Literal Magazine at the annual Houston Fine Art Fair

Literal Magazine will participate in the second annual Houston Fine Art Fair. The event will assemble leading galleries from across the United States, Latin America and Europe Sept. 14 -16, 2012 at Houston’s Reliant Center.  Eighty galleries, representing approximately 11 countries and 31 cities, have established the Houston Fine Art Fair (HFAF) as the largest in the Southwest Region. 

World-renowned collectors, curators and art patrons, from the experienced to the novice, will experience an exciting and diverse array of paintings, drawings, print editions, installations, sculpture, and photography.  

“This year’s show will reflect Houston as a top flight art market,” says Melissa Grobmyer, President of MKG Art Management and HFAF Show Advisor.

Galleries from throughout the world will exhibit at HFAF and come from Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, England, Seoul Korea, México, Switzerland, and Venezuela.  In the United States, look for galleries representing Baltimore, Bay Shore, Bloomington, Charlotte, Chicago, Coral Gables, Culver City, Dallas, Grass Valley, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Millerton, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Santa Fe, Scottsdale and Washington. 

Stellar contemporary galleries, with a large contingent from Texas, California, and New York, include the prominent Flowers Gallery, Holly Johnson Gallery, Kopeikin Gallery, Margaret Thatcher Projects, Pavel Zoubok Gallery, Schroeder Romero & Shredder, Tomlinson Kong Contemporary, Talley Dunn Gallery, Von Lintel Gallery, and Western Project. Younger generation galleries presenting cutting-edge work include Galerie Kashya Hildebrand, Luis de Jesus, La Casona Gallery, Mission Project and Vicky David Gallery.

In keeping with last year, HFAF will host a strong Latin influence with art galleries Antena Estudio, Beatriz Esguerra Arte, Drexel Galeria, Galeria Alfredo Ginocchio, Gonzalez y Gonzalez, La Casona, Pan American Art Projects, Patricia Conde Galeria, Salar Galeria de Arte and Toca Galeria.

To complement the Latin influence, HFAF is proud to host actor, director and performer (half of the comedy team Cheech and Chong) Cheech Marin. Marin has developed one of the finest private collections of Chicano art in the country.

“Chicano art is American art,” said Marin, a third-generation Mexican American. “My goal is to bring the term ‘Chicano’ to the forefront of the art world.” Author of three books on this topic, Marin will curate the Thomas Paul Gallery booth to introduce the next generation of gifted Texas based Chicano artists.

The spotlight on Houston, the nation’s third largest art market, will showcase esteemed local galleries Anya Tish Gallery, Art From the World, Barbara Davis Gallery, Darke Gallery, Deborah Colton Gallery, David Shelton, Devin Borden Gallery, Gallery Sonja Roesch, Hiram Butler Gallery, Hooks Esptein Galleries, John Cleary Gallery, Koelsch Gallery, McClain Gallery, McMurtrey Gallery, Peel, PG Contemporary Gallery, Sicardi Gallery and Wade Wilson Art. 

“This year, we focus on Texas, both its artists and collectors, as the generator for our amazing arts culture. The panels, events, and programming highlight Houston’s unique, sophisticated perspective in the international art market. HFAF will reflect the vitality and diversity of our city, state, and region,” says Grobmyer.

The Houston Fine Art Fair continues to build audiences in the southern United States through their vibrant cultural partnership program. This year’s partners include AIA Houston, The Architecture Center Houston, Art League Houston, Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa, Asia Society, The Association of Professional Art Advisors, Bayou Bend Collection & Gardens, Big Medium, Blaffer Art Museum, The Blanton Museum of Art, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, City Arts Center, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center For The Arts, Dallas Art Dealers Association, DiverseWorks, Fluent~Collaborative, Fotofest, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, Galveston Arts Center, Houston Arts Alliance, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston Center for Photography, Houston Cinema Arts Society, Houston Downtown Alliance, Houston Museum District, Lawndale Art Center, The McNay Art Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Nasher Sculpture Center, New Orleans Photo Alliance, Oklahoma Museum of Art, The Old Jail Art Center, Orange Show Center for Visionary Arts, The Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts, Philebrook Museum of Art, Rice Gallery, Santa Fe Art Institute, Spring Street Studios, Station Museum of Contemporary Art, Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts, Via Colori, and Winter Street Studios.

Sponsors for the 2012 Houston Fine Art Fair include Chartis Insurance; Fayez Sarofim; HEB-Charles Butt; Rottet Studios; Tootsies; Toyota/Lexus.

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The fair will kick off Thursday evening September 13^th with a VIP Preview Party from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. and Opening Reception from 7:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., benefitting The Core Program of the Glassell School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. 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.