René Romero Schuler’s new solo exhibition Une Femme Forte at 812 Royal Gallery in New Orleans, explores the psychological landscapes and strength of the human figure. The exhibition is on view April 10 – 30, 2026.
Known for her emotionally charged portraits of women, Schuler continues her investigation into identity, vulnerability, and resilience, offering figures that exist both within and beyond time. Drawing from influences as varied as classical portraiture, cinematic stills, and personal narrative, Schuler blurs the line between the individual and the archetypal.
Presented in the historic setting of 812 Royal Gallery, the exhibition resonates with New Orleans’ own layered history of beauty, struggle, and persistence. Schuler’s work invites viewers into a space of reflection, asking us to reconsider what strength looks like when it is internal, nuanced, and unapologetically human.
The figures in Schuler’s works are not posed for the viewer; they inhabit their own psychological landscapes. Rendered with Schuler’s signature muted palette and tactile surfaces, each figure carries the weight of lived experience: memory, loss, endurance, and self-possession.
The French title, Une Femme Forte (“a strong woman”) invokes a multiplicity of meanings: emotional strength, survival, autonomy, and the courage to remain open in a complex world.
As I developed this body of work, I kept returning to the idea of New Orleans as a place where beauty and resilience coexist so visibly. I’m not from here but even so I recognize something in the air, a kind of layered memory, where experience and history are not fixed but something felt and lived. This feeling mirrors the emotional landscapes of the figures I paint: women who carry their histories within them. Their strength is not performative. It is something shaped over time, much like the spirit of the city.”
René Romero Schuler
When I first set out to open a gallery, one of my top priorities was building a roster of artists who felt both tasteful and original, artists I truly connected with. The first time I encountered René’s work, I was completely in awe. I remember thinking, I need to work with this artist.
Since then, getting to know her practice and her vision more deeply, I find myself continually inspired. There is something about her figures that feels both grounding and uplifting, as if they quietly remind me each day to be strong yet graceful, kind yet courageous, and to embrace my individuality without hesitation.”
Kyla Bernberg, Owner 812 Royal Gallery
René Romero Schuler is an American painter and sculptor who creates powerful images that speak to the complexities of the human condition and the spirit that connects all human beings.
Feminine figures are a constant in Schuler’s art, which she claims is equal parts self-portraiture and depictions of the range of emotions she has experienced. Her challenging childhood imbues her work with an appreciation for the universal yet essentially intimate struggles and triumphs of human existence. In her quest for a feeling of connection, Schuler speaks to global and societal issues that impact us all.
Schuler’s paintings and sculptures are purposely semi-abstract and textured, rendering them open to interpretation by the viewer. Their power lies in the layers of applied materials scraped, carved and incised by hand and the elusive quality of the figures – wholistically beautiful but symbolic of the scars and flaws that shape individuals.
Currently represented by galleries across the U.S., Canada and Europe, Schuler has had major exhibitions throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia, and has work included in the permanent collections of numerous museums and institutions.
Schuler’s art and selected essays and poetry are collected into published works: René Romero Schuler: Life and Works, 2013; René Romero Schuler, 2016 and René Romero Schuler, 2019, now available in its second edition. A fourth book, Ladies, published by G Editions NYC was released in 2024. Her new book, 100 Paintings, which includes an introductory conversation with Cydney Payton (former director and curator of the Denver Art Museum), is forthcoming from Jasper Press.
René Romero Schuler Une Femme Forte is at 812 Royal Gallery in New Orleans from April 10 to 30, 2026. Find more information on the exhibition here.
