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O d e t o a n I c o n : C o n t i n u i n g o u r c o m m i t m e n t t o h o n o r i n g d e a l e r s marking milestones, we devote this column to Moody Gallery and its founder, Betty Moody. The beloved gallerist has been a stalwart, inimitable icon within the Houston art scene across the decades. This autumn, she celebrates a half century of the unique art haven she founded in 1975. Born in Memphis but spending formative years in Nashville, Moody became a dedicated art lover at an early age. She considers the Cheekwood Estate & Gardens, an art museum housed in a historic mansion encircled by a botanic garden and arboretum, to be an enduring Nashville cultural treasure, as well as a guiding star for her future life as gallerist. Moody attended the University of Kentucky, graduating in 1966. "I was an art major and enjoyed the studio classes but especially loved art history," she says. "I worked in the university's art gallery and helped install exhibitions. Little did I know that around 60 years later, I would still be installing shows." When Moody moved to Houston in 1967, it was still an up-and- coming-metropolis sans the skyline we know today. She began working at DuBose Gallery, founded by the legendary Ben DuBose, whose gallery was a fixture on the Houston art scene from the 1950s to 1970s. "Ben DuBose was a great art dealer," Moody says. "He was a natural with his artists and clients. I learned a great deal from him. After Ben died, I worked for another gallery for about a year and then decided to open my own. When you are young, obstacles are not an issue! I found a 3,000-square-foot space in River Oaks Shopping Center at 2015-J West Gray. I was there for 10 years." Moody Gallery's second and longest- running iteration — 2815 Colquitt Street, a foundational space along Gallery Row — has been in operation for 40 years. It's where the dealer holds court today with her dedicated staff, which includes assistant directors Lee Steffy (Moody's stepdaughter), and Adrian Page, gallery a s s i s t a n t S e r e n a Shannon, and a roster of respected and collectible talent. These include Art League Houston 1996 Texas Artist o f t h e Ye a r Lucas Johnson; M A N U A L , the renowned p h o t o g r a p h i c duo of the late Suzanne Bloom and husband, Ed Hill; watercolorist extraordinaire/Glassell School teacher Arthur Turner; wry innovator with materials Al Souza; leading lady of clay Tracye Wear; and sculptor/jeweler Bill Steffy, the gallerist's late husband. The latter, who studied architecture, designed the gallery, which remains timeless with its geometric massing and intimate spaces that nod to Southwestern culture and architecture. All these talents were recently on display in Part 1 of the gallery's 50th Anniversary Exhibition. Part II unfolds now (through December 23), an ambitious group show headlined by Venice Biennale-exhibited James Drake, a touchstone of the gallery; Menil- exhibited photographer of the South, William Christenberry; influential Texas painter Joseph Glasco, who mentored Julian Schnabel when the pair were Galveston neighbors; lyrical abstract NY painter Stephen Greene, whose daughter Alison Greene is the MFAH's esteemed modern and contemporary curator; and Chicano sculptor Luis Jiménez, whose End of the Trail (with Electric Sunset) famously blew out the circuits when it was exhibited in the Whitney Biennial of 1973. Read more on Betty Moody in her profile, via papercitymag.com. Ericka Schiche and Catherine D. Anspon Top from left: Betty Moody wears a Charles Pebworth pendant, 1978, at Moody Gallery. Stephen Greene's Double Image, 1994, at Moody Gallery. Art Notes 22 K A T H E R I N E W A R R E N , J . D . | 8 3 2 . 7 2 5 . 4 3 4 0 | @ k a t h e r i n e w a r r e n s o t h e b y s K A T H E R I N E W A R R E N , J . D . | 8 3 2 . 7 2 5 . 4 3 4 0 | @ k a t h e r i n e w a r r e n s o t h e b y s @ @ e l i z a b e t h c h i p m a n . r e a l t o r e l i z a b e t h c h i p m a n . r e a l t o r | 7 1 3 . 2 6 5 . 7 4 5 5 | E L I Z A B E T H G R E G O R Y C H I P M A N , J . D . | 7 1 3 . 2 6 5 . 7 4 5 5 | E L I Z A B E T H G R E G O R Y C H I P M A N , J . D . C U R A T O R S O F T H E U N I Q U E C U R A T O R S O F T H E U N I Q U E