Gallery 98 is fortunate to have a large collection of announcement cards and posters from Texas Gallery, an important southwest showcase for advanced contemporary art. We are sorry to hear that the gallery, which opened in the early 1970s, will soon be closing its Houston space and moving exclusively online.
The rise of the state of Texas as an important art center in the 1970s is linked to John and Dominique de Menil, the voracious collectors who were also responsible for high profile Houston projects like the Rothko Chapel, and their own museum The Menil Collection. Fredericka Hunter, the force behind Texas Gallery, studied art history with Dominque de Menil, and later became a partner in the Houston prints gallery Contact Graphics, which soon became Texas Gallery.
What makes the history of Texas Gallery memorable is not just its impressive roster of New York and California artists, but also its eye-catching promotional materials. For Fredericka Hunter and her gallery partner Ian Glennie creating unusual announcement cards and posters was a way of attracting attention, and of having fun. Often the artists themselves participated in the creation of this ephemera.
This week’s Gallery 98 newsletter features Contact Graphics and Texas Gallery ephemera from the early 1970s. During these years Edward Ruscha (originally from Oklahoma) played an important role, not only recruiting California artist friends like William Wegman (who lived in Los Angeles from 1970 -73) and Billy Al Bengston, but also for suggesting the name “Texas Gallery.”
Edward Ruscha
Edward Ruscha, Contract Graphics, 13 individual slips of paper in envelope, 1971. Size: 4.5 x 6 inches each.
This unusual announcement for an exhibition of prints by Ed Ruscha consisted of 13 small rectangular pieces of paper placed in an envelope. In addition to providing the basic information about the exhibition, the announcement uses some of the words featured in the prints that Ruscha was exhibiting. The idea of using small strips of paper with single words was inspired by a performance of Michael McClure’s play “The Beard,” where similar strips were left on each audience seat.
Edward Ruscha & William Wegman
Edward Ruscha & William Wegman, Texas Gallery, Two Cards, 1974. Size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches each — Available
Texas Gallery’s first location on Bissonnet Street featured a large awning with the gallery’s name emblazoned in a distinctive typeface taken from a Waylon Jennings album cover. It was Ruscha and Wegman who suggested using two cards featuring the same image of the gallery – one upright and one flipped — to announce their concurrent shows.
William Wegman
William Wegman, Texas Gallery, three cards in envelope, 1973. Size: 4.25 x 4.25 inches each — Available
William Wegman’s ability to infuse conceptual art with humor allowed him to reach audiences outside the traditional art world. The three cards that make up this announcement show Wegman dressed as a fisherman creating abstract lines in space by casting a rod and reel.
Billy Al Bengston
Billy Al Bengston, The Devil May Care Hollywood Artist, Contract Graphics, card, 1971. Size: 4 x 6 inches — Available
Fredericka Hunter recalls that Billy Al Bengston was a natural-born impresario and promoter who aways wanted to have a say in the design used for cards promoting his shows. This card is an early example of the sort of artist branding that was just coming into vogue in the 1970s.
B.A.B (Billy Al Bengston), “Less Duchamp more Cezanne” – Vija Celmins quote, Texas Gallery, folded tissue-paper announcement, 1976. Size: 14 x 14 inches — Available
This mailer is for an exhibition by Billy Al Bengston, modestly billed with his initials B.A.B. at the very top of the page. The exhibition consisted of a collection of silk scarves and handkerchiefs designed by Bengston. This one features the comment “Less Duchamp more Cézanne,” which his friend Vija Celmins once uttered in a casual conversation.
Billy Al Bengston, $10 For Your Idea, Cover: movie still with Buster Keaton, Texas Gallery, Card, 1973. Size: 5.75 x 7.75 inches — Available
Here Bengston created a participatory contest to call attention to his exhibition: “I will pay $10 for any idea I am able to use for an exhibition mailer or announcement. Please send all ideas to B.A.B. — artist studio –110 Mildred Avenue — Venice, California 90291…Please don’t miss my exhibition at the Texas Gallery…beginning on October 9th.”
Ralph Gibson
Ralph Gibson (Cover Image), Group Show Curated by Gary Stephan, Texas Gallery, Folded Poster, 1974. Size: 15.5 x 23 inches — Available
What image evokes Texas better than a gun? This poster for a group exhibition curated by Gary Stephan, features a photograph by Ralph Gibson. Many of the artists who showed at Texas Gallery were recommended by Klaus Kertess of Bykert Gallery.
Lynda Benglis
Lynda Benglis, Smile, Texas Gallery, card, 1975. Size: 5 x 6.5 inches — Available
This Texas Gallery announcement for an exhibition by Lynda Benglis features “Smile,” a bronze cast of a double-headed dildo. A few months earlier, Benglis became the talk of the art world when an advertisement in the November 1974 issue of Artforum showed her nude with a dildo. The Louisiana born Benglis would have many exhibitions at the Texas Gallery showing the full range of her multi-faceted art.
