Get a Sneak Preview of Houston’s Most Important Photography Auction — Photos You Need to Know

In a PaperCity exclusive, guest art editor Haley Berkman Karren is previewing Houston Center for Photography’s 42nd Print Auction, which takes place this Thursday, March 2.

Photography lovers are set to unite for Houston Center for Photography’s 2023 Print Auction & Dinner, 40+ Years of Emphatically Visual Culture, the most significant annual photography auction in the Bayou City. The print auction and dinner, which supports exhibitions, educational initiatives and community programs, is returning to its longterm beloved home The Briar Club.

The auction honors Joan Morgenstern, an avid photography collector who has been incredibly influential in developing the photography scene in Houston. Known for her keen eye and support of emerging photographers, Morgenstern first began collecting photography in 1985 while enrolled in a photo history class at the Glassell School of Art, and she has not stopped since.

In 1988, Morgenstern became the founding president of Photo Forum, the patron group for the photography collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. From 1991 to 1993, she served as the president of the board of Houston Center For Photography. She has donated more than 1,500 works to the MFAH and continues to be a major player in the Houston photography scene. Many of the photographs in the auction, such as the works from Natan Dvir, Louie Palu and Brad Temkin, have been donated in recognition of Morgenstern’s incredible support.

This auction is the first under the leadership of the newly appointed Houston Center for Photography executive director Anne Leighton Massoni. With an extensive background in photography as a curator, academic, educator and practicing artist, Massoni brings a fresh perspective (along with her credentials and connections) to HCP.

Massoni is the most nationally renowned director that HCP was worked with in its history. Before taking this position, she was dean and managing director of education at the International Center of Photography in New York City. She has also served on the board of the Society of Photographic Education and the Print Center in Philadelphia. Massoni has donated her artwork, This Much XXIX, a unique found photograph with silver leaf, and a signed catalogue from Tyler Mitchell. Mitchell was hand selected by Beyoncé to capture her for Vogue in 2018, becoming the first Black photographer to shoot the cover of the storied fashion magazine.

The auction consists of 70 lots from 64 artists, representing a diverse group of photographers. Twenty one lots of photographs and photo books will be auctioned during the live auction. There are many standout pieces, including Debra Barrera’s powerful and immersive photograph of a floral arrangement, Anna Garner’s constructed Intercepting the Mountains of Man, and Paul Anthony Smith’s sculptural work that leans against a wall on a plinth or shelf. Not to be missed are the small but stunning Trumpet Shell from Kate Breakey, a gold toned image with a delicately carved frame and the platinum nude by Christa Blackwood.

To make bidding on artwork and purchasing tickets and tables seamless, the museum is using Qtego for a streamlined point of sale. The platform brilliantly updates collectors on the status of lots. If a higher bid comes in, they will be alerted through the website and via text message and allowed to bid again. The platform also offers a direct donation to specific areas of Houston Center for Photography, such as community educational programs, exhibitions and events, the highly regarded Learning Center, or to the tireless staff.

This year, HCP welcomes Ruth Mason Mauldin as its auctioneer. With experience at leading international auction houses Christie’s and Bonhams, Mauldin has auctioneered at more than 100 galas. So expect this Houston live auction to be entertaining and informative.

You can purchase tickets for the auction and dinner here. While the event is always extraordinary, if you are unable attend, you can bid on the silent lots through QTEGO. The highly anticipated live lots will be exclusive to the event attendees. Collectors and art lovers can preview the lots in the Houston Center for Photography galleries through this Wednesday, March 1. As is often said at HCP, “Bid high, bid often!”

Author’s note: Haley Berkman Karren is an art advisor and appraiser with Karren Art Advisory as well as a senior curator with Exchange Art, the leading fine art NFT marketplace on the Solana blockchain. She focuses on modern and contemporary art, photography and digital art. She is a former curatorial assistant at the Menil Collection and has contributed to Houston Center for Photography’s Spot Magazine and juried the HCP exhibition Learning Curve 11.