Through the looking glass

Handle with care: Behind the scenes as masterpieces from the Prado are hung atMFAH

Photo by Joel Luks
Álvaro Perdices, exhibitions coordinator at the Prado, and Zahira Véliz Bomford,senior paintings conservator at MFAH, pored over Francisco Rizi's TheAnnunciation. BBVA Compass president and CEO Manolo Sanchez, alongside hiscolleagues, surveyed the impact of the company's sponsorship dollars.
Photo by Joel Luks
MFAH preparators Russ Lane, Michael Crowder, Jason Storrs and Chris Huronhandled . . .
Photo by Joel Luks
Anthonis Mor's Joanna of Austria (Doña Juana de Austria) with white-glove care.
Photo by Joel Luks
Joseph Cowart and Robert Kimberly installed Mariano Fortuny's Elderly Nude Manin the Sun.
Photo by Joel Luks
Jusepe de Ribera's Saint Andrew.
Photo by Joel Luks
Portrait of Spain: Masterpieces from the Prado, presented by BBVA Compass andBBVA Compass Foundation, opens at MFAH on Dec. 16.
Photo by Joel Luks

Tips for hanging pictures: Always pin at eye level, measure twice, hammer once, use a weight-appropriate picture hook — and try not to destroy the wall or the art while you are at it. It isn't difficult; it's not rocket science; anyone can do it.

But what if the framed pieces are, let's just say, worth millions, priceless — and not yours?

Exhibitions go up and come down at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston all the time. As a popular destination for some of the most exquisite traveling collections, curators and their assistants receive, unpack, inspect and install irreplaceable artifacts as often as they change their underpants, but without taking for granted that slow and steady wins the race.

Portrait of Spain: Masterpieces from the Prado, presented by BBVA Compass and BBVA Compass Foundation, opens at the MFAH on Sunday (Dec. 16.) More than 100 Spanish paintings that chronicle the development of the genre, from the 16th through the 19th century, are in the process of being installed in the galleries of the Audrey Jones Beck Building, and CultureMap was invited to observe.

Turns out, the hubby married his mistress after Joanna expired, which raised rumors of foul play.

While MFAH preparators Russ Lane, Michael Crowder, Jason Storrs and Chris Huron handled Anthonis Mor's Joanna of Austria (Doña Juana de Austria) with white-glove care, Museo Nacional del Prado senior curator of Spanish painting Javier Portús told the tale of the unhappy Grand Duchess of Tuscany, who fell to her death while pregnant with her eighth child. Turns out, the hubby married his mistress after Joanna expired, which raised rumors of foul play.

Álvaro Perdices, exhibitions coordinator at the Prado, and Zahira Véliz Bomford, senior paintings conservator at MFAH, pored over Francisco Rizi's The Annunciation with a fine tooth comb. Actually, it was with with a headband magnifier.

Rolling down the gallery on a dolly, preparators Joseph Cowart and Robert Kimberly installed Mariano Fortuny's Elderly Nude Man in the Sun. OnceJusepe de Ribera's Saint Andrew was secured, it was time for a recess.

It may have been just another day at work for these cool, level-headed handymen, but the room was tense with the possibility that something could go wrong at any moment. Can you imagine?

Thankfully, all we could do was imagine.

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Concert News

Classic rockers Styx will sail away to Houston on summer 2025 tour

Photo courtesy of Styx

Styx will tour in summer 2025.

Legendary rockers Styx and Kevin Cronin, lead singer of REO Speedwagon, will team up to co-headline the “Brotherhood of Rock” tour in 2025, which will include a stop at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands on Friday, June 6.

The large, 40-city tour will take place over three months, starting in Greenville, South Carolina on May 28, and wrapping up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 24.

In addition to Houston, the tour will go to Austin on June 4 and Dallas on August 1. It will include special guest Don Felder, former lead guitarist for the Eagles, at all dates.

Fans can expect some of the greatest rock anthems of all time, including “Renegade,” “Keep On Loving You,” “Come Sail Away,” “Can't Fight This Feeling,” and “Hotel California.”

Styx and Cronin (as part of REO Speedwagon) first toured together in 2000 and in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks, coming together to form the Rock to the Rescue 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. This will mark their sixth time joining forces on the road.

2022 was the 50th anniversary of Styx's self-titled debut album, but they have yet to slow down. The band released their 17th album, Crash of the Crown, in 2021. Of course, not everyone is a fan, as this classic clip from The Simpsons illustrates.

REO Speedwagon's recording days appear to be done, with their last album coming out in 2009, but the main group of five has been together since 1989. On this tour, Cronin will be joined by REO's lead guitarist Dave Amato and drummer Bryan Hitt.

General tickets for the tour will go on sale starting on Friday, December 13 at 10 am at LiveNation.com.

Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets in the U.S. beginning on December 9 at 10 am through the Citi Entertainment program.

Styx and Kevin Cronin will be offering VIP packages via their own exclusive pre-sales beginning on Tuesday, December 10 at 10 am, as well as at LiveNation.com.

“Brotherhood of Rock” tour dates

Wed 5/28 Greenville, SC Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Sat 5/31 Tampa, FL MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Mon 6/2 Jacksonville, FL Daily's Place
Wed 6/4 Austin, TX Germania Insurance Amphitheater
Fri 6/6 The Woodlands, TX The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
Sat 6/7 Ridgedale, MO Thunder Ridge Nature Arena
Mon 6/9 Denver, CO Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
Wed 6/11 Salt Lake City, UT Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
Fri 6/13 Concord, CA Toyota Pavilion at Concord
Sat 6/14 Bend, OR Hayden Homes Amphitheater
Sun 6/15 Ridgefield, WA RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
Sat 6/28 Albuquerque, NM Isleta Amphitheater
Mon 6/30 Colorado Springs, CO Ford Amphitheatre
Wed 7/2 Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre
Sat 7/5 Birmingham, AL Coca-Cola Amphitheater
Sun 7/6 Alpharetta, GA Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Tue 7/8 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion
Wed 7/9 Raleigh, NC Coastal Credit Union Music Park
Fri 7/11 Virginia Beach, VA Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
Sat 7/12 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
Mon 7/14 Syracuse, NY Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview
Tue 7/15 Bridgeport, CT Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
Fri 7/18 Gilford, NH BankNH Pavilion
Sat 7/19 Mansfield, MA Xfinity Center
Sun 7/20 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
Fri 8/1 Dallas, TX Dos Equis Pavilion
Sat 8/2 Brandon, MS Brandon Amphitheater
Mon 8/4 Franklin, TN FirstBank Amphitheater
Wed 8/6 Richmond, VA Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront
Fri 8/8 Camden, NJ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Sun 8/10 Burgettstown, PA The Pavilion at Star Lake
Tue 8/12 Saratoga Springs, NY Broadview Stage at SPAC
Wed 8/13 Toronto, ON Budweiser Stage
Fri 8/15 Noblesville, IN Ruoff Music Center
Sat 8/16 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob Music Theatre
Tue 8/19 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
Wed 8/20 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center
Fri 8/22 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Sat 8/23 Tinley Park, IL Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
Sun 8/24 Milwaukee, WI American Family Insurance Amphitheater

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