Catalogue Raisonné Project

The Dusti Bongé Art Foundation (DBAF/the Foundation) is proud to commence our new catalogue raisonné project on the occasion of the Foundation’s 30th Anniversary. The goal of this project is to publish a digital catalogue raisonné to enable further research and document Dusti Bongé’s (1903-1993) complete oeuvre. Expected to launch in 2028, the project furthers DBAF’s mission to promote the legacy of the Modernist artist—a native daughter of Biloxi—and her significant contributions to 20th century art.

The publication will include entries and illustrations for each known work, complete descriptive information, and detailed histories of ownership, exhibitions, and literature. It will provide readers with authoritative background information on thousands of artworks by the prolific Bongé, many of which are being published for the first time. The publication will occur installments based on distinct periods within Bongé’s six-decade career.

DBAF’s Executive Director Ligia M. Römer, PhD, RA, serves as managing editor and lead contributor, maintaining the publication on behalf of the Foundation. Before being appointed Executive Director, Römer developed a detailed database of all known works in her capacity as the Foundation’s Curator of Collections and Registrar.

This project is a significant next step for the Foundation, building on its projects of the past ten years focusing on research, documentation, publications, and exhibitions. In addition to spotlighting Bongé’s wide-ranging artistic output, providing a digital publication will enable us to keep information and entries updated in real time. It is important to the DBAF's mission that the results are available to all who want to explore her work—from students and scholars to art-lovers and those encountering her for the first time.

The catalogue raisonné complements Dusti Bongé, Art and Life: Biloxi, New Orleans, New York by J. Richard Gruber, PhD, an expansive monograph published in 2019 by the Foundation. Director Emeritus of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Gruber is serving as editorial advisor. Hollis Taggart gallery in New York City, which represents Bongé’s estate, is serving as project collaborator.