Upcoming Educational Programs

Live on Saturday, March 6^th at 11:00 a.m., Lester Marks joins VAA for a discussion about the inspirations behind his collection. We will also discuss how he became interested in contemporary art and how his taste has changed over the years. This program will be live streamed on VAA’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/visual.arts.alliance/ live/.

Lester Marks, President of International Art Advisory Services, and a represented artist himself, has been collecting contemporary art for 25 years. He has served as a trustee for both the Museum of Fine Arts-Houston and the Contemporary Arts Museum- Houston. Mr. Marks has also served on the boards of Diverse Works, Project Row Houses, Lawndale Art Center, Community Artists Collective, Art League of Houston, The Orange Show, and numerous other visual art organizations.

Mr. Marks has been included in Art News as one of the top 200 collectors in the world, and in Art & Antiques as one of the top 100 collectors making a difference in the art world. He was also featured in American Art Collectorfor their 100^th anniversary issue.

The home of Lester Marks is a “mini-museum” of contemporary art. The house is built around an outdoor courtyard displaying the sculpture of British environmental artist Richard Long. There are passageways to 3 small gallery spaces, a studio and even a “subterranean playroom” for the adventurous. The collection features museum quality works by artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Louise Bourgeois, Joseph Cornell, Francesco Clemente, Christo, John Baldessari, John McCraken, Carl Andre, Anselm Kiefer, Donald Judd, Kerry James Marshall, Nick Cave, Titus Kaphar, Amoako Boafo, Deborah Roberts, Trenton Doyle Hancock, John Wesley and dozens of others, along with works by hundreds of Regional and Houston area artists.