Houston, TX - September 26, 2025 – The inaugural edition of Untitled Art, Houston concluded on Sunday, September 21, after a stellar four-day run at the George R. Brown Convention Center with notable sales, strong attendance, and ambitious programming on and off-site. The debut fair welcomed established collectors; museum trustees, board members and key philanthropic families in Texas; directors and curators from institutions; and artists, arts professionals, and cultural enthusiasts from across Texas, the United States, and internationally, establishing itself as a new platform for contemporary art in the region. Launched with a VIP and Press Preview on September 18, the fair drew high attendance throughout its run of show, from September 19 to 21, reflecting Houston’s growing role as a nexus of international cultural exchange.
Guided by Founder Jeffrey Lawson, Houston Director Michael Slenske, and Executive Director Clara Andrade, Untitled Art, Houston debuted with an ambitious program of Special Projects, performances, institutional collaborations, prizes, and the continuation of the Untitled Art Podcast, underscoring the fair’s mission to champion innovation, accessibility, and inclusivity in contemporary art.
“With this inaugural edition, it’s clear that Houston didn’t just show up—it showed us what’s possible,” said Michael Slenske, Director of Untitled Art, Houston. “We came here to engage with a community that’s already driving meaningful conversations—across galleries, institutions, and artist-led spaces—and what we found was a city with both deep roots and a bold, global outlook. This fair wasn’t about placing Houston on the map; it was about recognizing and investing in a market that’s evolving on its own terms. Untitled Art is here to grow with Houston, not just as a fair, but as a long-term partner in a city full of momentum and vision.”
ATTENDANCE
The market demonstrated strong demand as many galleries sold reported six-figure sales and acquisitions of works to esteemed institutions and private collectors in Houston, as well as international visitors. The fair drew attendance from important regional cities beyond Houston, including Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Fort Worth with collectors from the Bay Area, New Orleans, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Mexico City also acquiring works, underscoring Houston’s rise as a critical collecting hub. The inaugural edition attracted a diverse base of collectors including Suzanne Deal Booth (Austin, TX); Joy Simmons (Los Angeles, CA); Robin Lipson (New York, NY); Bob and Ann Myers (Orange County, CA); Sheryl Adkins-Green (Dallas, TX); and Janelle and Alden Pinnell (Dallas, TX), in addition to leading Houston collectors and VIPs including Bob and Ben Ackerley, Leigh and Reggie Smith, Anita and Gerald Smith, Sharalynn and Tim Fenn, Susanne and Bill Pritchard, Gillian Sarofim, Catherine Masterson, Amy and Drew Anton, Kaleta Blaffer, Sima Ladjevardian, Stephanie Cockrell, Janet Hobby, Scott and Judy Nyquist, Hesse McGraw, Kam Franklin, Lea Weingarten, Katharine Barthelme, Adam Green, Dr. Robert and Mari Josey, Drew and Amy Anton, Ali Davoudi, Blair Thrash, Monsour Taghdisi, Catherine Masterson, Chantal Van Riet, Elisa Stude Pye, Cathy Echols, Gin Braverman, Tracy and Glen Larner, Jerry Rubenstein, Alim Adatia, Frank Billingsley, James Glassman, Matthew and Ann Wolf, and Fresh Arts founder Marita Fairbanks. We would also like to give special thanks to all 47 members of our inaugural Host Committee who supported us at the fair and beyond.
Leading curators and museum directors in and around Houston in attendance included Mari Carmen Ramírez, Curator of Latin American Art, MFAH; Alison de Lima Greene, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, MFAH; Rebecca Rabinow, Director of the Menil Collection, Michelle White, Senior Curator, the Menil Collection; Alison Weaver, Executive Director, Moody Center for the Arts; Ryan Dennis, Co-Director and Chief Curator, CAMH; Melissa Lujan, Co-Director and COO, CAMH, Patricia Restrepo and Rebecca Matalon, Curators, CAMH; John Guess, Jr., Chief Executive Officer Emeritus, HMAAC; Anna Walker, Executive Director, Lawndale Art Center; Danielle Burns Wilson, Executive Director, Project Row Houses; Dennis Nance, Curator, Galveston Arts Center. Outside the city, notable institutional attendees included sharon maidenberg, Executive Director and CEO, The Contemporary Austin, Alex Klein, Head Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs, The Contemporary Austin; Alison Hearst and Maria Elena Ortiz, Curators, The Modern Fort Worth; Nick Stephens-Seckler, Director of Development, ICA LA; Vivian Li, Curator of Contemporary Art, Dallas Museum of Art; Catherine Craft, Senior Curator, Nasher Sculpture Center; Claudia Mattos, Associate Curator, The Bass Museum; and Patton Hindle, Executive Director, Artadia.
SALES
“With the inaugural edition of Untitled Art, Houston, our goal was clear: we wanted to meet the market where it is—at every level,” says Jeff Lawson, founder of Untitled Art. “In a moment when the art world is navigating a challenging, down market, we saw an opportunity not to pull back, but to expand—to support galleries by creating new pathways into the Texas market, and Houston specifically. We believe this city holds real potential for long-term growth—that was evident by how many key players in the city, region and international community showed up (and acquired work) in this first edition. This year was about laying a foundation for a more inclusive, accessible, and forward-thinking art ecosystem, here and beyond."
Acquisitions by museums and prominent private collections across Texas and the United States were recorded throughout the fair, and several exhibitors reported six-figure sales totals including Jessica Silverman (San Francisco, CA), who placed Clare Rojas’ Special Project titled Swan Mother, for $150,000 USD amongst other works by Andrea Bowers, Beverly Fishman, and Rupy C. Tut; Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino (Houston, TX) who sold a work by Carlos Cruz-Diez for $415,000 USD and the Special Project Solid Void #1 by Reynier Leyva Novo for $150,000 USD; McClain Gallery (Houston, TX) who sold two Dorothy Hood paintings at $75,000 each and two John Alexander paintings ranging between $70,000 USD and $125,000 USD; Philip Martin Gallery (Los Angeles, CA) with sales of works by Sky Glabush and other gallery artists, El Apartamento (Madrid, ES / La Habana, CU) who placed works by Miki Leal (ranging between $28,000–$50,000 USD) and series of works on paper by Reynier Leyva Novo ($40,000 USD) to Houston-based collections and Moody Gallery (Houston, TX) which placed works by Randy Twaddle in prominent Texas collections, demonstrating both strong local support and growing national and international participation. Sales also reflected the strength of the mid-market, with many sales clustered in the $20,000–75,000 USD range, including Trevor Paglen’s silver gelatin LE print From Glacier Point / Circle Hough Transform; Watershed; Haar; Hough Transform; Maximally Stable Extremal Regions at Altman Siegel (San Francisco, CA) going to a local Houston institution at $75,000 USD; Joya Mukerjee Logue’s Guardians of Stories and Land at Rajiv Menon Contemporary (Los Angeles, CA), for $30,000 USD; several Jonathan Ryan paintings at the Landing (Los Angeles, CA) each priced between $20,000 to $25,000; a tapestry by April Bey at TERN (Nassau, BS) at $25,000 USD, Luis De Jesus (Los Angeles, CA) placed seven works by three artists to collections from San Francisco, Houston and Washington, D.C., including Evita Tezeno’s mixed media painting I Got You Babe at $35,800 USD to a prominent Houston collection.
Additional highlights include numerous four-and-five figure sales of works from single artists including sold-out presentations of paintings by Mason Owens and TJ Rinoski at Megan Mulrooney (Los Angeles, CA), and paintings and works on paper by Shuling Guo at Laura (the gallery) (Houston, TX); Rick Lowe Studio (Houston, TX)’s Special Project placing five works; Spencer Brownstone Gallery (New York, NY) sold paintings by Szabolcs Veres and Daniel Karrer to collectors from New York, Houston, Paris and Puerto Rico; four sculptural works by NH DePass at Swivel Gallery (New York, NY); NINO MIER GALLERY (New York, NY/ Brussels, BE) sold works by all four Texas-affiliated artists in his booth: Ana Villagomez, Otis Jones, Alexandria Tarver and Ethan Cook; five tape paintings by Daniel Healey at Pietro Alexander Gallery (New York, NY); nine paintings by Susanna Coffey sold at Serious Topics (Los Angeles, CA); several oil paintings by Jeremy Shockley and Javier Ruiz sold at PIERMARQ* (Sydney, AU); YOD Gallery (Tokyo / Osaka / Kyoto, JP) sold 14 of the magical realist paintings by Kanaria and four sculptures by Yoshie Kuroda; two major sculptural works from the Mexican painter, filmmaker and sculptor Teresa Serrano, recipient of the 2025 PAC Art Residency Prize, sold at Barbara Davis Gallery (Houston, TX); ANDREW RAFACZ (Chicago, IL) placed three tapestries by Melissa Leandro; three landscape paintings by Ish Lipman sold at HAIR+NAILS (Minneapolis, MN / New York, NY); seven oil paintings by Antonio Kuschnir sold at ABC-ARTE (Milan, IT); and various works by Carlos Cima and Nicolas Said sold at CONSTITUCIÓN (Buenos Aires, AR).
PRIZES AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Untitled Art, Houston also awarded four prizes, affirming its commitment to supporting exhibitors and their artists. Prizes included the Casa Santa Ana Residency Prize, PAC Art Residency Prize, Hotel Lucine Artist Retreat Prize, and the CAMH Commission Prize supported by Untitled Art, Gary Lichtenstein Editions, and Vincent Valdez.
The Casa Santa Ana Residency Prize, offering a presenting artist the opportunity to work and live in Panama City for six-weeks, was awarded to Ana Villagomez, presented by NINO MIER GALLERY (New York, NY/ Brussels, BE), with shortlisted recipients including NH DePass of Swivel Gallery (New York, NY), and Christina Ballantyne of HAIR+NAILS (Minneapolis, MN / New York, NY). Locally focused, The PAC Art Residency Prize was awarded to Teresa Serrano, presented by Barbara Davis Gallery (Houston, TX); shortlisted nominees included Daniela Libertad of No Place / Nueveochenta, Arróniz, NF / Nieves Fernandez (Mexico City, MX / Bogota, CO / Madrid, ES), and Susanna Coffey of Serious Topics (Inglewood, CA), for a six-week residency including studio space. The Hotel Lucine Artist Retreat Prize, located in Galveston, was awarded to Shuling Guo, presented by Laura (the Gallery) (Houston, TX), with shortlisted recipients including Jean Alexander Frater of The Mission Projects (Chicago, IL) and Miko Veldkamp with Alice Amati (London, UK). The prize offers the awardee a week-long residency at Hotel Lucine. Lastly, The CAMH Commission Prize supported by Untitled Art was awarded to Estefania Puerta, presented by Murmurs (Los Angeles, CA), with shortlisted nominees including Perata Bradley and Eyakem Gulilat of Tulsa Artist Fellowship and Basket Books & Art (Tulsa, OK / Houston, TX); YoYo Landers at Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery (Paris, FR / Dubai, UAE / Luxembourg, LU); and the Special Projects Big Time: A Portrait through the American Psyche by Isabelle Brourman, and El Franco Lee II: Street Campaign. The prize offered financial and institutional support to an artist exhibiting at the fair with the commission debuting at Untitled Art, Houston 2026 or a satellite venue during the fair week. Proceeds from the sale of “It Was A Very Good Year (1986)” by Valdez were donated towards the acquisition in partnership with Gary Lichtenstein Editions.
The inaugural edition featured programming that engaged with themes of cultural identity, legacy, and social dialogue. Special Projects included monumental presentations throughout the fair by Rick Lowe Studio, Isabelle Brourman, El Franco Lee II, Clare Rojas, and Reynier Leyva Novo. The sixth season of the Untitled Art Podcast launched onsite with conversations on sustainability, diasporic identity, cultural exchange, and artist-run spaces, and a panel moderated by Untitled Art Executive Director Clara Andrade held entirely in Spanish. Guests included artists Anne Samat, Earlie Hudnall, Jr., and Yifan Jiang; gallerists Rajiv Menon, Kristin Calabrese, and María Inés Sicardi; cultural leaders Bun B and chef Chris Shepherd; and institutional voices such as Ryan Dennis (CAMH), Mari Carmen Ramírez (MFA Houston), Dr. Anita Bateman (AnB Art Consulting), Patton Hindle (Artadia), and Paola Creixell (PAC Art).
The debut Houston Artist Market, curated by Adam Marnie of participating gallery F (Houston, TX) and F Magazine, provided a retail-style platform for local artists and collectives, including St. Agnes Academy, FLATS, PICNIC, Reeves Art + Design, Rising Tide, Basket Books & Art, The Reading Room, and Jardin, reinforcing Untitled Art’s dedication to equity and accessibility. Houston’s cultural institutions also played a central role, with presentations by the fair’s Cultural Partners such as Asia Society Texas, Art League Houston, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Lawndale Art Center, Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, Project Row Houses, and The Rothko Chapel, the latter receiving direct support from ticket sales.
Extending beyond the convention center a site-specific performance Light and Space legend Lita Albuquerque and Jasmine Albuquerque, with operatic vocals by Carmina Escobar and music by local bassist Laura Dykes, produced by Karen Farber, Vice President of External Affairs at Buffalo Bayou Partnership and Untitled Art, Houston Director Michael Slenske, inside the 90,000 square foot Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern. Production, lighting and sound design by Kelly O’Brien and Joseph Jaime of Fenris. Costumes by Cathy Cooper. Head pieces by LVDF.
The project will also yield a film produced in collaboration with documentary film director Michael Flanagan with major fiscal support provided by Barry and Elizabeth Young, Elle Moody, Liz Anders (Liz Anders & Associates), Illa Gaunt (IG Art), Janet Hobby, Jereann Chaney, Judy Tate, Katharine Barthelme, Kelley Scofield, Kirby Liu (Lovett Group), Leigh and Reggie Smith, Liana Schwaitzberg (MKG Art Management), Michael Mandola, Micheline Newall, Mitra Murthy, Sanford Dow, Sara Cain (Sara Cain Fine Art), Scott and Judy Nyquist, Shelley Marks Weathers, Silvia Salle, Suzanne Deal Booth, and Winnie Scheuer.
PRAISE FOR UNTITLED ART, HOUSTON 2025
“Houston is a sophisticated city full of smart art collectors. We’re delighted to have a large booth at the inaugural edition of the fair, revealing how our program resonates beyond California. Texas-based curators have shown up in full force, and the conversations with them are full of promise. We sold works by Andrea Bowers, Beverly Fishman, Dashiell Manley, Masako Miki, Clare Rojas and Rupy C. Tut.” - Jessica Silverman, Founder and CEO of Jessica Silverman (San Francisco, CA)
“Shoutout to Michael Slenske for inviting me to take part in this year’s Untitled Art programming. I am honored to become a part of the rich cultural fabric that is Houston. Untitled presented me with a fantastic opportunity to work at the Buffalo Bayou Cistern alongside my daughter, dancer and choreographer Jasmine Albuquerque; vocalist Carmina Escobar from Mexico City; and double bassist Laura Dykes, from Houston. We were welcomed by everyone at the Cistern, a sacred space in itself and received by a very enthusiastic audience. The entirety of the Untitled Art fair expanded to many off site spaces and museums. It was also very exciting to participate in Michael Kohn Gallery’s booth at the fair.” - Lita Albuquerque, artist (Michael Kohn Gallery), who directed the off-site performance The Sea is Within Me with her daughter Jasmine Albuquerque at the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern
“The debut of Untitled Art, Houston was marked by a strong sense of optimism and an impressive breadth of artistic representation. The atmosphere was energetic and engaging, with significant curiosity from both local and visiting audiences about Houston’s evolving role within the broader contemporary art landscape. Altogether, the inaugural edition of Untitled Art, Houston felt like a genuine breakthrough. The energy was palpable, and there’s already a strong sense of anticipation for its return.” - Suzanne Deal Booth, Austin-based art director, collector, philanthropist, and vintner who brought James Turrell’s Twilight Epiphany Skyspace to Houston’s Rice University
“It was incredible to be part of Untitled Art, Houston, a fair that invited visitors to pause, discover, and celebrate the artistic diversity of Houston and beyond.” - María Inés Sicardi, Founding Partner and Director, Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino (Houston, TX)
“The energy for the inaugural Untitled Art, Houston was exceptional. The level of collector engagement for our artists, Mason Owens and TJ Rinonski, proved that Houston collectors are committed to and engaged with emerging artists and a young gallery. I am excited for their continued engagement after the fair ends and believe that their support will have a significant impact on our program. We are already looking forward to next year’s fair!” - Megan Mulrooney, Founder, Megan Mulrooney (Los Angeles, CA)
“Untitled Art’s debut in Houston validated what we already know—that this city is a serious and thriving art destination. All week, the programming was superb - galleries and artists in dialogue with tremendous turnout from the collecting and museum communities. Untitled is exactly what Houston deserves as a global art destination.” - Lea Weingarten, Weingarten Art Group
"It was a very successful first edition. We had the opportunity to engage with new collectors and share our program, and we closed some important sales with local collectors and are continuing follow-ups with others who showed strong interest. Overall, it was a great experience, and we look forward to returning next year.” - Christian Gundin, Director, El Apartamento (Madrid, ES / La Habana, CU)
“Untitled Art, Houston was a proud moment—for the city, for the organizers, for everyone who came together to make it happen. Michael Slenske and his team understood the assignment. Beyond bringing in top-notch national and international galleries and artists, the fair celebrated Houston’s vibrant art scene, cultivated over generations by world-class institutions and serious collectors. The mix of events was dynamic, and the energy was buzzy. The fair felt like the perfect mix of events - celebrating Houston’s history while opening doors to fresh voices and experiences that will stay with me long after the fair.” - Katharine Barthelme, Barthelme Art Advising
“Untitled Art, Houston was a lethal injection — piercing the city’s veins, killing inertia, awakening desire. Untitled Art, Houston works like a binder in paint — pulling together the pigments of the city and turning them into something fierce. This wasn’t just a fair. It was Houston unmasked, many voices turning into one body.” - Reynier Leyva Novo, artist (Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino; El Apartamento)
“I am thankful that Untitled Art shared the vision that locals know all too well: Houston is a global city with a world-class art community, eager for an electrifying event like Untitled Art. It was exhilarating, and exhausting in the best way, for Asia Society Texas to be a cultural partner at the inaugural edition. I can’t wait for next year, and am overjoyed that so many arts workers, lovers, and patrons from across the globe could experience Houston’s idiosyncratic magic.” - Owen Duffy, Nancy C. Allen Curator and Director of Exhibitions, Asia Society Texas
“Untitled Art, Houston was a magical moment for the greater art community in our rich art-centric city. Everyone turned out and were genuinely engaged with the artists, dealers, excellent programming, innovative installations and the smartly curated market showcasing local institutions and goods. The energy was palpable and contagious. I can't wait for Untitled Art, Houston 2026.” - Judy Nyquist, Untitled Art, Host Committee member and patron who has served on the Boards and Committees of CAMH, the Menil Collection, MFAH, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, and Discovery Green
“The energy and programming around the fair were really good. Good art, good sales, Houston feels like the perfect fit for something like this and we look forward to doing it again.” - Ryan Fontaine, Co-Founder, HAIR+NAILS (Minneapolis, MN / New York, NY)