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MFAH Latin American Experience Gala |
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Honorees Patricia Ortiz Monastario, Maria Ines Sicardi, Raquel Arnaud, Mari Carmen Ramirez, Mariana Povarche, Patricia Ready, Cecilia de Torres, and Elena Povarche.
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Some
350 guests celebrated the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) biannual
Latin American Experience weekend Saturday evening, June 6, 2009 at
the MFAH. The event, chaired by Mary Cullen, Kristi Schiller and Jack
Moriniere, featured cocktails (pisco sours, margaritas, and caipirinhas),
a live auction of Latin American works of art, dinner, Samba dancers,
Tango, dancing to the music of Grupo Ka-che, and a lighting "intervention," or
Chromo-Interference, by Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez that bathed
the vast space of Cullinan Hall and turned the dinner guests into works
of art. The evening honored "Las Mujeres del Arte Latino Americano," 11
leading ladies of Latin American art who have put the field on the
world map.
Following cocktails and a preview of the exhibition North Looks South:
Building the Latin American Art Collection, the hundreds of guests
assembled in the museum's Mies Van Der Rohe-designed auditorium to
further add to the MFAH's extraordinary collection, by buying 20 works
of art, with proceeds supporting acquisitions in the field of Latin
American art. Spirited bidding was presided over by Sotheby's auctioneer
and Senior VP August Uribe, whose showmanship and expertise elicited
more than $400,000 from the audience. A surprise lot capped the session:
a weekend of Tango lessons in Buenos Aires with the legendary El Pulpo,
who, with his partner, came onstage to give a sampling of what the
lucky bidder had in store just before everyone headed upstairs for
dinner. Nina Zilkha was the winning bidder. The evening grossed $719,050.
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Joanna Wortham, Nancy Pruden, Terry Pruden and Rusty Wortham, chair of the MFAH's Latin American Art committee.
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Gala co-chair Jack Moriniere, Mary Lile, Tom Lile.
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Gala co-chairs Kristi Schiller and Mary Cullen.
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MFAH trustee Margaret Alkek Williams and Jim Daniels.
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Erik Littlejohn and Nancy Littlejohn.
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Celina Brener, MFAH curator Mari Carmen Ramirez and Karol Barnhart.
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Leslie Bucher, Brad Bucher, Carlos Cruz, Francisca Novoa.
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Diane Lokey Farb.
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Karen Desen.
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Catherine Anspon and Jorge Duran.
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Luis De La Garza and Pilar De La Garza.
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Vallette Windham and Russell Windham.
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Ricardo Tere Persquia and Mary Tere Persquia.
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John Schiller, Daniel Schiller, Kristi Schiller and Gabriel De La Mora.
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Karen Susman and Harry Susman.
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Helen Austin and Jeff Austin.
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Meredith Cullen and Colleen Connolly.
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Matty Hull and Richard Hull.
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Araceli Diederichs and Jean-Marie Diederichs.
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Marilyn Oshman and Monsour Taghdisi.
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Maria Elena Mendoza and Jorge Cruz.
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Dr. Luis Campos and Cecelia Campos.
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Dr. Lisa Santos and Bill Pugh.
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Leah Lloyd and Bill Lloyd.
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Mari Carmen Ramirez, Sam Gorman and Mary Cullen.
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Elizabeth Diaz, Rick Rambo and Frances Rambo.
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Sue Schwartz.
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Sheema Muneer.
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Paul Johnson and Amy Purvis.
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Penelope Gonzalez and Lester Marks.
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Carlos Bacino, Luis Tomasello and Mari Ines Sicardi.
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Dabney Moxham.
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Dr. Tom Solis.
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Beverly Berry and John Berry.
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Andre Connan and Eleanor Connan.
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Anne Morimere, Paul Madan, Stephanie Madan, Ted Pentecost.
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Alejandro Zaia.
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Marc Schindler.
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Mary Arocha.
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Ryland Holmes Peveto.
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Nicole Schindler and Luisa Duarte.
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Tom Harper and George Lancaster.
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Jack Moriniere and Richard Townsend.
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Gabriel Cruz and Sophie Imbert.
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Gilbert Vicario and Michele Avina.
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Gail Adler and Louis Adler.
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Stephanie Lepeu, Julio Norberto Esprez, Mary Cullen.
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Fabian Garcia Diaz and Tanya Brillembourg Capriles.
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Lonnie McKinney, Mary Ann McKinney and J.C. Uriarte.
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Allison Ayers and Patricia Ortiz Monasterio.
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Dora Lloret and Leda Lloret.
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Christina Wong, Liz Carreno and Veronica Schiller.
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Wendi Norris and Teresa Arcq.
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Sam Gorman and Louis Adler.
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Tomas Gunz and Cecelia Gunz.
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Vanessa Luiz and Edilson Lima.
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Valerie Greiner.
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Peter Brown.
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Haydeh Davoudi and Karen Susman.
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Daniel Schiller and Nicole Schiller.
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Amy Purvis and Josh Agrons.
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Auggie Uribe and Wendi Norris.
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Photos:
Image 1, 4-25, 28-36, 38-50, 52-62, 64 : Fulton Davenport
Image 2, 3, 26: George Ramirez
Image 27, 37, 51, 63 : Andrew Spies |