Release Date
4.05.2013

Artist Jeff Koons Joins MFAH Director Gary Tinterow for the Launch of “Conversations with the Director,” Tuesday evening, April 23

This first edition of a new series of public conversations at the MFAH will discuss Picasso and the current "Picasso Black and White" exhibition

The next "Conversations with the Director" will be with Dr. Ruth Westheimer, on Tuesday, June 4

Presented by Louis Vuitton

Houston, April 5, 2013—On Tuesday evening, April 23, MFAH Director Gary Tinterow and artist Jeff Koons will launch the first edition of Conversations with the Director, a new public program series at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, that will bring an eclectic mix of cultural figures to the Museum's Brown Auditorium three times a year. Tinterow and Koons will discuss the artist’s enduring fascination with Picasso, in the context of the Museum’s current exhibition, Picasso Black and White, on view through May 27. Tickets for the event include a private viewing of Picasso Black and White prior to and reception following the discussion.

Psychiatrist Dr. Ruth Westheimer, internationally known authority on human sociology and sexuality and author of The Art of Arousal, will be in conversation with Tinterow at the MFAH on Tuesday, June 4. Additional guests for Conversations with the Director will be announced later in the year.

"I am thrilled to start off this new series with my longtime colleagues and friends, Jeff Koons and Dr. Ruth Westheimer," commented Gary Tinterow. "My hope is that every installment of this new series will become an anticipated event, a place to convene great ideas and conversation and add to the already lively mix of public programs here at the Museum and at other cultural venues in Houston."

About Jeff Koons
Jeff Koons (b. 1955) has had a profound impact on contemporary art since he emerged in the 1980s, finding inspiration from the world around him and taking mass media and consumerism head-on. His early installations, including The New series, included vacuum cleaners arrayed in acrylic boxes, and the Equilibrium series, with basketballs floating in tanks of water, became icons of the period. Over the years, the artist has continued to embrace American consumer culture by exploring contemporary obsessions with desire, commerce, consumerism, race, gender and the media. Koons' most recent works delve into themes of humanity and acceptance while incorporating imagery of antiquity and old masters, which prompt an art historical discourse threading continuously throughout the oeuvre. Koons and Tinterow most recently collaborated on an installation for the acclaimed rooftop series at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, in 2008.

About Louis Vuitton
This series is presented by Louis Vuitton. A symbol of elegance and style throughout the world, Louis Vuitton has cultivated a close relationship with the world of art since its founding in 1854. Consistent with the creativity and craftsmanship that have inspired the brand, Louis Vuitton is dedicated to sharing its creative passion in each community it serves.

Tickets and additional information
Tickets for the Conversations with the Director series will be $15 for students, $25 for MFAH members and $35 for the general public.

For the April 23 Jeff Koons event, tickets include a private viewing of Picasso Black and White prior to and reception following the discussion, and will be available Tuesday, April 9, at 10 a.m., online at www.mfah.org/koons or by calling 713.639.7771. Exhibition viewing 5–6:15 p.m.; discussion 6:30–7:30 p.m., reception following.

The on-sale date for tickets for the June 4 event with Dr. Ruth Westheimer will be announced.

About the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Established in 1900, the MFAH is the largest art museum in the region. The museum’s main campus is located in the heart of Houston’s Museum District and comprises the Audrey Jones Beck Building, designed by Rafael Moneo and opened in 2000; the Caroline Wiess Law Building, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and opened in 1958, with an extension completed in 1974; the Glassell School of Art; and the Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden, designed by Isamu Noguchi and opened in 1986. The Beck and Law buildings are connected underground by the Wilson Tunnel, which features James Turrell’s iconic installation The Light Inside. Additional spaces include a repertory cinema, two significant libraries, public archives and a conservation and storage facility. Nearby, two remarkable house museums—Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, and Rienzi—present collections of American and European decorative arts.

Media Contacts
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Mary Haus, Marketing and Communications Director, MHaus@mfah.org
Amy Lowman, Publicist, ALowman@mfah.org
713.639.7554