Houston, TX – Untitled Art, a leading contemporary art fair founded in Miami twelve years ago by collector and entrepreneur Jeffrey Lawson, is expanding to Texas. The inaugural Bayou City endeavor, a boutique invitational fair, will take place from September 19 through September 21, 2025 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston. A VIP and Press Preview will be held on September 18, 2025.
The announcement comes on the heels of the Houston arts community being honored as the first Spotlight city at the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) annual Art Show in New York in late October. The announcement also comes in the wake of several significant expansions across Houston galleries and institutions in recent years.
Known for its cutting-edge programming and curatorial integrity – featuring noteworthy galleries and nonprofits from around the world – Untitled Art’s Miami Art Week flagship fair is an annual showcase of emerging and established artists that takes place annually on the sands of Miami Beach. This year’s presentation, which runs from December 4-8, will feature more than 170 exhibitors.
Untitled Art’s expansion into Texas – one of the country’s leading cultural hubs that boasts a thriving art market, seasoned collectors, leading institutions, acclaimed commercial galleries, respected art schools and large communities of working artists – aims to engage new audiences across the city, state and region. It will also add yet another cultural touchstone to one of the country’s largest, most diverse and fastest growing cities.
“Texas – and Houston specifically with its vast resources, great cultural wealth and standing as a gateway to Latin America – offers a myriad of opportunities to a growing brand like Untitled Art,” said Lawson. “Since its inception, we have worked diligently to create a premium platform that is engaging, experimental and welcoming to all, a combination we think will resonate well in this market.”
Los Angeles-based writer and curator Michael Slenske, who first became intrigued with Houston when visiting the city over a decade ago for a series of feature stories for W and Architectural Digest, will serve as the Director for Untitled Art, Houston. “Over the past decade and a half, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Houston’s art landscape evolve firsthand, and there’s seemingly no limit to the potential of the city’s cultural infrastructure,” says Slenske. “Houston is a rich tapestry of contemporary and historic positions aided by recent milestone additions to The Menil Collection and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston as well as the key expansion plans for the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH), the Orange Show for Visionary Art, LMAAHH’s Latino cultural complex and the Ismaili Center on the horizon. These are all thoughtful investments in a vibrant arts scene, one that is filled with so many great artists and galleries that we’re excited to partner with.”
Selected by Lawson, Slenske and Untitled Art Executive Director Clara Andrade, exhibitors at Untitled Art, Houston will showcase a blend of local talent and participants from its extensive network of galleries across the U.S. and internationally. Participants initially confirmed for the inaugural edition include Jessica Silverman Gallery (San Francisco, CA); Various Small Fires / VSF (Los Angeles, CA, Seoul, South Korea, and Dallas, TX); Half Gallery (New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA); and Luis De Jesus Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA); alongside 12.26 (Dallas, TX); Seven Sisters (Houston, TX); Martha's (Austin, TX); and Megan Mulrooney (Los Angeles, CA) who are participating in ‘Nest,’ the emergent sector of the fair. A full list of exhibitors will be announced spring 2025.
Untitled Art, Houston will furthermore be supported by esteemed Texas-based institutions and regional ambassadors who are part of the fair’s Host Committee, including Texas-based collectors and philanthropists Jereann Chaney, Suzanne Deal Booth, Judy Nyquist, Melanie Lawson, John Guess, Jr. (CEO, Houston Museum of African American Culture), Matthew Harris (jewelry designer, Mateo New York), Kirby Liu (Lovett Group), Elle Moody (Moody Foundation) and Paola Creixell (PAC Art Residency); advisors Katharine Barthelme (Barthelme Art & Appraisals), Adam Green (Adam Green Art Advisory) and Lea Weingarten (Weingarten Art Group); and artists Francesca Fuchs, Vincent Valdez, Paul Kremer, Reynier Leyva Novo, Randy Twaddle and Mary Ellen Carroll.
In preparation for the launch, Untitled Art has confirmed the participation of leading cultural partners, including Discovery Green, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH), the University of Houston School of Art and the historic art-focused hotel La Colombe D’or. Further details and additional cultural partners will be announced in the coming months.
An important consideration in the site selection for Untitled Art, Houston was long-term viability of the venue for the growth of the fair. Houston First, which manages the George R. Brown Convention Center, has just announced a multi-phase, $2-billion transformation to create an interconnected convention and entertainment district, with amenities and an enhanced pedestrian and vehicular infrastructure. A new 30-acre park is also planned to complement the existing Discovery Green, a multi-use park and entertainment venue located at the gateway to the convention center. The location is already within walking distance of numerous hotels, restaurants and entertainment options and in close proximity to the Houston Museum District.
In the lead-up to the fair’s launch in September 2025, Untitled Art, Houston will stage a series of activations across the state and the wider region to highlight Texas' vibrant contemporary art scene. Further details on collateral events and the inaugural edition will be announced in the coming months.
21 Nov 2024Untitled Art Announces Expansion to Houston
