feature JOHN LISTER III, a promising young artist, whose perspective offers a compelling intersection of the future of Art of the African Diaspora with influences spanning both generations and artistic styles.
JOSEPH LOFTON masterfully integrates intercultural themes into his artwork. Relocating to Mexico in the 1990s, he became a vital part of a close-knit community of artists, including ELIZABETH CATLETT and FRANCISCO MORA. His oeuvre provides profound commentary embedded in the Black experience, while simultaneously fostering a spiritual dialogue between African and Mexican design sensibilities.
LOFTON developed his artistic skills at the Art Students League from 1948 to 1954 and further refined his technique from 1971 to 1972 alongside notable figures such as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
During this period, he emerged as a prolific artist, producing a substantial body of work in a modest loft in lower Manhattan. His early pieces were strongly influenced by the Abstract Expressionist movement with later works reflecting a diverse range of artistic periods. Notably, his distinctive use of narrow strips of painted canvas to delineate elements within his compositions creates a unique texture and a subtle collage effect, a hallmark of his artistic style evident throughout most of his work.
LISTER’s work provides social commentary on the struggles and lifestyles of Black Americans with an approach that is both lyrical and methodical. He utilizes the visual language of stylized figures, icons, text, symbols and bold colors, along with imagery from popular culture.
LISTER received a BFA from Bowie State University and attended Morgan State University. He has a myriad of influences on his work but considers Pablo Picasso, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Cy Twombly, Gustav Klimt, Robert Rauschenberg, Henri Matisse and Roy Lichenstein to be his greatest inspirations. His work is found in many private collections as well as the permanent collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art.
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For thirty years, Stella Jones Gallery has played a crucial role in highlighting the historical importance of Black Art. The gallery's commitment to fostering diversity in the downtown New Orleans area has garnered recognition, including being named one of the top 20 art galleries by The American Art Awards in 2025.
