SPECIAL EVENTS

Houston, America’s third largest art market, will be home to the first annual Houston Fine Art Fair (HFAF) September 15 – 18, 2011. Some 80 leading galleries from across the US, Latin America and Europe will be gathering under one roof for Houston’s first international art fair, held at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

World-renowned collectors, curators and art patrons will experience an exciting and diverse collection of art galleries and installations from around the globe. The Houston Fine Art Fair (HFAF) will offer contemporary and modern masters, emerging artists and today’s art stars. Paintings, drawings, print editions, installations, sculpture, and photography will have price points that will appeal to both novice and experienced collectors. International in scope, the fair will also showcase a wonderful selection of the best in classic and contemporary Latin American art.

The exceptional roster of prominent exhibitors includes galleries from 13 European and Latin American countries including Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Germany, Mexico, Spain, and Venezuela representing a stellar line-up of blue-chip and emerging artists. US cities represented by participating galleries include Albuquerque, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Santa Fe and St. Louis.

Stellar contemporary galleries include: Haunch of Venison, Pavel Zoubok Gallery, Margaret Thatcher Projects, Schroeder Romero & Shredder, Schuebbe Projects, Oscar Cruz Galeria, Diana Lowenstein Fine Art, C. Grimaldis Gallery, Ginocchio Galeria, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, June Kelly Gallery, Pan American Art Projects and Richard Levy Gallery.

Among the younger generation of galleries presenting cutting edge international work, HFAF presents Dot Fiftyone Gallery, NOW Contemporary, Hardcore Contemporary Art Space, Amstel Gallery, Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, and MasArt Galeria.

Veteran galleries—known at major art fairs across the country—with a stronger focus on modern and contemporary masters include: Hollis Taggart Galleries, Thomas McCormick Gallery, Vincent Vallarino Fine Art, Cernuda Arte, Arevalo Gallery, Louis Stern Fine Arts, Jerald Melberg Gallery, Babcock Galleries, and Birnam Wood Galleries.

The spotlight on Houston, the nation’s third largest art market, will showcase esteemed local galleries Anya Tish Gallery, Barbara Davis Gallery, Hiram Butler Gallery, McClain Gallery, Meredith Long & Company, Moody Gallery and Sicardi Gallery, among others.
“Houston’s thriving art scene offers a wide range of styles, from the hottest contemporary art stars, to blue chip artworks, big-name photographers, and the best national and regional artists working today,” said Fair Organizer Rick Friedman, President of Hamptons Expo Group Management. “Clearly the city’s collectors, institutions and art patrons are serious in their commitment to making Houston one of the major art centers in the country today.”

Cultural partners supporting the city’s first international fine art fair include The Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Houston Arts Alliance, Houston Center for Photography, Fotofest International, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, DiverseWorks, Project Row Houses, Art League Houston, Houston Museum of African American Culture, The Orange Show for Visionary Art, the McNay Art Museum and Artpace San Antonio.

“Based on the enthusiasm and incredible support we have received from the sophisticated art community here, we anticipate 10,000 visitors to the fair, with as many as 2,000 coming from outside of Houston,” says Fran Kaufman, Director of the Houston Fine Art Fair.

Highlights of the weekend:

• Our special Preview on Thursday, September 15 will benefit the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Glassell School of Art Core artists’ and critics’ residency program, an exciting evening amidst Houston’s most glamorous company
• Anchored by Houston’s top galleries and a highly active Host Committee, HFAF exhibitors from 11 countries and 20 US states hail from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Germany, Hong Kong, Mexico, the UK, and Venezuela, joining US galleries from Albuquerque, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Memphis, New Orleans, New York, Santa Fe, and St. Louis, among many others
• A VIP program will offer our special guests a sampling of Houston’s diverse collections and institutions, including visits to collectors' homes, and private tours of museums and corporate collections
• Given the market’s important Latin American museum holdings and world-class collectors, HFAF will introduce a strong component of galleries specializing in classic and contemporary Latin American art
• An on-site program of panel discussions on thought-provoking art-market topics featuring invited curators, critics and collectors
• A lifetime achievement award will be given to internationally acclaimed artist Donald Sultan at a special reception

Discover fresh, new talent…rediscover contemporary masters…acquire work by today’s top art stars from around the world.

Regular hours for the Houston Fine Art Fair are Friday, Sept. 16th and Saturday, Sept. 17th from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. and Sunday, Sept 18th from 11am until 6 pm.

SELECT SPECIAL EVENTS AT THE HOUSTON FINE ART FAIR.

For tickets, registration and more information contact, www.houstonfineartfair.com.

Houston Fine Art Fair is owned by the Hamptons Expo Group, which also produces the annual art fairs ArtHamptons, ArtAspen and the San Francisco Fine Art Fair.