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H ooks 57: This month's c o l u m n i s a g a i n dedicated to one singular art space — in this case, a heritage dealer that can claim to be Houston's oldest continuously operating gallery. Kudos to the stalwart Hooks-Epstein Galleries, established 1969. This art enterprise, which was opened by the late Geri Hooks and her sister-in-law, Evan Epstein, 57 years ago at 1200 Bissonnet, still thrives today as a vital part of Houston's art ecosystem. In 1975, Epstein's interest was bought by Geri's husband, Charles Hooks; the couple later held court from a spacious temple of art at 3210 Eastside and were leaders of the seminal Houston Art Dealers Association. After Charles' death in 1995, Geri continued on, now in the gallery's current Colquitt location, where she became one of the foundational dealers along the city's thriving Gallery Row. In 2006, a fresh-faced UH art-history grad came on as junior member of the team. Flash forward 20 years, and Yvonne G a r c i a , H o o k s ' t r u s t e d colleague (akin to a daughter) holds the reins, carrying on five years after Geri's passing as her hand-picked successor. Garcia is committed to honoring the founder's vision, which morphed over the years from Hooks' first focus as a dealer of 19th- and 20th-century prints (the gallery's inaugural show set a high bar by presenting Picasso's Saltimbanques series). More museum-quality print exhibitions followed, including ones that offered homage to the Surrealists and attracted such astute collectors as Dominique de Menil. During more than half a century, Hooks-Epstein has earned a sterling reputation as a staunch but iconoclastic gallery with a stable that includes the long-time represented Kermit Oliver (the only American to create scarves for the House of Hermès); artists of the American studio-glass movement including T o o t s Z y n s k y ; i n v e n t i v e H o u s t o n craft master Edward L a n e M c C a r t n e y ; a n d K o r e a n - b o r n , Texas-based ceramicist Hayun Surl, a rising star in contemporary clay. Now on view is a doubleheader for Houston artist/activist Prince Varughese T h o m a s a n d Surrealist figurative painter/College of the Mainland prof Mark Greenwalt (both exhibitions through April 4). Read our exclusive Q&A with Garcia on milestones and moments from her double decades at Hooks-Epstein at papercitymag.com Clockwise from top: Hooks-Epstein Galleries' Yvonne Garcia with Kermit Oliver's Untitled (Indian on Horseback), circa 1970s. Meredith Pardue's Stones That Learned to Breathe [Axis of Adventurine and Unakite], 2025, at Laura Rathe Fine Art. Angelica Raquel's Neighbors (Jackrabbits), 2024, at Hooks-Epstein Galleries. Art Notes ALEX BARBER J ust In: Dynamic gallerist Laura R a t h e a d d s another town to her art-space portfolio when Laura Rathe Fine Art unveils in Austin at 907 West 5th Street on Saturday, March 28, with a group roundup aptly titled "Austin Bound." LRFA was founded in 1999 in Houston, with locations today on Gallery Row and River Oaks District; the gallery expanded in 2013 to the Dallas Design District. Rathe achieves a triple threat with her Austin debut. Back in Houston, catch LRFA's showcase for the lyrical gemstone p a i n t i n g s o f M e r e d i t h P a r d u e (through March 15), followed by "Hunt Slonem: Garden Party," featuring the artist's signature birds, bunnies, butterflies, florals, and landscapes (March 26 – April 20), both at River Oaks District. Catherine D. Anspon 30