Texas Business reports:  Houston, America's third largest art market, will be home to the first annual Houston Fine Art Fair September 15 – 18, 2011.

Approximately 80 international, national and Texas galleries will all be available under one roof, inside the George R. Brown Convention Center.

The Houston Fine Art Fair will offer a broad spectrum of artworks from 1950 to the present, with paintings, drawing, print editions, installation, sculpture, and photography. International in scope, the fair will also showcase Latin American, South American and Mexican art.  Thousands of artworks from 500 respected artists will be presented. Events planned in Houston, for both novice and experienced collectors, will include seminars, artist and collector interviews and roundtable discussions in an on-site theater.

“The City of Houston is proud to host the inaugural Houston Fine Art Fair,”said Houston mayor Annise Parker in a prepared statement.  “We endorse the fair's efforts to focus attention on Houston as a vibrant hub for artists, collectors, galleries, and patrons of fine art. We hope to establish Houston, as a respected and must-attend, regular stop on the national and international fine art fair circuit.”

Though the Houston Fine Art Fair will be large enough to rank as a major international art fair, Friedman's stamp is creating settings where private collectors and art enthusiasts have access to some of the top art dealers.  His company, Hamptons Expo Group Management, produces the annual art fairs - ArtHamptons; ArtAspen and the San Francisco Fine Art Fair.

“Rarely has an art fair been so fully embraced with local support by its major museum, local galleries, leading collectors, art patrons, and city officials,” said  Rick Friedman, president of Hamptons Expo Group Management. “There's enormous enthusiasm as the entire Houston arts community has come together in a unified effort to put their best foot forward to host the city's first fine art fair.”

Friedman has selected curator and art advisor Fran Kaufman as director of the Houston Fine Art Fair. Kaufman was formerly the director of the palmbeach3 contemporary art fair.   She has also curated exhibitions in Europe, South America and the United States, and for 17 years, she was a New York dealer and partner in the long-time NYC gallery Rosenberg + Kaufman Fine Art.

“We are working closely with museums and arts professionals to bring a fantastic group of galleries to the fair,” said Fran Kaufman, director of the Houston Fine Art Fair. “We are collaborating with The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) and our opening night preview Sept. 15th, will benefit their highly-respected Glassell School Core artists' and critics' residency program.”