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O ur story begins in October 2011, when the scrappy newcomer to the statewide fair circuit, the Texas Contemporary Art Fair, took over the George R. Brown Convention Center for four days. Collectors and curators sensed something novel as they strolled the wide-bodied aisles that year; the fair felt messy and cool, from the site-specific Andy Coolquitt installation that quirkily spilled into public spaces to Glasstire's impromptu Western saloon, where proprietors Rainey Knudson and Bill Davenport dispensed bons mots and peddled wares crafted by Davenport himself. We should mention Max Fishko and Jeffrey Wainhause, the creatives behind the Texas Contemporary. These purveyors of fresh fair-going experiences are the most art- smart duo around — and, for two gentleman from New York, they're awfully laid back and chill. (Fishko honed his chops as the scion of Manhattan's legendary Forum Gallery, while Wainhause's expertise is in the tech field and event planning.) Flash forward. Fishko and Wainhause are at the top of the game, having developed six fairs under the umbrella of New York- based Art Market Productions (including the Texas Contemporary): Miami Project, considered one of the top events surrounding Art Basel Miami Beach; the innovative Art on Paper during Armory Week; the recently minted Seattle Art Fair; their first fair, Art Market San Francisco; and the rebranded Market Art + Design in Bridgehampton. For year five this fall, Fishko, Wainhause and team have surprises in order, even as they continue to partner with museums, nonprofits and cultural collaborators that have defined the Fair's success and unique Houston vibe. The dates — October 1 through 4 — place the Texas Contemporary in the heart of the fall art season in Houston. Opening Night once again benefits Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (to date, the Fair has raised $100,000 for the CAMH). Watch for innovative projects with Glasstire, FotoFest, Houston Center for Photography and Rice Gallery, the latter's legendary booth stocked with democratic collectibles by artist headliners. Expect Fair time to extend to an entire week, underscored by the leitmotif of engagement — reaching expanded audiences, tapping into the city's penchant for performing arts and nodding to intriguing public art. Tune to this spot in the coming months for the latest, including the looming announcement of a new international component. Canvas: Insider Preview — TEXAS CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR, YEAR FIVE October 1 – 4, 2015 H O U S T O N txcontemporary.com COLLECTION MFAH N ow that Cuba and the U.S. are courting again, we just might make a trek — especially after flipping through the lush new book Havana Modern, 20th Century Architecture and Interiors (Rizzoli), and its tour of Cuba's architecturally significant private homes and buildings, most never published before. Spanning the 1900s to 1965, the photographic survey marches across Cuban architecture — Art Nouveau and Art Deo, through high modernism just before the revolution, when the curtain went down. Meet Connors Tuesday, May 5, 6 pm, at Krispen, 3723 Westheimer, for cocktails and a signed book. Rsvp events@ altonladaymedia.com. At Krispen: Havana Modern AUTHOR MICHAEL CONNORS T he Whitney Museum of American Art adds a precious little masterpiece to its collection this month. MaxMara, which will sponsor opening-night festivities for the museum's new home — a brilliant modern structure nestled between the Hudson River and High Line Park in downtown Manhattan — has also collaborated with its architect, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, on a leather handbag appropriately monikered The Whitney. The bag's squared-off body and vertical ribbing mimic the building's steel tie-beamed exterior, and the crimson lining pays homage to the distinctive use of primary colors seen in many of the architect's projects. Launching May 1, the Whitney Bag will be available in three sizes and colors — black, tan and Bordeaux. There will also be an exclusive limited, numbered edition for collectors: 250 bags with a logo stamp branded on the inside in a light blue-grey reminiscent of the museum's facade. A mini monument for fashion lovers and art enthusiasts alike … $1,150 to $1,750, at the MaxMara boutique. Francine Ballard ARCHITECTURALLY SPEAKING MaxMara Whitney bag by Renzo Piano Building Workshop Legendary furniture designer Vladimir Kagan reintroduces his swooping, sensuous collection and signs his new book at David Sutherland showroom. Rebecca Sherman V ladimir Kagan is 88 years old — and Hollywood, it seems, would not have been as glamorous without him. Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Gary Cooper, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, David Lynch and Tom Cruise have all bought his sculptural concepts: chairs and tables with swooping walnut and aluminum bases, sensuously curved sofas and sleek Lucite. In 1997, Tom Ford filled 360 Gucci boutiques worldwide with Kagan's achingly chic modular Omnibus sofas, and the rest his history. A design star was reborn. But good luck trying to find his furniture to buy … Except for a handful of select showrooms in New York, Chicago and Miami, Kagan's classic collection has remained elusive in Texas. Until now. Showroom owner David Sutherland has handpicked nine styles from Kagan's since-reopened New Jersey factory and brought them to Dallas and Houston. The legend himself will be making a personal appearance at David Sutherland showroom Thursday, May 28, to sign copies of his newly reissued and updated book, Vladimir Kagan: A Lifetime of Avant-Garde Design (Pointed Leaf Press), with a preface by Tom Ford. VLADIMIR KAGAN IS SO KOOL … and he's COMING to HOUSTON Vladimir Kagan A mong the most unforgettable, yet under-known Latin American masters is Gyula Kosice, an nonagenarian Argentine creative who is often overshadowed by the big kinetic duo, Soto and Cruz-Diez. But that will be changing this month: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is rolling out the utopianly titled "Cosmic Dialogues: Selections from the Latin American Art Collection," starring Kosice's masterwork at its center, orbited by nearly 50 other important sculptures and drawings from the Southern continent produced during the last 70 years. Revel in a hypnotically staged installation of Kosice's magnum opus, La Ciudad Hidroespacial (The Hydrospatial City), created over the course of almost three decades, spanning 1946 to 1972. A futuristic environment of utopian sculpture and light, it is the closest thing we have to a Jetsons-like manifesto of life lived upon a faraway galaxy in very idealistic time and space. "Cosmic Dialogues," May 14 – August 23, mfah.org. Catherine D. Anspon CITY of the FUTURE BAUHAUS PRECEPTS TO LIVE BY. "There are two elements from Bauhaus that still drive my design. The first is 'Form follows function. ' The other is 'Less is more.'" Contour chaise at David Sutherland COURTESY MAXMARA KAROLINA STEFANSKI Carolina Herrera gives us a reason to stay in the shallow end this summer with some seriously classed-up pool attire. Digging into its expansive print archive, House of Herrera introduces a swimwear collection with seven silhouettes — ranging from a plunging-neckline maillot to high-wasted bikinis paired with bandeau tops and a classic scoop-back one piece — all with matching beach towels and tote bags. Each of the four imaginative prints tells a different story from the Venezuelan- American fashion marquise's vantage point. The Mushroom print is reminiscent of vistas at a favorite retreat of Herrera's in Klagenfurt, Austria, while Tango Dancers was inspired by her own confident spirit and energy, as well as a joie de vivre inherent in the passion of dance. From $490, at Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue. Francine Ballard Well SUITED Michael Connors Gyula Kosice's La Ciudad Hidroespacial (The Hydrospatial City), 1946 – 1972, at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston MaRS-designed VIP Lounge from the 2014 Texas Contemporary Max Fishko, Lucinda Loya, Jeffrey Wainhause, Javier Loya at Texas Contemporary Art Fair party, 2014 Carolina Herrera classic white shirt, Tango Dancers bikini bottom and matching tote Mushroom print from Carolina Herrera's Archive III collection