Inaugural Houston Fine Art Fair attracts global galleries

From YourRiverOaksnews.com: Inaugural Houston Fine Art Fair attracts global galleries
The Houston Fine Art Fair will be the first international fine art fair to be held in Houston, the third largest art market in the United States.

Held Sept. 15-18 at the George R. Brown Convention Center, the upcoming event’s 80 galleries from 13 countries will offer contemporary and modern masters, emerging artists and today’s art stars. Works will include painting, drawing, print, editions, installation, sculpture, and photography. This inaugural fair is designed for both novice and experienced collectors and will include seminars, artist and collector interviews.

“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.

The fair will kick off with an Opening Night Preview Party on Thursday, Sept. 15th to benefit Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Glassell School of Art Core Program. The program awards one-year residencies to exceptional, highly motivated visual artists and critical writers who have not yet developed professional careers. The eight current and four new fellows will have their work shown at the fair, with all sale proceeds going directly to the individual fellows.

“Houston is an amazing city with a vibrant cultural community, says Pavel Zoubok, owner of New York’s Pavel Zoubok Gallery. “We are delighted to support this exciting new fair and look forward to expanding our circle of collectors, curators and friends there.”

Tickets include an on-site program of panel discussions on thought-provoking art-market topics featuring invited curators, critics and collectors. During the fair, the first annual Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to internationally known and critically-acclaimed artist Donald Sultan.

The fair is organized by Hamptons Expo Group Management, which also produces the annual art fairs ArtHamptons, ArtAspen and the San Francisco Fine Art Fair. For more information contact, www.houstonfineartfair.com or info@houstonfineartfair.com.