Lectures Year of Friday, August 23, 2024-Friday, August 22, 2025

Gauguin in the World November 3, 2024–February 16, 2025
The MFAH is the only U.S. venue for this ambitious exhibition showcasing the work of French Post-Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin.
22 Feb Sat / 2025
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John Robert Cozens, View of Vietri and Raito, Italy, c. 1783, watercolor over graphite on cream laid paper, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Stuart Collection, museum purchase funded by Francita Stuart Koelsch Ulmer in honor of Dena M. Woodall.
ArtSmart Lecture for Supporting-Plus Members | Featuring Curator Dena M. Woodall
11 a.m.—12:30 p.m.MFAH members at the Supporting level and above are invited to this lecture by Dena M. Woodall, curator of prints and drawings.
27 Feb Thu / 2025
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Woman’s Robe (Chyrpy), Central Asia or Iran, 19th century, embroidered silk, collection of Bruce P. and Olive W. Baganz.
Collector Conversation | Turkmen Textiles and Jewelry
6 p.m.—7:30 p.m.Learn about the artistic and historical significance of the stunning Turkmen Textiles and Jewelry, lauded as a landmark installation and on view in the galleries for Art of the Islamic Worlds.
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Henri Matisse, Woman in a Purple Coat, 1937, oil on canvas, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, John A. and Audrey Jones Beck Collection, gift of Audrey Jones Beck. © Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Lecture | A Deeper Look at the Beck Collection
6:30 p.m.—7:30 p.m.Curator Helga Aurisch shares the insights into the Beck Collection that she gained preparing a new version of the catalogue for these notable works of art.
01 Mar Sat / 2025
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Glenn Adamson
Patron-Plus Members Lecture | “With Hidden Noise: The Worlds of Toshiko Takaezu"
5 p.m.—6 p.m.Patron-Plus members are invited to an exclusive curatorial lecture about the exhibition “Toshiko Takaezu: Worlds Within.”
02 Mar Sun / 2025
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Designed by Bernard van Orley, woven by Willem and Jan Dermoyen, Surrender of King François I, c. 1528–31, wool, silk, gold, and silver thread, Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Naples. Image © Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte.
Opening Day Lecture | “Knights in Shining Armor”
1 p.m.—2 p.m.An inside look at the exhibition which features monumental tapestries served as immersive and elaborate tools for dynamic storytelling, political propaganda, and the depiction of history.
05 Mar Wed / 2025
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Kinder Institute Forum | “Houston’s Northside Neighborhoods”
7 p.m.—8:15 p.m.A discussion about the book A Good Reputation: How Residents Fight for an American Barrio delves into the development and transformation of Houston’s Northside neighborhood.
08 Mar Sat / 2025
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Flor Garduño, Autoretrato, photograph, 2006, courtesy of the artist. © Flor Garduño
Conversation with Flor Garduño
2 p.m.—3 p.m.FotoFest and the MFAH present a conversation in English and Spanish with renowned Mexican photographer Flor Garduño. She is joined by FotoFest co-founder Wendy Watriss and executive director Steven Evans.
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Furio Rinaldi
Members Lecture | “Tamara de Lempicka”
4 p.m.—5 p.m.MFAH members are invited to an exclusive lecture about the exhibition Tamara de Lempicka.
29 Mar Sat / 2025
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Artist Talk & Sound Walk | Leilehua Lanzilotti
2 p.m.—3 p.m.This talk by artist Leilehua Lanzilotti complements the exhibition “Toshiko Takaezu: Worlds Within.”
17 Apr Thu / 2025
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Laura Camerlengo
Lecture | Tamara de Lempicka in Fashion
6:30 p.m.—7:30 p.m.Curator Laura Camerlengo discusses Tamara de Lempicka’s sense of composition and fashion, in relation to the larger Art Deco design trends of the era.