HOUSTON, TX.- The prestigious starting line-up of galleries participating in the inaugural Houston Fine Art Fair, Sept. 15 – 18, 2011, was announced at a cocktail reception yesterday at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Over 150 art patrons, collectors and gallery supporters were on hand as the first wave of local, national and international galleries was unveiled by Hamptons Expo Group, the fair organizer.

Approximately half of the estimated 80 galleries, who will be participating in September fair at Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center, were named. A diverse line-up of blue-chip and emerging artists will be represented by international galleries from Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, France, Germany, Mexico, Spain, and Venezuela; among them include Oscar Cruz Galeria, Sao Paulo, Brazil and Schuebbe Projects, Dusseldorf, Germany. US cities represented by participating galleries include Albuquerque, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Santa Fe and St. Louis. Highlights include Alejandra von Hartz Gallery, Dot Fiftyone Gallery and Diana Lowenstein Fine Arts from Miami; Hollis Taggart Galleries and Pavel Zoubok Gallery from New York City, along with Los Angeles' Louis Stern Fine Arts.

The spotlight on Houston will showcase esteemed local galleries Anya Tish Gallery, Barbara Davis Gallery, Hiram Butler Gallery, McClain Gallery, Meredith Long & Company, and Sicardi Gallery.

"We are very excited to be the first international fine art fair in Houston," said Fran Kaufman, Director of the Houston Fine Art Fair. "The city, its collectors, curators and arts professional have been incredibly welcoming, and are working with us to make this fair memorable, strengthening our commitment to making HFAF an annual event."

William Shearburn, whose St. Louis gallery will be exhibiting at the fair said, "Houston has such an amazing visual arts scene. It has a really rich history of supporting contemporary art with The MFAH and The Menil -- both at the top of their games. I have a number of good clients in Houston and have for years, so it is always nice to go to a place that has an appreciation for contemporary art and spend time with existing clients and meet new people. I think the timing is perfect for a fair in Houston."

The Houston Fine Art Fair will be the first international fine art fair for Houston, America's third largest art market in the United States. Approximately 80 galleries will be represented, concentrating on post-war, contemporary and Latin American works. Artwork from 1950 to the present will include painting, drawing, print, video, sculpture, and photography. This inaugural fair is designed for both novice and experienced collectors and will include seminars, artist and collector interviews. During the fair weekend, the first annual Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to critically-acclaimed New York painter Donald Sultan. The fair is organized by Hamptons Expo Group Management, which also produces the annual art fairs ArtHamptons, ArtAspen and the San Francisco Fine Art Fair.