The fair’s 2026 edition welcomed 98 galleries from 20 countries, with sold-out presentations, and leading collectors and museum figures converging on Houston from across the US.
Houston, TX – October 8, 2026 – Following an official welcome and ribbon-cutting by Houston Mayor John Whitmire, alongside Untitled Art Founder Jeffrey Lawson, Executive Director Clara Andrade Pereira, and Houston Director Michael Slenske, the second edition of Untitled Art, Houston concluded October 4 after four days at the George R. Brown Convention Center, building substantially on its inaugural year with strong sales, major institutional acquisitions, sold-out presentations, and growing participation from Houston and visiting collectors, curators, and museum leaders. "We are truly at the forefront of something really big and better: Houston’s been discovered. We need events like the Untitled Art fair,” said Mayor Whitmire. "I will leave here a better Mayor than when I got here. I’m so impressed by the energy, diversity, and intellectual collaboration that is on display today. Remember where you are today, we'll all be talking about it in 5, 10, 30 years.”
Drawing on an international network cultivated over 15 years operating Untitled Art, Miami Beach, the 2026 edition arrived in Houston with an expanded Prize Partnership program which generated significant acquisitions for nine galleries, in addition to further commissions and artist residencies, while exhibitors reported sales to new and established collectors across Texas, the United States, and internationally.
Notable new attendees included collectors Kyle and Carlton DeWoody, Jack and Tara Benmeleh, Carlos Couturier, and Moises Micha; advisors Victoria Burns and Anwarii Musa; visiting curators Pedro Alonzo, Erin Christovale of the Hammer Museum and Gean Moreno of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami; Houston institutional leaders Gary Tinterow of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and Jennifer Finkel of UT MD Anderson Art Experience; as well as Host Committee members and Texas-based collectors Judy and Scott Nyquist, Leigh and Reggie Smith, Paola Creixell, Sheryl Adkins-Green, Marita Fairbanks, Sanford Dow, Janelle and Alden Pinnell, Anita and Gerald Smith, and Bob Ackerley and Ben Ackerley. Their participation underscored Houston’s strength as a growing market and Untitled Art as a nexus between the city’s cultural core and a broader international art network.
“We came into Houston knowing there was a sophisticated and deeply engaged cultural community here, and this edition made clear that the appetite for a serious, internationally minded art fair is real. We saw meaningful sales across the spectrum, from blue-chip to ultra-contemporary, with galleries engaging both established and new collectors,” said Michael Slenske, Director, Untitled Art, Houston. “What feels equally significant is what’s happening beyond the sales floor. We’re building a groundswell for a top shelf art week in a major American city. This momentum gives us a compelling vantage for continued growth in Houston.”
Attendance
The fair drew a growing convergence of Houston’s collecting and institutional communities with visiting museum figures, collectors, patrons, curators, and advisors from across the country. Civic and cultural leaders and artists included Houston Mayor John Whitmire and Michele Leal, Director of the Mayor’s Office of the Arts. City of Houston Institutional and patron groups included the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s 5A African American Art Advisory Association and Latin Maecenas members, a delegation from the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, the MOCA LA Patron Group, Houston Botanic Garden Board of Trustees, Rothko Chapel Board and Luminaries, UT MD Anderson Art Experience Advisory Committee, YPO, and the Public Art UHS Advisory Council.
Museum and institutional figures included Mari Carmen Ramirez and Brittany Webb of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Michelle White of the Menil Collection; Ryan Dennis and Melissa Lujan of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston; Khori Dastoor of Houston Grand Opera; Rachel G. Mohl of the Public Art University of Houston System; Mia Lopez of the McNay Art Museum; Vivian Li of the Dallas Museum of Art; Megan Nesbit of the Philbrook Museum of Art; Maria Elena Ortiz of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth; Sohrab Mohebbi of SculptureCenter; Karen Lubetkin Desenberg of the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art; and Aaron Cezar of Delfina Foundation.
Other collectors, patrons, advisors, and art-world professionals included Janet Hobby, Kaleta Blaffer Johnson, Laurie Ziegler, Kathy Britton, Caroline and Jeremy Finkelstein, Hesse McGraw, Kirby Liu, Frank Liu, Elisa Stude Pye, Lea Weingarten, Katharine Barthelme Frank, Nancy Gamboa, Adam Green, and Matthew Newton, among others.
Sales
Exhibitors reported sales to both established and first-time collectors across Houston and Texas, alongside acquisitions by collectors and institutions in New York, Washington, D.C., Bentonville, Miami, Palm Beach, Los Angeles, Mexico, and Europe. Multiple exhibitors reported sold-out or nearly sold-out presentations.
Highlights included Megan Mulrooney reporting a sold-out presentation of works priced between $11,000 and $23,000, while first-time exhibitor Feia sold out its presentation of works by Charles Hickey, with the majority placed with Houston and Texas collectors. CHILLI reported a nearly sold-out presentation, with works priced between $8,000 and $50,000. Houston-based Laura (the gallery) sold 30 works by Raina Lee, priced between $2,000 and $9,000, to new and existing collectors, including museum trustees. HAIR+NAILS sold six paintings by Emma Beatrez, alongside works by Julia Garcia and Christina Attie Ballantyne, with the majority of sales going to collectors new to the gallery and based in Texas. Gillian Jason Gallery reported the sale of seven paintings by Nina Mae Fowler and Kouri + Corrao reported five sales by Kelly Tapia-Chuning and Paula Castillo, priced from $3,200 to $14,000, to institutional and private collections in Houston, New York, Dallas, and Los Angeles.
Night Gallery reported multiple sales to Houston collectors, including works by Tomashi Jackson in the $80,000-100,000 range and Michelle Blade in the $25,000-40,000 range, while Moody Gallery sold Mary McCleary’s Earth Felt the Wound for $80,000 to a private collection. Nara Roesler reported sales by seven artists ranging from $7,000 to $40,000, predominantly to new collectors and private collections.
Meanwhile, Danziger Gallery reported sales exceeding $150,000, including works by Oliver Wasow, Giuseppe Lo Schiavo, and Tod Papageorge, with multiple works placed with Houston collectors. Houston’s McClain Gallery sold John Alexander’s Burning Herons for $120,000, and works by Dorothy Hood for $95,000 and $55,000, alongside two additional oil paintings priced between $35,000 and $65,000 to a Houston collector. Sundaram Tagore Gallery reported approximately $500,000 in sales, including a large-scale work by Kenny Nguyen and works by Zheng Lu and Miya Ando; the gallery also reported strong engagement with new collectors.
For galleries entering Houston for the first time, the fair also generated new relationships locally and further afield. Anton Kern Gallery and kaufmann repetto, who co-presented a booth, placed works by Marepe and Corydon Cowansage into Houston collections. Richard Saltoun Gallery reported sales to new clients from Texas as well as Florida, California, the United Kingdom, and Europe, with multiple works placed in the $15,000-$40,000 range. Moskowitz Bayse placed works from all five artists in its presentation, including Alexa Guariglia, Mary Herbert, and Richard Tinkler, and Southside Contemporary made its Untitled Art debut with a solo presentation of Huey Lightbody, selling three works priced between $6,400 and $11,500.
Returning exhibitors reported deepening relationships established through the inaugural edition. Luis De Jesus Los Angeles placed works with institutional, corporate, and private collections, while TERN reported sales to both returning collectors met through the fair in 2025 and new clients, including several new Houston collectors. Diane Rosenstein Gallery placed a ledger drawing by Terran Last Gun, priced between $10,000 and $20,000, with a museum collection, alongside an oil painting by Los Angeles-based artist Vanessa Prager, priced between $50,000 and $60,000, with a Houston private collection.
Further sales were reported by Dimmitt Contemporary, a poco art, Constitución Galería, Serious Topics, Il Chiostro, Hollis Taggart Downtown, Seven Sisters, Half Gallery, Marc Straus, and David Shelton Gallery, among others.
Institutional Acquisitions and Prizes
The fair’s growing network of Prize Partners demonstrated increased investment from Houston institutions, cultural organizations, and hospitality partners, generating acquisitions, commissions, residencies, and direct artist support.
- Hotel Daphne committed more than $100,000, acquiring works by JooYoung Choi, presented by Inman Gallery; Emma Beatrez, presented by HAIR+NAILS; Greta Waller, presented by Fernberger; and Tomashi Jackson, presented by Night Gallery.
- UT MD Anderson Cancer Center exceeded its $20,000 commitment toward acquisitions at the fair, with additional support provided by Susanne and Bill Pritchard. Michelle Blade presented by Night Gallery and Kelly Tapia-Chuning presented by Kouri + Corrao were awarded this year’s inaugural University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Acquisition Prize, while additional works were acquired from SITUATIONS, Charlie James Gallery, IRL GALLERY, Morgan Lehman Gallery, Martha’s and The Mission Projects for the institution’s Art Experience Program and growing collection within the Cancer Center’s clinical environments.
- The Public Art of the University of Houston System Acquisition Prize selected works by Caroline Monnet, presented by Blouin Division, and Naresh Kumar, presented by CHILLI, for acquisition.
- The Houston Grand Opera Artist Prize was awarded to Olga Titus, presented by IRL GALLERY, supporting a commission and acquisition alongside an artist residency during Houston Grand Opera’s December 2026–January 2027 rehearsal period.
- The Park House Houston Acquisition Prize was awarded to Charles Hickey, presented by Feia, with Park House acquiring the artist’s Landscape Lamp with Things and Stuff.
- Residency partners selected John Rivas, presented by Charlie James Gallery, for Casa Santa Ana’s Panama City residency and Corydon Cowansage, presented by kaufmann repetto, was selected for PAC Art’s Houston residency.
An Art Week Across Houston
Coinciding with the Southern Smoke and Houston Cinema Arts festivals, the 2026 fair unfolded amid a wider week of cultural activity, creating an exchange between the local and international art world arriving for Untitled Art, Houston.
The 11 Special Projects in the expanded sector blurred the line between exhibition and experience, with highlights including Dave Muller’s Record Pavilion 2.0, presented by Meliksetian | Briggs and the Landing, and Houston artist Nestor Topchy’s Iconic Portrait Strand (Houston), presented with Josh Pazda Hiram Butler. The Artist Market, curated by F Magazine's Adam Marnie, expanded with artist-run organizations and collectives across Texas while the Untitled Podcast brought together almost 30 artists, writers, curators, institutional leaders, and other cultural voices for conversations about generative art, art writing, and art and wellness.
The fair’s six-day VIP program included numerous visits to private collection and artist studios, institutional programming, open studios at the MFAH Core Residency Program and Rice University, programming at the Rothko Chapel, and an evening at the James Turrell Skyspace, among other events.
Praise for Untitled Art, Houston 2026
“We met new galleries and artists at this year’s Untitled Art, Houston, while our Houston galleries brought their best to spotlight the breadth of our artistic community,” said Leigh Smith, collector, founding Host Committee member. “The fair was beautifully organized, the special presentations brought great energy, and we especially loved meeting 1980’s cultural rock star Maripol in the Lexus VIP Lounge. It was exciting to see the fair grow from last year with more galleries and a larger audience, and we look forward to next year’s edition.”
“As a participant in numerous art fairs over the years, we are very encouraged by the healthy growth of Untitled Art in its second year,” said Robert McClain, Founder, McClain Gallery. “We were pleased to see many of our Houston collectors in attendance, and to meet collectors entirely new to the gallery, several of whom made significant purchases. That kind of engagement suggests a very promising future for Untitled Art and its potential to become an important catalyst in strengthening and expanding Houston’s art ecosystem.”
“Untitled Art had great energy. I was really excited by TERN’s presentation, and Dave Muller’s record shop was a ton of fun. The program organized by the fair, including a number of collection visits, was great, and revisiting Houston institutions is always enlightening,” said Gean Moreno, Monica & Blake Grossman Director, Art + Research Center at ICA Miami.
“I have been a devoted fan of Untitled Art, Miami Beach since its inception, so discovering the Houston fair was a thrill, as was discovering Houston itself,” added Victoria Anstead, Art Advisor. “The fair’s tightly curated presentation brought together many galleries I already knew along with exciting new discoveries. I was particularly impressed by the Nest section, showcasing emerging artists, young galleries, and nonprofits. The marvelous VIP program was an eye-opener, introducing me to Houston’s vibrant and passionate art community and taking me behind the scenes, from museums and studios to unexpected spaces like the Cistern.”
Anton Kern Gallery and kaufmann repetto added in a joint statement: “Houston has an exceptional art scene, supported by tremendous institutions and generous patrons. We were very pleased to participate in the fair this year, which gave us an opportunity to bring our artists together in a context that was new and interesting to us, and we are grateful for the warm welcome we received.”
“As my first time in Houston for Untitled Art, I was thoroughly impressed by the fair’s programming, from highlighting activities throughout the city to championing local galleries and artists,” said Anwarii Musa, Art Advisor. “There is an amazing opportunity for the art scene to grow here, and Untitled Art is at the forefront of that. I am definitely looking forward to returning next year for both the art and the food.”
“This was our first time exhibiting at Untitled Art, Houston, and we have been awed by the response from collectors and local museums,” said Niamh Coghlan, Director, Richard Saltoun Gallery. “Houston has an engaging, curious collector base, and all of the collectors and curators we have met resulted in even more new connections. Houston has been underestimated in the international art world and this fair certainly flexes the city’s muscles.”
“As first-time Untitled Art participants, and as a young gallery committed to championing emerging artists, we’ve been deeply moved by the response in Houston to our presentation of Charles Hickey’s work,” said Thomas Martinez Pilnik, Co-Director, Feia. “Within hours of the fair opening, we nearly sold out to Houston collectors new to Feia. We’re leaving the fair energized, grateful, and excited about returning to Houston.”
Official Partners
Untitled Art, Houston 2026 was made possible with the support of its Official Partners:
gin design group + GEWL Procure — Official Lounge Design Partner
LALO Tequila — Official Tequila
Lexus — Official Automobile and Sponsor of the Lexus VIP Lounge
Roche Bobois — Official Furniture Partner
Soho House Cities Without Houses — Official Podcast Partner
Looking Ahead
Following its second Houston edition, Untitled Art will return to Miami Beach from December 2–6, 2026, with a VIP and Press Preview on December 1. Untitled Art, Houston will return for its third edition September 30-October 3 at the George R. Brown Convention Center.