Photography and art reigned at Houston Center for Photography’s annual Auction & Gala. More than 300 Houstonians arrived at Hotel ZaZa for an evening of bidding high and bidding often, as the organization’s motto goes.
The gala opened with cocktail hour, during which attendees enjoyed live piano music by Grayson Allbritton while perusing the prints on display from both the silent and live auctions. Among them, creating quite a chatter, were a 2024 three-part Western series by Jordan Geibel, André Ramos-Woodard’s the Black box (of race) (2024) and the startling Untitled (Two Women on Display) (circa 1970) by Jan Saudek.
The auction prizes even came in the form of accessories: a 2024 satchel by Libbie Masterson, bearing an image of South Boulevard in Houston, was up for bidding.
As everyone made their way to dinner, they were greeted with beautifully laid out tables bearing individual name plates. While diners enjoyed the appetizer of Texas Hill Country salad, HCP executive director Anne Leighton Massoni thanked supporters and shared more about the organization’s mission.
“HCP has always been a place that uplifts artists, champions bold perspectives and provides space for storytelling through the lens,” Massoni says. “Something we all appreciate in this room is a strong point of view, great lighting and a little drama. But make it art.
“So the real reason we’re here is supporting the incredible Houston institution and filling our walls with stunning photography art.”
Auction co-chair Gin Braverman then took the stage and shared the news that, after 40 years at its location on West Alabama, Houston Center for Photography will soon be moving to a new location. While she spoke, the Hotel Zaza staff served dinner: an entree choice of citrus-crusted red snapper, or porcini and truffle ravioli, followed by dessert of sweet berries and chantilly cream or a key lime tart.
Finally, co-chair Patricia Eifel introduced the night’s honoree: Malcolm Daniel, the Gus and Lyndall Wortham curator of photography at the MFAH. Daniel shared his pleasure at being recognized by another Houston arts institution, and his admiration for the unity within the city’s creative community.
“Here, with HCP, FotoFest, MFAH, we are sister institutions, and we each have a different mission,” he says. “And it means that instead of being competitors with one another, we can truly help one another.”
At last, the bidding began, led by auctioneer Ruth Mauldin. Showstoppers from the live auction included Eadweard Muybridge’s Animal Locomotion (Plate 479) (1887), Prospex Park’s Wide West V (2024) and Robert Frank’s Covered Car, Long Beach, California (1955-1956). That last one sold for a whopping $24,000.
Other eye-catching lots included Kalee Appleton’s Summit I (Yellow & Purple) (2018), displayed in an unusually shaped wood frame; Rodeo photographer Steve Wrubel’s Amarillo by Morning BW (2019), and Liz Hingley’s The SIM Project Pendant (2025), which included a unique opportunity for five top bidders to have their photo of choice framed on a pendant.
The graciousness of Houston’s arts community went beyond the confines of the Bayou City, as half of the proceeds from Arthur Meyerson’s Palm Trees and Fog, Los Angeles (1993) went to the Los Angeles Center of Photography to aid those impacted by the fires. By the night’s end, Houston Center for Photography had raised more than $285,000 for its programs.
PC Seen: Former HCP honoree Joan Morgenstern, The Orange Show’s Jonathan Beitler, Tania Pramir and Parnava Seal, Carol and Paul Liffman, Lane and Bob Schultz, Jereann Chaney, Holland and Ben Horton, Tom and Marybeth Flaherty, Aimee and Don McCrory, Benjamin Johnston, Haley and Adam Karren, Anna Deans, Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl, Brielle and John Griffen, Jessica Phifer, Emily Jaschke, Debra Barrera, Alison Turley, Amanda Medsger, Bret Whitacre, and Nate Messara.