Your Complete Houston Fall Arts Guide — The Big Fair, Major Museum Exhibitions and Under-the-Radar Gallery Shows To Know
Where to Find Arty Hotels and Creative Restaurants
BY Catherine D. Anspon //
Chayse Sampy’s "USS Blue," 2024, at Houston Museum of African American Culture.
The arrival of the Untitled Art, Houston, fair is igniting the Bayou City’s fall scene. This vaunted art extravaganza is set to take place this Friday, September 19 through Sunday, September 21, with a VIP event planned for Thursday, September 18. Expect the George R. Brown Convention Center to be transformed into a haven for viewing and collecting.
But there is much more than Untitled Art to this Houston arts fall. Don’t-miss exhibitions abound and anyone could use an arts guide, complete with suggested hotels for out-of-town collectors and Houston’s hottest restaurants to hit.
What to See: Art Shows That Matter Most
Robert Rauschenberg’s "Whistle Stop (Spread)," 1977, at The Menil Collection (The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth; Museum Purchase and Commission, The Benjamin J. Tillar Memorial Trust)
An Ode to Rauschenberg’s 100th at Menil
September 19 through March 1
Collectors can celebrate the 100th birthday of a late Texas-born icon at “Robert Rauschenberg: Fabric Works of the 1970s” organized by The Menil Collection and senior curator Michelle White in collaboration with the painter/sculptor’s foundation. Focusing on the innovative master of many media and his way with textiles, it’s the first such show in the world to do so and only will be presented in Houston.
Rauschenberg was one of the touchstone talents of modern and contemporary art for museum founders Dominique and John de Menil and founding director Walter Hopps, with 87 works in the collection. The Menil’s seminal 1998 Rauschenberg retrospective, co-curated by Hopps — which traveled from the Guggenheim to Houston, where it was co-presented at the Menil, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston — is remembered in Texas art circles as one of the shows of that decade.
“Fabric Works of the 1970s,” which showcases some 30 works, may not be a blockbuster in terms of scope and size, but it zeroes in on some of the whispery gems featured in the artist’s monumental 1998 exhibition — works from the Hoarfrost series — alongside the muted beauty of the Venetian and more jaunty Jammer series. Expect revelations in this deep dive into the bounty of the brilliant Rauschenberg.
Painter’s Progress
Running through November 1
“Aaron Parazette: Sweet” at McClain Gallery. With its cheeky surf-term title, “Sweet” spans more than three decades of this University of Houston professor/former Core Fellow’s work, including a recent series of small paintings created during his Elaine de Kooning House residency in the Hamptons. The exhibition coincides with the release of Parazette’s first monograph, published by Skira, Milan.
You Had Us at Nevelson
September 13 through November 22
“New Classicism in Collage: Negret, Nevelson and Ramírez Villamizar” at Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino. The chance to see collage works by la grande dame Louise Nevelson in dialogue with a duo of late Latin American notables promises to be an art-historical occasion, marking a fitting tribute to this gallery’s seminal first 30 years.
Toasting Texas Artist of the Year
September 26 through December 21
“If You Remember, I Remember: Dario Robleto” at Art League Houston. Among the most poetic artists of modern times in Texas, Robleto’s exhibition promises to delve into his obsessively considered practice, an arcane and beautiful meditation on love, science, history, the human heartbeat and the cosmos, crafted across many decades and media by a talent who has been in residence at the galactic SETI Institute.
Art + Activism Arise
Running through March 29
“Tomashi Jackson: Across the Universe” at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. Jackson unpacks images culled from the Civil Rights movement, forging captivating, multilayered assemblages that underscore her prowess with printmaking and grasp of underknown court cases from American history. The exhibition uncannily resonates with our current moment.
Feminism Ascendant
Running through October 11
“Karin Broker: beautiful rage (a clear and concise history of the female gender” at Heidi Vaughan Fine Art. This Rice professor emerita of printmaking and drawing debuts recent work including an eight-by-five-foot graphite on laminate that addresses the biblical narrative of Judith. This tour de force drawing steals the show.
Interactive Multiculturalism in Public Art
Running through November 2
“Karen Navarro: Chroma Collective” at Discovery Green. One of the rising art stars of the Houston scene, this inaugural Discovery Green Art Lab fellow mines her own experience as an Argentine-born immigrant. Navarro crafts two self-portraits alongside portraits of five sitters in an ambitious, interactive photo-based sculpture measuring 22 feet long by 6 1/2 feet high that speaks to the rich cultural zeitgeist of our region.
Texas Master Remembered
Running through October 11
“Beyond the Sea: Richard Stout’s Gulf Coast Legacy” at Foltz Fine Art. Rediscover one of the pillars of Houston’s 20th-century art world. Painter and UH professor Stout’s melding of lyrical passages of abstraction with a sense of place still speaks to us. These qualities make this late Beaumont-born artist’s canvases timeless and compelling.
A Half-Century Milestone
Running through October 25
“50th Anniversary Exhibition, Part I” at Moody Gallery. Marking a half centennial as an art dealer, gallerist Betty Moody devotes this fall to showcasing the gallery’s foundational artists, joined by more recent arrivals who have characterized her program across five decades. Catch the OGs in Part 1. Part II is set to follow with a November 8 through December 23 run date.
Sci Fi Meets Art
Running through December 20
“Bio Morphe” at Moody Center for the Arts. Seven international artists including Louise Bourgeois are showcased in this smart take on nature, science, and technology, from biology to bioengineering, with a stance that varies between utopian and dystopian. Watch for showstopping site-specific installations by Sui Park and Eva Fàbregas.
Crafty Doubleheader
Pigeon Crib: Running through October 25
CraftTexas: Running through January 31
“CraftTexas 2025” and “Roberto Lugo, Pigeon Crib: Houston Edition” at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Lugo’s renowned street-art take on ceramics is informed by contemporary culture and a critique of colonialism. Here, he dialogues with James McNeill Whistler’s fabled Gilded Age Peacock Room in a complex interplay across time.
Another reason to visit? The biennial “CraftTexas” is juried his fall by the Metropolitan Museum curator Abraham Thomas, who culled 50 pieces from 49 artists, out of 350-plus submissions.
An Important Pairing
Running through December 15
“Danny Simmons: The Journey to Everything” and “Chayse Sampy: Who Feels It, Knows It” at Houston Museum of African American Culture.
This doubleheader begins with the traveling museum exhibition showcasing dramatic recent work by Philadelphia-based Simmons — painter, poet, novelist, arts-foundation philanthropist and creator of Neo-African abstract expressionism. He’s also a Tony Award winner for Def Poetry Jam and older brother of hip-hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons and rapper Joseph Simmons of Run DMC.
Paired with Danny Simmons is Houston-based Sampy’s work. Her sculptural mixed media paintings conjure enigmatic images that embody Afro Surrealism.
Latin American Pioneer
Running through October 18
“Teresa Serrano: Echoing What Is Known” at Barbara Davis Gallery. Spanning 40 years and traveling to Houston directly from Serrano’s recent retrospective at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey, this exhibition presents a talent for the art-history books. Nearing her nineties (having been born in Mexico City in 1936), Serrano’s nuanced work in sculpture addresses the body in ways that are discrete, yet powerful.
Heavy Metal
Running through October 25
“Ed Wilson: If I Knew Then” at Redbud Arts Center. Mr. Houston Sculpture, aka Ed Wilson, is known for heroically sized public art including a hard-won commission at George R. Brown Convention Center. Metal is his medium. At Redbud, he turns on the playful side, altering his usual jumbo scale, inspired originally by the desire to make toys for his grandkids. These little metal masterpieces recall Tonka trucks while demonstrating the artist’s finesse with his material.
Texas Trifecta
Running through September 27
“Jim Hatchett, Gerardo Rosales, Curtis Gannon,” at Andrew Durham Gallery. Spanning generations and aesthetics, cartooning to abstraction, an immigration narrative to pure painting, this unique roundup underscores the breadth and depth of Texas art.
Other Great Art Shows to See
Marcella Colavecchio's "They Told Me Don’t Go Walking Slow, the Devil’s On the Loose," 2025, at Anya Tish Gallery
“Marcella Colavecchio: High Voltage” at Anya Tish Gallery. running through October 18
“Mexico in Four Voices: Visions Shaped by Heritage” featuring Sergio Hernández, Javier Marín, Karla de Lara, and Amador Montes at Art of the World Gallery. Through October 2
“Benjamin Edmiston: Blueblack Morning” at David Shelton Gallery. Through October 18
Summer Group Exhibition at ELLIO Fine Art. Through September 27
The Pottery Bros at Foelber Pottery Gallery & Studio. Through October 25
Cat Spring Collection at 4411 Montrose. Through November
Hayun Surl “Liminal Figures” at Hooks-Epstein Galleries. Through October 11
“Rapt in Wonder” featuring River Claure, Jason DeMarte, Adam Ekberg, Julianna Foster, Xuan-Hui Ng, and Thomas Jackson and “Surface” featuring Alejandra Regalado at Houston Center for Photography. Running September 18 through November 9
Graciela Hasper, Marta Chilindron, and Vargas-Suarez Universal at IAH, Houston Airport System. Permanently on view
“Nothing About Something” featuring Tara Donovan, Joseph Havel, and Agnes Martin at Josh Pazda Hiram Butler. Through September 30
Ellen Frances Tuchman “Past and Present Future 2025” at Koelsch Gallery. Through October 25
“Forever in Bloom – Zhuang Hong Yi” at Laura Rathe Fine Art. Through October 19
“The Jewelry of Dorothea Prühl” at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Through January 3, 2027
Anthony Suber “As Vast As We Need It To Be” at Nicole Longnecker Gallery. Through September 27
“MEDITATE MEDITATE MEDITATE: The Pause Between Waves” featuring Chap Edmonson and Mark Francis at Sanman Studios. Through October 25
“Allison Miller” at Seven Sisters. September 20 through October 25
Preston Douglas Boyer at 2910 McKinney. September 16 through December 31
Jorge Pardo “Folly” at University of Houston. Permanently on view
“Aria” by Mauricio Rodriguez Anza at Vivianne Falco Art + Design Gallery. Through October 24
Where to Stay: Top Houston Hotels To Know
The Lancaster Hotel
The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa, 111 N Post Oak Lane
Hotel Granduca, 1080 Uptown Park Boulevard
Hotel Saint Augustine, 4110 Loretto Drive
La Colombe d’Or, 3410 Montrose Boulevard
The Lancaster Hotel, 701 Texas Avenue
The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston, 1600 West Loop South
Thompson Houston, 1717 Allen Parkway
Where to Eat: Houston's Restaurant Scene
The Marigold Club
Armandos, 2630 Westheimer Road
BCN Taste & Tradition, 4210 Roseland Street
Bludorn, 807 Taft Street
Clark’s Oyster Bar, 3807 Montrose Boulevard
Chardon, 1711 Allen Parkway
Eunice, 3737 Buffalo Speedway
Katami, 2701 W Dallas Street
Le Jardinier, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 5500 Main Street
March, 1624 Westheimer Road
The Marigold Club, 2531 Kuester Street
Mayahuel, Autry Park, 811 Buffalo Pk Drive
Milton’s, 5117 Kelvin Drive
Musaafer, The Galleria, 5115 Westheimer Road
Navy Blue, 2445 Times Boulveard
Perseid, Hotel Saint Augustine, 4119 Loretto Drive
State of Grace, 3258 Westheimer Road
Tavola, 1800 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 100
Toulouse Cafe & Bar, River Oaks District, 4444 Westheimer Road
Turner’s Cut, Autry Park, 811 Buffalo Pk Drive
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