I attended the annual CASETA symposium on early Texas Art in Houston. This is an amazingly dedicated organization made up of historians, collectors, art dealers, and other enthusiasts who focus on early Texas art. The yearly symposium is always jam-packed with knowledgeable speakers and this year was no exception. The Friday kick-off event launched the publication of Making the Unknown: Women in Early Texas Art 1860s-1960s. This amazing compendium was the five-year-long project of thirteen different authors and will certainly be a must-have for every serious student or collector of early Texas art.
David Dike Fine Art, Valley House Gallery, Beuler Fine Art, Moody Gallery
Saturday began with a talk by Eleanor Barton about the art of Grace Spaulding John and a talk about Kathleen Blackshear by Dr. Victoria Hennessey Cummins. These two women were both raised at a time when women attending college at all was rare, when women having a full-fledged art career was unheard of. Amusingly, they were both strong advocates of wearing pants (trousers) when just that act was considered scandalous. They were iconoclasts who forged their own paths and became great artists.
Inman Gallery, Foltz Fine Art, Vogt Auction, Hooks-Epstein Galleries
This was followed by an engaging review of the contemporary scene in Houston from 1948-1984 by Alison de Lima Greene. Greene used photos and gallery promotional materials taken during those years to discuss Houston’s embrace of new ideas in art and architecture. Houston is a large, sprawling culturally diverse city known for its forward thinking and Ms. Greene’s talk reminded us that this has always been an intrinsic part of the city’s personality.
Saturday evening’s social events included a rare behind the scenes invitation to view the Texas art Collection of John L. Nau, III and an opening at Foltz gallery with a retrospective show of Stephen Rascoe’s paintings as well as several other early 20th C. Texas artists. Each stop included delicious food and beverages along with the engaging art. The Texas-sized generosity of these hosts was much appreciated by attendees.
On Sunday, Ms. Leslie Thompson shared her extensive travelogue of visits to Post Office murals created in various Texas towns for the Works Progress Administration. During the short period of 1939-1942 sixty-six (66) murals were commissioned for post offices and federal buildings across Texas. Ms. Thompson has been on a quest to visit as many as she could see. She shared photos and brief details of almost thirty (30) murals across the state of Texas. As someone who has appraised several monumental paintings and murals, I found this particularly interesting. Of course, these pieces were commissioned by the federal government and will never be offered for sale. But seeing the images was inspiring. I think I’ll start my own bucket list and hunting down these murals to see for myself…
The last talk of the day was Clare Elliott’s introduction to the visionary work of Forrest Bess (1911-1977). Bess’s personal life was difficult and included bouts of hospitalization for mental illness. He produced small canvases that translated and transmitted his dream visions into abstract works of art filled with symbolism. He lived alone and subsisted with bait fishing while producing his art. He was an iconoclast but was represented by Betty Parsons Gallery-NYC in the 1960s. I had not encountered his work yet and enjoyed this introduction to his life and work.
It was such a wonderful symposium and a lovely Texas art fair!
