Thirty Years: The Legacy of John Cleary Gallery

 

Opening reception:
 Saturday, June 27, 5 - 7 pm

Exhibition on view:
June 27 - September 5, 2026

 

Catherine Couturier Gallery is delighted to present Thirty Years: The Legacy of John Cleary Gallery. 2026 marks the thirtieth year of the gallery's existence, having opened in the same space on Gallery Row in 1996 as John Cleary Gallery. The history of the gallery is a complicated one with less-than-regular milestones, but this celebration of the life and legacy of John Cleary brings us back to the very beginning.

After taking a class on collecting photography taught by Houston-legends Anne Tucker and Geoff Winningham at Rice University in the late 1970s, John Cleary purchased his first photograph: Robert Doisneau’s Le Manège de Monsieur Barré (Mr. Barré's Carousel), 1955 (as mentioned in the Houston Chronicle’s article on John’s life, published January 30, 2008). Details of the inaugural exhibition in the gallery are somewhat unclear—John once said it was a Doisneau show, while one long-time collector remembers it as a French street photography show, and another recalls that it simply featured famous photographers. Although the specifics may be lost to history and the fallibility of memory, we are pleased to present an homage to this exhibition which will feature French photographers and more, including John’s first Doisneau and the exact André Kertész print which was sold at that first show in 1996.

The gallery welcomed Catherine Couturier as Gallery Manager in 1999, who would go on to buy the gallery after the sudden passing of John in 2008. 4 years later, the gallery’s name was updated as well. Although Catherine has now owned the gallery longer than he ever did, John played an unmistakably important role in both her life and in Houston’s photography scene, having founded what is now Houston’s longest running fine art photography gallery. His legacy is carried on by the gallery, by the collectors and friends who have stayed with us for these three decades, and by the Houston photographic community itself.

Please join us for the opening reception on Saturday, June 27 from 5 to 7 pm at Catherine Couturier Gallery!

To inquire on works, please contact us at gallery@catherinecouturier.com.

Press Release

 

 

Henri Cartier-Bresson
Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare, Paris, France, 1932/later
gelatin silver print
signed recto and stamped
17 1/2 x 11 3/4 inches
$28,000

 

 

Robert Doisneau
Les Amoureux Aux Poireaux, 1950
gelatin silver print
16 x 12 inches

signed, titled, and dated
$10,000

André Kertesz
Chez Mondrian, Paris, 1926/1980
gelatin silver print
signed and dated verso
7 x 9 3/4 inches
Inquire

 

 

Willy Ronis
Les Amoureux de la Bastille, 1957
gelatin silver print
11 1/2 x 17 inches
Inquire

 

Brassaï
Prostitutes in a Bar, Boulevard Rochechouart, Montmarte, 1932
gelatin silver print
10 x 8 inches
edition 23 of 30
signed
Inquire

 

Robert Doisneau
La Derniere Valse du 14 Juillet, 1949/later
gelatin silver print
12 x 16 inches
Inquire

 

Andre Kertesz
Landing Pigeon, New York, 1960
gelatin silver print
10 x 8 inches
Inquire

 

Robert Doisneau
Les glaneurs de charbon, 1945/c. 1980
gelatin silver print
Inquire

 

Robert Doisneau
La Dame Indignée, 1948/1956
vintage gelatin silver press print
7 x 9 inches
stamped
Inquire

 

André Kertész
Savoie, 1928/1970
gelatin silver print
10 x 8 inches
signed, titled, stamped
Inquire