EXHIBIT ON VIEW JUNE 27– SEPTEMBER 5, 2026: “Thirty Years: The Legacy of John Cleary Gallery” at Catherine Couturier Gallery celebrates the 30th anniversary of Houston’s longest-running fine art photography gallery. Featuring works by French photographers and other artists connected to the gallery’s inaugural 1996 exhibition, the show honors founder John Cleary’s enduring impact on Houston’s photography community and collecting culture.

OPENING RECEPTION: Saturday, June 27, 2026 | 5–7 PM

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.

IMAGE CREDIT: Robert Doisneau, Le Manège de Monsieur Barré (Mr. Barré’s Carousel), 1955