This Houston Art Auction is All About the Freeze Frame

Celebrating 70 Years With Arty Magic

BY Matthew Ramirez // 04.02.19

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Sunil Gupta and Charan Singh's "Lily at Home," 2016-2019 (Courtesy the artists)

Jamal Cyrus's "Jet Auto Archive (January 14, 2008)," 2018, will no doubt lead to furious live bidding. (Courtesy the artist and Inman Gallery)

Gael Stack's "Untitled #1," 2016 is one of a handful of live auction lots. (Courtesy the artist and Moody Gallery)

Margo Sawyer's "Synchronicity of Color/Greens," 2019, is another top live lot. (Courtesy the artist and Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art)

Cheryl Donegan's "Untitled (spring green and blue grey on pink)," 2014, is a transfixing piece sure to garner high bids at the CAMH Gala live auction, Friday, April 12. (Courtesy the artist and David Shelton Gallery)

Will Boone's "THREAT," 2018, is another top live lot. (Courtesy the artist, Karma Gallery, New York City, New York, and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, California)

Aaron Parazette's "Radix," 2016, rounds out the top live auction lots. (Courtesy the artist and McClain Gallery)

Thomas Glassford's "Untitled," 2014 (Courtesy the artist and Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino)

Cruz Ortiz's "I Love Olivia," 2019 (Courtesy the artist and Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art)

Hunt Slonem's "PGB 05109," 2018. Slonem's been rabbit obsessed since his childhood, and the animals are featured in his canvases, a book, and home decor items. (Courtesy Laura Rathe Fine Art, Houston and Dallas)

McKay Otto's "Ever Know What Ever," 2018 (Courtesy the artist and Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art)

César Martínez's "Study for 'Julian Viera,'" 2019 (Courtesy the artist)

Paul Kremer's "Float 40," 2018 (Courtesy the artist and Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art)

Gil Bruvel's "Wall Sculpture #8," 2018 (Courtesy Laura Rathe Fine Art)

Floyd Newsum's "Purple Rain Why Not," 2016 (Courtesy the artist and Nicole Longnecker Gallery)

Chris Wood's "C #11," 2018 (Courtesy Laura Rathe Fine Art)

Sunil Gupta and Charan Singh's "Lily at Home," 2016-2019 (Courtesy the artists)

An indelible night to see and be seen, the collecting contingent will again descend upon Contemporary Arts Museum Houston’s Gala and Art Auction, this year dubbed “Freeze Frame.”

However, the artful date comes armed with increased significance this time around. It celebrates the storied contemporary institution’s 70th anniversary.

Co-chairs Haydeh and Ali Davoudi and Jordan and Dylan Seff are set to curate an evening of posh dining courtesy A Fare Extraordinaire, with cocktails, and a prestigious contemporary arts auction produced in collaboration with Christie’s.

Some of the artists CAMH has wrangled for its vaunted auction encompass artworks by international, national and Texas talents.

Featured are works from Jamal Cyrus, Thomas Glassford, Margo Sawyer, Will Boone, recent CAMH headliner Cheryl Donegan and Aaron Parazette, all of whom have pieces for grabs at the gala’s live auction; Sunil Gupta and Charan Singh, Smithsonian-collected Floyd Newsum, McKay Otto, Terry Suprean, Melinda Laszczynski, Gil Bruvel, and Hunt Slonem are some of the names rounding out the CAMH’s diverse roster of silent auction pieces, as well.

This year a number of Houston gallerists stepped up, with their artists to make the auction robust. Participating hometown dealers include Inman Gallery, David Shelton Gallery, Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino, McClain Gallery, Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art, Laura Rathe Fine Art, Moody Gallery, Nicole Longnecker Gallery and Pablo Cardoza Gallery.

Elizabeth Anthony

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ASSAEL

OLYMPIA LE-TAN

EMILY P. WHEELER

MARIA OLIVER

KATHERINE JETTER

MEREDITH YOUNG

LEIGH MAXWELL

MEREDITH YOUNG

Steve Zick of Christie’s Chicago will helm the live auction, which also comes with the opportunity for advance bidding – to place a proxy bid on a lot that will be auctioned live, email gala@camh.org.

The gala also presents mobile bidding for its silent auction lots, through Qtego’s mobile bidding site. For more info on how to sign up, bid early or place your bid remotely, and browse all lots, click here.

Don’t forget to acquire a ticket to the chic after party, co-chaired by Taylor E. Landry and staged in the sprawling Nina and Michael Zilkha Gallery in the CAMH’s lower level, which will commence after the bidding crossfire, from 10 pm till midnight.

Freeze Frame: CAMH Annual Gala and Art Auction, Friday, April 12, 7 pm to midnight; tickets from $1,000, tables from $10,000; camh.org. Advance live auction bids can be placed by contacting gala@camh.org. All other early bidding can be done online and continue through the close of auction at 11 pm Friday, April 12.

Additional reporting by Catherine D. Anspon.