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CATHERINE D. ANSPON HOBNOBS WITH THE INTERNATIONALS. STEVEN HEMPEL RECORDS THE GAVEL ACTION. PHOTOGRAPHY PRISCILLA DICKSON, WILSON PARISH. Looks South A big biennial Latin American Gala breaks the bank. I t's hard to believe that before 2001, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, did not have a Latin American department. Now, a mere dozen years later, it's top in the U.S. Doubt that statement? Then you should have been there this season, when the MFAH rolled out a lavish weekend of fêtes that began with Thursday-night cocktails, segueing into a Friday-evening dinner and exhibition viewing (for the late, great Argentine Antonio Berni, who made fantastical figures from scraps and trash). The epicenter, however, was reached on Saturday, when a tony crowd of 375 patrons supreme — more than 150 of whom were internationals, from Bogota to Buenos Aires and London — flocked to the grand spaces of the Law Building's Cullinan Hall for the biennial Latin American Experience Gala. The occasion signaled another ambitious night for curator extraordinaire and department founder Mari Carmen Ramírez, who also heads the impactful (to the tune of $50 million) Latin American research arm of the MFAH, the International Center for the Arts of the Americas. At her side were MFAH director Gary Tinterow, who has great plans for the third building, and gala chairs/ mega-collectors Eugenia and Eduardo Grüneisen. If their name is not familiar, it's because they're based in Argentina, as was the honoree: the gracious Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier, one of the most important collectors and an expert on 17th- through 18th-century European and South American fine and decorative arts. The chairs' homeland literally and figuratively injected inspiration into the night, from the Argentine seated dinner catered by City Kitchen to a performance by tango master Yamil Le Parc. The most exciting part of the record-setting evening, however, was the appetizer: the live auction. Pre-dinner, notables took a seat in the Mies van der Rohe-designed Brown Auditorium for brisk bidding on truly important lots. At the helm, Sotheby's Americas wry chairman Jamie Niven wielded the gavel with aplomb — and more than a modicum of wit. For auction morsels, read on. MARCH | PAGE 14 | 2014 The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston "Highest price was fetched by the enormous sculpture made of Plasticine on wood — it was commissioned specifically for the gala and was the final work of Grupo Mondongo. Estimated at $60,000 to $80,000, it sold for $155,000, and Mari Carmen [Ramírez], who was seated in front of me, was jumping and pumping her fists when they struck the hammer." Auction Anecdotes Steven Hempel covers the bidding wars. • Jamie Niven, who sits on the board of MoMA, did a great job. He was funny in a deadpan way — similar to his father, urbane actor David Niven. For Lot 7 by Elias Crespin (which went for $125,000), he said, "It's handmade with rods, motors, computers ... things I really know nothing about, so you should buy it." • Lot 12 featured a piece by nonagenarian Gyula Kosice. Niven teasingly observed that at 90, the artist probably won't be making more new work. Upon noting its water element, he added that while it's an important piece, "if you have a cat, then this is for you." • Highest price was fetched by an enormous sculpture made of Plasticine on wood —the final work of Grupo Mondongo, commissioned specifically for the gala. Estimated at $60,000 to $80,000, it sold for $155,000, and Mari Carmen [Ramirez] was jumping and pumping her fists when they struck the hammer. • For Lot 18, Nido de Serpientes — The Snakepit — by Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar, Niven said, "It's kind of like the art world and my colleagues." Seven-Figure Ladies and Gents Not to be outdone by years past, the crowd raised a rousing $1.3 million, including an astounding $845,000 from the live auction. True Latin believers: Leslie and Brad Bucher; grand Brazilian constuctivist collector Adolpho Leirner, whose trove was acquired by the MFAH from 2005 to 2007; in from London, Elizabeth Esteve with Pace, a guest of Gail and Louis Adler; Mary Cullen with son and daughter-in-law, newlyweds Meredith and Danielle Cullen; Miami-based Tanya Brillembourg, whose mother's collection was showcased at the MFAH last summer, including a prized early Diego; Sam Gorman; Cecilia and Luis Campos and son Sebastian, whose Mission gallery is a nice addition to 4411 Montrose; Joanna and Rusty Wortham; artist Elias Crispin, an auction headliner; Kelly Garwood; Mary and Tom Lile; Linda and George Kelly; gallerist Cecilia de Torres, in from Manhattan; and Maria Inés Sicardi and Allison and David Ayers with Houston's groundbreaking Sicardi Gallery. — Steven Hempel, from the auction room Celina Hellmund Paul Barnhart Katie Barnhart Agustín Arteaga Gary Tinterow Honoree Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier Karen McRae Carlos González- Jaime Adolpho Leirner Deborah Roldán Louis Adler Gail Adler Brad Bucher Cecilia Campos Luis Campos Mary Davis Ryan Robinson Nataliya Ramirez Dana Caledonia Leslie Bucher Aliyya Stude Jamie Niven Robert Richter Danielle Cullen Meredith Cullen Alejandro Corres Sarah Corres Olive McCollum Jenney Mari Carmen Ramírez Miguel Angel Ríos Maggie Grüneisen Chairman Eugenia Grüneisen Dick Born Mary Cullen Eduardo Costantini Maria Ines Sicardi Chairman Eduardo Grüneisen Maita Barrenechea Yvonne Delor