Gallery Guide

For more than two decades Gallery Row--at the intersection of Colquitt and Lake Streets in the Upper Kirby area--has been home to an exciting enclave of galleries housed door-to-door in a handsome, Arquitectonica-designed postmodern structure. Among Colquitt's powerhouse dealers are:

• Hooks-Epstein Galleries: In business for more than three decades, with a penchant for contemporary surrealists
• Moody Gallery: Opened 1975, which emphasizes Texas talents such as Whitney Biennial-exhibited, 2006 Texas Artist of the Year Al Souza, known for his Pop jigsaw puzzle paintings
• Dean Day Gallery: Presents work by American contemporary artisans specializing in abstract expressionism, realism, impressionism & sculpture
• Thornwood Gallery: Diverse painting and sculpture focus

Eat + Drink

• Sonoma Wine Bar (one block):  Sonoma serves over 100 wines and beers in every price range with taste varietals for every palate.
• Little Pappasito's Cantina (two blocks): Find all your Tex-Mex favorites cooked to perfection including enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas, and seafood dishes.

Five minutes north of Colquitt lies the Upper Kirby District, galleries include:

• Texas Gallery: Features a stellar stable, representing heavy-hitters such as New York-based abstract painters Elizabeth Murray and Jeff Elrod, as well as Ellen Phelan's lyrical landscapes

Eat + Drink

• La Griglia (two blocks from Texas Gallery): A popular Italian restaurant with inventive cuisine, attentive service and a casual atmosphere.

East of Colquitt and south of River Oaks and the Upper Kirby District is the Richmond Avenue Corridor, a burgeoning area boasting some of Houston's most powerful art players. Three major dealers with Richmond Avenue addresses are:

• McClain Gallery: A sophisticated temple to international talents, exhibiting painters Julian Schnabel, Christian Eckart and Andy Moses
• Sicardi Gallery: Esteemed contemporary and historical Latin American stable and an annual exhibitor at Art Basel Miami Beach

Eat + Drink

• Hobbit Cafe (across the street from McClain Gallery): Open for brunch, lunch, dinner, and drinks, Hobbit Café is a cozy eatery and rustic hangout.

Continuing down Richmond Avenue, you'll quickly reach the Museum District, a new nexus for gallery action. The must-see stop is 4411 Montrose Gallery Building, home to five galleries. The soaring, two-storing minimalist structure (designed by internationally known Houston architect Peter Zweig) was unveiled in 2005, featuring top-tier tenants Barbara Davis Gallery, Anya Tish Gallery, Joan Wich & Co. Gallery and Wade Wilson Art.

• Barbara Davis Gallery: Recognized for having her pulse on the international scene as well as a keen eye for emerging talent.
• Anya Tish Gallery: Recently expanded her eye from Eastern European to intriguing Texans such as Neva Mikulicz's multi-media realism.

Heading south is Nolan-Rankin Galleries, exhibiting canvases by the vibrant School of Paris painters and Houston Center for Photography, showcasing works of 20th century and emerging photographers.

Eat + Drink

• Nippon Japanese Restaurant (across the street from 4411 Montrose):  Owned and operated by a Japanese family, Nippon is as close to authentic Japanese food as you can get.

Just south of the Museum District, discover a selection of galleries near Rice University.

• Gremillion & Co. Fine Art: Represents notables from Philip Guston protégé Gary Komarin's adroit painted abstractions to Houston collage master John Pavlicek, while the gallery's Annex specializes in art furniture and has exhibited American master Wendell Castle.
• Jack Meier Gallery: Excels as the representational, showing favorites such as Vietnamese-born realist Quong Ho.
• Deborah Colton Gallery: Combines Texas and New York avant-gardists that often share a similar spiritual sensibility.
• Moody Center for The Arts: Presents transdisciplinary works of collaboration in arts, sciences and humanities.

Eat + Drink

• Under the Volcano (one block from Jack Meier Gallery): A laid-back vibe and a highly praised jukebox headline a long list of reasons to go with the flow.

The booming Midtown area, between downtown and the Museum District, boasts three significant spaces:

• Gallery Sonja Roesch: Mixes a European and Texas stable characterized by a shared minimalist aesthetic.
• Inman Gallery: Exports smart Texas talent to the hip, young art fairs.
• Gite Gallery: Represents more than 70 contemporary painters from the African continent.

Eat + Drink 

• 13 Celsius (5 blocks from Gallery Sonja Roesch): Named after the optimal temperature for storing wine, 13 Celsius offers locals a charming, European-inspired retreat in the heart of Midtown.
• the breakfast klub (1 block from the Inman and Finesilver Gallery):  Catfish and grits, wings and waffles top a tempting array of breakfast favorites from around the country at this cozy comfort food zone.
• Tacos A Go Go (1 block from the Inman and Finesilver Gallery): Good food and good prices define this casual, yet funky Midtown restaurant.

Fifteen minutes by car from Midtown and just west of downtown is the red hot Washington Avenue-West End Corridor, home to an intriguing group of gallerists:

• Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery: The granddaddy of West End gallerists pairs an understated modern space with a beautiful garden (that often features ethereal sculpture by Houston's Joe Havel, an important Whitney Biennial-exhibited artist).
• Booker-Lowe Gallery: An important stop for contemporary and aboriginal fine art from Australia. It's one of the few spaces in the U.S. to focus on this extraordinary collecting field and is co-owned by Houston's honorary consul-general to Australia, Nana Booker.

Eat + Drink

• Federal Grill (2 blocks from Booker-Lowe Gallery): This fine-casual grill features a modern American menu.
• Lincoln Bar + Kitchen (3 blocks from Poissant and Mackey Galleries): This garage-style bar features a large outdoor patio. 

Just north of Washington Avenue, discover the Heights, a thriving, restored Victorian-era community traditionally home to a number of working artists, and now the site of a gallery boom. Significant stops include Texas art incubators Redbud Gallery, in a 1940s-era shopping center on 11th Street; quirky and lively Jumper Maybach Fine Art Gallery on the Heights' historic 19th Street shopping strip; and Koelsch Gallery on Yale, which specializes in outsider and visionary artists, as well as a healthy dose of jewelry, ceramics, books, and Texas painters. The final Heights destination is Casa Ramirez FOLKART Gallery, representing - and celebrating - America's Latino culture in the visual arts.

Food + Drink

• We Olive & Wine Bar (next door to Casa Ramirez): A vintage chic bar with a wide bar menu selection of olive oils, tapas, charcuterie, craft beers and wines. 

Just Southwest of The Heights is a restored the 1920s mansion Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, home to American decorative arts from the 1600s to 1800s. Wrap up your art trek just outside the 610 West Loop at Museum of American Architecture and Decorative Arts for galleries highlighting vintage, pioneer Texas, or Off the Wall Gallery, sited in the Houston Galleria shopping mecca. At Off the Wall, investigate annual exhibitions highlighting original lithographs from the Impressionist and Belle Epoque periods, as well as contemporary impressionist works by Renoir's great grandson, who annually makes a special appearance. 

Food + Drink

• Mariposa at Neiman Marcus (inside The Galleria): Retreat to a refined atmosphere with an innovative menu selection.
• 51Fifteen (inside The Galleria): A stylish respite serving French-meets-Latin cuisine inside Saks Fifth Avenue.