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Events

Lecture | Collecting Drawings in the 21st Century

Date & Time

Thu. Oct. 08, 2026 6:30 PM-7:30 PM

Location Main Campus | Beck Building

Parking at Beck Garage
Drop off at Beck Building

Email Your Questions [email protected]

Events

Lecture | Collecting Drawings in the 21st Century

Date & Time

Thu. Oct. 08, 2026 6:30 PM-7:30 PM

Location Main Campus | Beck Building

Parking at Beck Garage
Drop off at Beck Building

A gallerist, an auction specialist, a collector, and an MFAH curator come together to discuss collecting drawings in the 21st century. This event is presented by the organization Trois Crayons, which is based in the United Kingdom and strives to expand and connect the global drawings community.

The conversation features Tom Edwards, managing director of Abbott and Holder; Giada Damen, AVP, specialist, and head of sale at Christie's; and Sebastien Paraskevas, founder of Trois Crayons. Curator Dena M. Woodall moderates. The participants engage with the state of the market for both Old Master and contemporary drawings, with a particular emphasis on the former.

This event begins in the American General Conference Room in the Beck Building. After the conversation, guests are invited to visit the Anne Wilkes Tucker Study Center to view a selection of works on paper.

Tickets

  • Lecture*
    A free ticket is required in advance. Capacity is limited.
  • Museum Admission
    *Museum admission is required in addition to the lecture ticket. Admission is free for MFAH members. Get advance Museum tickets.

Plan Your Visit

About the Speakers
Tom Edwards is managing director of Abbott and Holder, a London gallery specializing in British art from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. He studied the history of art at the Courtauld Institute and spent a year at Bonhams Auctioneers as a porter. Edwards is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars, a council member of the British Antiques Dealers Association, and a trustee of the Fine Arts Provident Institution.
 
Giada Damen is a specialist in the department of Old Master Drawings at Christie’s in New York. Previously, she held curatorial positions at the Frick Collection, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Morgan Library & Museum, and the Princeton University Art Museum. Damen earned a PhD in art history from Princeton University, is a specialist in Italian art, and has been widely published. She has curated and co-curated several exhibitions, including Pierre-Jean Mariette and the Art of Collecting Drawings at Morgan Library & Museum. 
 
Sebastien Paraskevas is a Swiss CEO, investor, and art collector. He is director and co-founder of Mariette & Co., the parent company behind Trois Crayons. As a collector, Paraskevas has a passion for drawings—especially those from the Italian Renaissance—and European decorative arts from the 15th century to 18th century.

Email Your Questions [email protected]

Learning and Interpretation programs at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, receive generous support from H-E-B; Sempra Foundation; the Brown Foundation, Inc.; the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo; the Joe Barnhart Foundation; the Cockrell Family Fund; the CFP Foundation; the Claire & Theodore Morse Foundation; the Junior League of Houston, Inc.; and additional generous donors.
 
Endowment funds are provided by the Louise Jarrett Moran Bequest; Caroline Wiess Law; Windgate Foundation; the William Randolph Hearst Foundation; Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff; the Fondren Foundation; BMC Software, Inc.; the Wallace Foundation; the Neal Myers and Ken Black Children’s Art Fund; the Eleanor and Frank Freed Foundation; Medha and Shashank Karve; Virginia and Ira Jackson; Jesse H. Jones II; the CFP Foundation; the Favrot Fund; gifts in memory of John Wynne; Neiman Marcus Youth Arts Education; gifts in memory of Peter Lotz; and gifts in honor of Beth Schneider.