Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1420847
L ast January, we broke news about the end of Gremillion & Co. Fine Art's 41 years in the biz but promised future details of a phoenix rising from the ashes of the former gallery. That day has come. Cue Ellio Fine Art, the vision of three long- time Gremillion gallerists: new owner Trish Matute, VP Brian Freeze, and director Harwood Taylor. The trio has secured a promising new space in a performing and culinary arts hub: 3201 Allen, the historic Spanish Colonial Revival 1930 Star Engraving Co. building being restored and redeveloped by R a d o m C a p i t a l . (Previously, the site at 3201 Allen Parkway h o u s e d S t a g e s , before it moved to its adjoining state-of- the-art theater center, The Gordy, in January 2 0 2 0 . ) T h e n e w gallery is sited within a highly trafficked area between BlendIn C o f f e e C l u b a n d an upcoming wine and tapas bar. Ellio opens Friday, November 19, rolling out a group show with the new stars of their freshly minted stable: Houston talents sculptor Tara Conley and emerging painter/ sculptor/activist LaMonté French; Austin-based Ender Martos, a master of sci-fi space and color; and painter Susan English, residing in the Hudson River Valley, whose minimalist mediations are sublime. The Ellio roster also features photog Christopher Rauschenberg (son of Robert Rauschenberg); heritage Gremillion painters Leslie Parke, Fernando Casas, John Pavlicek, Joan Steinman, and Eric Peters; and sculptor Christian Renonciat. Gensler is the architect of the new 1,500-square-foot space, while Christine Ho Interiors and AV Interiors were tapped for interior design. Matute says of the new gallery, whose name draws from Greek and Italian words for the sun, "Knowing that Houston is the most diverse city in the United States, we hope Ellio Fine Art, in our own small way, will contribute to a more inclusive, loving, and conscious city." Opening exhibition, "Giving Thanks," Friday, November 19, 6 to 8 pm, on view through December 24. Ellio Fine Art, 3201 Allen, elliofineart.com. Catherine D. Anspon ELLIO ENTERS THE SCENE: 3201 ALLEN'S NEW GALLERY DESTINATION OBSESSIONS. DECORATION. SALIENT FACTS. T his month, an innovative international residency unfurls when 80 creatives traversing a variety of disciplines arrive from Europe. These talents (primarily French) in the fields of architecture, visual art, comics, cinema, dance, design, literature, music, photography, theater, even video games and virtual reality, fan out to 10 cities across the country to forge works that address the big ideas of our time. Christened Villa Albertine after a character in Proust's novels, the ambitious project is led by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs with support from the French Ministry of Culture. Houston is one of the chosen metropolises to host a pair of Villa Albertine residents. Synergistically, the two residents for Space City both consider the cosmos. Fatoumata Kébé holds a PhD in astronomy. The 30-something scientist will focus on the narrative of the 842 pounds of moon rocks hauled back to Earth from the Apollo missions. Versailles- and Pompidou-exhibited Dove Allouche has crafted an arcane practice that free-ranges from the primordial to sunspots and solar flares. For Houston/Marfa, he probes topics in astrobiology, seeking the history of cosmic prebiotic molecules. villa- albertine.org. Catherine D. Anspon VISIONARY VILLA ALBERTINE LAURENCE GEAI, SIPA PRESS Fatoumata Kébé at Observatoire de Paris Dove Allouche's Evaporites, 2019 in "Visible/Invisible," at Grand Trianon, Versailles, 2019 © TADZIO Ellio Fine Art's Brian Freeze, Harwood Taylor, Trish Matute Ender Martos' Glares of Contemplation, 2018 PRAUPER 18