Park Avenue Art Star Brings His Larger-Than-Life Stunners to Houston

A Tony Group of Bayou City Art Collectors Can’t Get Enough

By Matthew Ramirez // Sep 30, 2018

Photography Dabfoto

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Rafael Barrios

Wanda Baptista, Liliana Molina

Ruth Davis, Connie McMaken

Silvia Salle, Micheline Newall

Aisen Chacin, Caro Chacin

April Gore, Jaime Portillo

Margaret Matherne, Joanne King Herring, Rafael Barrios, Ali Choudhri, Susan Mackie

Brian Crutchfield, Joseph Molnar

Diana Phan, Preston Heng

William & Holly Paul

Marc Grossberg, Raiysa Reece, Sarni Randle, Peter Doyle

Mauricio Vallejo & Liliana Molina, Rafael Barrios, Jesse Aguirre, Soraya Bodorff, Mauricio Sampogna

Darrin Davis, Mario Gudmundsson

Panta & Paris Beverly

Jacqueline Lopez, Rafael Barrios, Umair Khan

Pablo Henning, Regina Ramirez, Bettina Staartjes

Gregg Harrison, Michael Broderick

Loli Fernandez-Andrade Kolber, Catherine D. Anspon

What: Rafael Barrios’ “Mind’s Eye” opening reception

Where: Art of the World Gallery

PC Moment: The Venezuelan-American artist Rafael Barrios, whose larger-than-life artworks have graced rarefied public air such as New York City’s Park Avenue, was fêted at the opening of his “Mind’s Eye” show (a comprehensive exhibition featuring 27 electric abstract sculptures) at the Art of the World Gallery in Houston.

Gallery owners/directors Liliana Molina and Mauricio Vallejo welcomed the Louisiana-born Barrios for his Texas debut. His sculptures, dazzling, forward-thinking pieces comprise an aesthetic he’s dubbed “Virtualism.” His sculptures appear to be wholly three-dimensional, instead of the carefully shaped steel sheets Barrios aligns on a plane, cleverly disorienting the viewer’s sense of space.

Following the main act, the hip Mediterranean hot-spot Fig & Olive provided a curated chef’s selection of bites for the VIP dinner, which drew a tony group of collectors.

Who: Philanthropist Joanne King Herring of Charlie Wilson’s War fame; Honorary Consul General of Sweden Astrid Marklund; artist Loli Fernandez-Andrade Kolber; joined by art aficionados including Found’s Ruth Davis, Connie McMaken, Silvia Salle, Micheline Newall, Pablo Henning, Regina Ramirez, Bettina Staartjes, Wanda and Federico Baptista, Bulgari’s Mario Gudmundsson, Holly and William Paul, Beth Wolff, Misi and Ali Moshiri, and Panta and Paris Beverly.