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C olquitt Street, Houston's o r i g i n a l G a l l e r y R o w — established in the 1980s in an Arquitectonica building — gets a new player in time for fall. Christopher Martin Gallery staffers Abigail Henningsen Haley and Ally Ondarza have taken over the former Christopher Martin Gallery space, rebranding it as Avant-Art Gallery. (Martin continues his flagship Dallas gallery, with satellite spaces in Aspen and Vail.) The 20-something gallerists attended lower school together, then reconnected after college in the Houston art world. While their stable includes some Christopher Martin alums — Martin himself, Steve Wrubel's dynamic cowboy- culture photos, and Matt Neuman's neo- Geo prints and paintings — there's also OBSESSIONS. DECORATION. SALIENT FACTS. B almain has opened a new flagship boutique in River Oaks District, and it's a milestone for the French fashion house — the brand's 50th location internationally, as well as its first in Texas, joining other U.S. boutiques in New York, Florida, Las Vegas, and California. Namesake Pierre Balmain first broke ground in the 1940s when he introduced his unconventional, fresh, and feminine take on haute couture, later dubbed New French Style, which established him as one of the French talents who helped re-inaugurate Paris as a global fashion capital. Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing has built upon At Ease, Balmain Army that legacy since 2011. The 1,708-square-foot Houston flagship is a feast for the eyes and a magnet for the brand's global customer base (affectionately known as the Balmain Army) with edgy and youthful fashion for all genders, as well as handbags, sunglasses, and shoes. The Fall 2023 collection is both old- school and modern, with d e c o n s t r u c t e d l a p e l s , neoprene-like fabric draped into siren dresses, and dramatic capes — stylish pieces that harken back to Balmain's French roots with Rousteing's modern hand. Balmain, River Oaks District, 4444 Westheimer R o a d , u s . b a l m a i n . com. Caitlin Hsu a welcome feminist perspective. Their strong coterie of female artists includes Amber Goldhammer, Toni Martin, Christine Tonolini, Elaine Coombs, AJ Oishi, Chloe Hedden, Kinga Czerska, Liz Barber, and Mary-Bennett Sigal. "We don't represent them just because of their gender," Henningsen Haley says. "We represent them because they are exceptional artists." While Avant-Art's aesthetic traverses all media, gallery-goers will find its roster united by an emphasis on abstraction, vivid color, tactile surfaces (as evidenced by Martin's 3D acrylic butterflies cavorting on panels), and a wink at street art/aerosol action (seen in Goldhammer's joyful canvases featuring hearts and flowers). Stay tuned: Avant- Art collaborates with long-time Colquitt dealers such as the iconic Moody Gallery and Hooks-Epstein Galleries to return gallery strolls to the street. Colquitt Fall Gallery Walk Saturday, September 9, and the gallery's official opening follows Saturday, September 23, 6 to 8 pm. Avant-Art Gallery, 2625 Colquitt, avant- artgallery.com. Catherine D. Anspon The New Avant- Garde: Colquitt's Latest Arrival Avant-Art's Abigail Henningsen Haley, Ally Ondarza LILA HENNINGSEN Matt Neuman's UP23_11, 2023, at Avant-Art Gallery Balmain Fall 2023 12