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Fast Start: Read our previews of both the Houston Fine Art Fair (September 9 – 12 at NRG Center) and Texas Contemporary Art Fair (October 1 – 4 at George R. Brown Convention Center) in this issue ... Promising Bursts: Cardoza Fine Art exhibits the talented wild child of the Houston scene, Mark Flood (September 12 – October 25) … At 4411 Montrose, Unix Gallery opens a Texas outpost (the other space is Chelsea, NYC). Word's out there may be major news of another new arrival at 4411 … Zoya Tommy Gallery moves into her new home on a prime midtown corner (4102 Fannin). Her inaugural show is Houston's Rome Prize painter, Earl Staley (September 11 – October 3) … Laura Rathe Fine Art adds another destination to her Texas empire. See second-gen Abstract Expressionist Tony Magar on Colquitt (September 12 – October 17), then on September 30, toast Rathe's second Houston locale at Blvd Place … Heights gallerist Wayne Gilbert opens the season at G Gallery with a solo for Hollywood cinematic photog Susan Landau (September 5 – 30), followed by the unveiling of Gilbert's new G Spot at 310 E. 9th Street, where Angelbert Metoyer headlines (September 11 – October 2). More Must- Sees: Blue-chip Meredith Long & Company showcases the timeless works on paper of Robert Motherwell (opening September 10) … Booker Lowe Gallery unfurls a poignant new series, "Song of Lao," documenting children in Cambodia snapped by Japanese-born lensmen Kenro and Yumiko Izu; Friends Without a Border is the beneficiary (September 24 – October 24) … Gremillion welcomes Leslie Parke, who has metamorphosed from photorealist to painter with an abstract pulse (September 10 – October 2). Eco + Polymer + Portraits: We're wild about the nature-based videos of Swiss-born, NYC-based Katja Loher at Anya Tish Gallery (September 11 – October 10) … Paul Fleming, king of the resin sculpture, opens "Marmalade Punch" at Barbara Davis Gallery (September 11 – October 9) ... Gittings celebrates the Alley Theatre by capturing the likenesses of its most munificent patrons. Head to Neiman Marcus, where its prime window adjoining the Galleria serves as a white cube for portraits of generous benefactors whose names end with Long, Williams, Weaver III, Kades, Plank, Wyatt and more (September 10 – 17). Catherine D. Anspon Art Notes T his fall, you don't need to head to London or Manhattan: One of the must-see blockbusters in the art world happens right here in Houston this month. "Mark Rothko: A Retrospective" — the artist's first American survey in 17 years — unveils Sunday, September 20, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, featuring more than 50 seminal canvases. The MFAH is the only U.S. venue and the final stop of an international tour that began last fall; it was first mounted by the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague, Netherlands, followed by a stop this spring at the Hangaram Art Museum in Seoul. Comprised largely of the holdings of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. — which owns the trove of the paintings the artist kept for himself, aka "Rothko's Rothkos" — the collection spans the definitive decades of the painter's career, 1936/37 to 1970, to reveal the development of his mature style: those signature glowing rectangles of pigment that appear to levitate off the canvas. The exhibition wraps with the somber late work, which foreshadows Houston's own Rothko Chapel commissions. Three works from the MFAH and four from The Menil Collection join the National Gallery Rothkos. For our conversation with Christopher Rothko, the artist's son, turn to page 52). Regarding how the exhibition came to Houston, MFAH director Gary Tinterow notes, "The National Gallery of Art originally planned an exhibition only for The Hague and Seoul. However, my good friends at the National Gallery knew I wanted to mount a great Rothko show, and they moved quickly to secure it for Houston." The MFAH's Alison Greene, organizing curator for the Houston presentation, weighs in, "To be able to see the full range of the artist's achievement, from his early cityscapes to his final canvases, is the kind of opportunity that comes along only very, very rarely." And, what makes Rothko great? "At a moment when a term like 'zombie abstraction' is used to describe art today," Greene says, "we hope that visitors will take advantage of our presentation to refresh and deepen their understanding of one of America's most eloquent painters." "Mark Rothko: A Retrospective," September 20 – January 24, 2016 at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; mfah.org. Catherine D. Anspon RESPLENDENT ROTHKO Derek Lam moves in a casual direction this fall via a fashion performance collab with Athleta. It seems that getting dressed up during the day has gone the way of the fax machine, thus the sleek Derek Lam 10C Athleta collection serves up Lam's signature color-blocking and two-in-one styles in performance fabrics for leggings, shorts, dresses, jackets, sweatshirts and custom-designed sneakers … still sharp, still pulled-together but with gym-gear comfort. Available September 3 at the Athleta store, athleta.com. Francine Ballard ATHLEISURE FOR ALL All of Houston's hot spots, fun fashion finds and beautiful people are now in one place: your inbox. Go to the new papercitymag.com to sign up for our weekly edit feed. YOU HAVE CHIC MAIL A s fate would have it, a building designer and an interior designer bought adjacent houses, their back doors facing each another. Once they realized their interrelated careers, it didn't take long for Deborah Hasou and Genna Weidner to start collaborating. In 2010, they partnered to create a design office. The business quickly expanded, and a few years later, having outgrown their home offices, they found a commercial space not far away from their homes in Wilchester West. Weidner Hasou is a nearly 2,500-square-foot design environment on Memorial Drive, just south of Town & Country Village, that's equal parts retail shop and design studio. Pop in for goods to outfit your home and stock your hostess-gift closet, from Farmhouse Pottery to Libeco Belgian linens, as well as monogram-appliquéd pillows and linens by Houston-based Jacquelyn Reese. Weidner Hasou, 12649 Memorial Dr., 713.932.0232, weidnerhasou.com Anne Lee Phillips Haven for the Home on MEMORIAL DRIVE Jacquelyn Reese monograms at Weidner Hasou COURTESY THE ARTIST AND ANYA TISH GALLERY COURTESY MEREDITH LONG & COMPANY Mark Rothko with No. 7, 1960 PHOTOGRAPHER UNKNOWN, COURTESY THE ESTATE OF MARK ROTHKO Derek Lam 10C Athleta Derek Lam 10C Athleta Katja Loher's When the Color Green Runs out, with What Will We Replace It?, 2015, at Anya Tish Gallery Robert Motherwell's The Alphabet Series (Impression: Z), 1986, at Meredith Long & Company As you read these words, Texas Contemporary Art Fair glows brightly upon the horizon. (Ready, set, collect!) The Fair storms into town after its presentation of the inaugural Seattle Art Fair, where Vulcan, the company headed by Mr. Paul G. Allen selected — from among of all entities in the world — Art Market Productions to partner with Vulcan for the fair's eagerly watched maiden voyage at CenturyLink Field Event Center. (Mr. Allen's Seahawks play in the nearby stadium.) Sales (dealers from Paul Kasmin to James Cohan and David Zwirner reported keen interest and brisk acquisitions) and attendance (15,000 visitors) were both off the charts, paving the way for Art Market's return to Texas and its presentation of the fifth iteration of the Texas Contemporary. Read about who's coming, who to collect, where to be and how to be a VIP (see page 81). And tune in next month and online for breaking Fair reports as they unfold. Besides the exciting new international element provided by the Mexico City exhibitors curated by Leslie Moody Castro and a special appearance by The Haas Brothers, the darlings of the design world who are collected by none other than Donatella Versace, you can expect the most intriguing Opening Night to date. International power couple John and Becca Cason Thrash, renowned for their bold philanthropy and passion for arts causes, step up to chair the Preview Party on Thursday, October 1. (Miz Thrash, a fund- raiser of innovation and epic scale, is also known as the lady who chaired the Louvre's first-ever benefits, so she'll add sparkle to the throng storming the booths at the George R. Brown Convention Center.) We'd be remiss if we didn't mention the VIP perks and experiences, such as the parties, which begin with the September 24 kickoff at Internum, co-sponsor of the Fair's VIP Lounge (RSVP to Matt Johns, 713.412.8867, matt@experientialmatter.com). Extraordinary art adventures associated with the Fair include insider tours of The Menil Collection, which are usually reserved for the likes of Tom Ford, Beyoncé or Tilda Swinton; behind- the-scenes peeks at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's Rothko retrospective; brunch at the famed Rothko Chapel; and private tours of Houston's acclaimed collections, including those that focus on the Latin American avant-garde. Out- of-town guests will flock to the official hotel: the magnificently restored Samuel F. Carter skyscraper, now the grand JW Marriott Downtown. It's HQ for the Mexico City contingent, too, and we predict the lush spa and art party action will be alluring draws for the collector crowd. Canvas: Insider Preview — TEXAS CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR, YEAR FIVE October 1 – 4, 2015 H O U S T O N txcontemporary.com MICHELLE WATSON Opening Night co-chair Becca Cason Thrash COURTESY ADELSON GALLERIES, BOSTON Federico Uribe's Leopard, 2015, at Adelson Galleries JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON