Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1291046
jack thompson I n a pandemic age coupled with a fraught election cycle — a precarious moment for the visual arts — a Houston gallery's high-profile expansion proves that the Texas art world will go on. Cue Laura Rathe Fine Art. Rathe's stable includes such notable talents as street artist RETNA; Steve McCurry, the photographer of The Afghan Girl; recently signed lensman Max Steven Grossman, who captures art libraries in imagined Bookscape images; and museum- collected painter/preservationist Hunt Slonem. The gallerist — who toasted 20 years last fall from her Houston Colquitt HQ — is adding a new gallery in the tony River Oaks District. (Rathe will shutter her Uptown location at BLVD Place to concentrate on the new H o u s t o n t a l e n t E r i n Miller, w h o ' s working on her MFA at Cornell this fall, crafts a practice that pairs print- making, design, and memory. The resulting series, initially inspired by the traditional interiors of her late grandmother's h o m e , f e a t u r e s c r e e n - p r i n t e d p e e l - a n d - s t i c k decals on Phototex p a p e r. O n e - t o - one scale, the life-size arrangements replicate vignettes encompassing an Asian lacquered chest topped by a Chinese export Imari porcelain vase. Nearby, an opulent, silk- upholstered sofa rests upon a Persian carpet. An Oriental umbrella stand, a Tiffany-style pendant lamp, and more Chinese export porcelain round out the collection, as well as abundant potted-plant life. Miller says of the series, "In my practice, place and context are examined through an investigation of home, specifically the rituals and routines embedded in familial traditions and physical heirlooms." Erin Miller limited-edition wall decals $200 to $600, at Gallery Sonja Roesch, gallerysonjaroesch.com. Catherine D. Anspon location, as well as her original Colquitt gallery.) "While many would shy from such a big leap during these times, the gallery has never been one to fall into the expected," she says. "I know how much we are craving to connect with the visual arts and each other." The new 3,500-square-foot space with soaring ceilings will be able to showcase monumental sculptures, as well as epic canvases. The expansive new digs offer another bonus: "The indoor/outdoor design of the gallery will allow us to hold exciting yet safe exhibitions," Rathe says. Stay tuned. Laura Rathe Fine Art at River Oaks District, 4444 Westheimer, laurarathe.com; unveiling Thursday, October 1, with the inaugural group exhibition "Dreamers." Catherine D. Anspon ART EXPANSION ART Of The wAll Laura Rathe at her new River Oaks District gallery with Gino Miles' Omen, 2019 S ylvia Longoria Dorsey and daughter Elizabeth Dorsey Fertitta — the duo behind Longoria Collection, purveyor of some of the most beautiful linens, furnishings, lighting, and objects — have created a luxurious, Italian-made bed-linen collection, LOOK Lifestyle, debuting this month. And, they know of what they speak. Stocking such linen labels as Peacock Alley, Sferra, Matouk, and Yves Delorme for 25 years, Dorsey and Fertitta drew upon their knowledge to create exquisitely soft sheets starting at $290, quilts at $390, and shams at $149. At Longoria Collection, 1101 Uptown Park Blvd., longoriacollection.com; looklifestyle.com. LOOK At ThIS! Erin Miller's Side-table, Vase, Arm Chair, Little Rug, 2017, at Gallery Sonja Roesch courtesy the artist and gallery sonja roesch LOOK Lifestyle linens collection created by Sylvia Dorsey and Elizabeth Dorsey Fertitta 18