Gallery Chat with María Inés Sicardi and Allison Armstrong Ayers on Running Texas’ Premier Gallery for Avant-Garde and Contemporary Latin American Art

By Stephanie Strasnick

From left to right: Allison Ayers, María Inés Sicardi, Carlos Bacino. Courtesy Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino, Houston.

In the early 1990s, Argentine-born art aficionado María Inés Sicardi noticed that her new home of Houston, Texas, was devoid of art spaces dedicated to avant-garde and contemporary artists from Latin America. In 1994, Sicardi corrected this contemporary-art oversight by opening her gallery, which shines a light on both emerging and established Latin American artists.

In the years since the gallery’s 1994 opening, much has changed for Sicardi: she formed a partnership in 2000 with Allison Armstrong Ayers and Carlos Bacino. In 2012, the group built a 5,900-square-foot complex designed by Brave Architecture.  The new building, located across from the Menil Collection, allowed the gallery more space for exhibitions.

Now known as Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino, the gallery has participated in art fairs and exhibitions around the world and has an impressive roster of Modernist masters and acclaimed figures in contemporary art, such as Liliana Porter, Miguel Ángel Rojas, and Gabriel de la Mora.

Installation view of “Magdalena Fernandez: Flexible Structures,” 2015. Courtesy Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino, Houston.

On view through the summer, the gallery presents a solo exhibition from Texas-born artist Thomas Glassford, who is best known for his architectural installations made from everyday materials, like plates and broomsticks and gourds. Later this year, the team will honor the late Mercedes Pardo—a Venezuelan artist recognized for her abstract paintings and works on paper—with a solo show.

We recently spoke with two members of the team—Sicardi and Ayers—about their 18-year partnership, the benefits of establishing an art space in Houston, and what’s next for the gallery.

Tell us about your background and how you first become interested in the art world.

Sicardi: I am originally from Buenos Aires, but I’ve been in the U.S. for 29 years. I studied art in college and when I moved to Houston, I knew I wanted to do something related to art. I opened the gallery in 1994. We specialized in Latin American art because I felt there was a need for it given the connection between Latin America and the United States. Houston, to me, was the natural bridge.

Antonio Asis, Untitled, 1960, gouache on paper. Courtesy Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino, Houston.

What was the gallery like in those early years?

Sicardi: The gallery space was very small in those days. I worked closely with a photography curator during this time and connected with galleries from Buenos Aires and Mexico. We moved to a larger space in 2001, months after the gallery became a partnership. This move gave us the possibility to start showing masters. We opened the space with Taller Torres-Garcia. This allowed us to create a dialogue between the younger and older generations of artists. Many of the artists I found through my extensive travels during this period still work with the gallery. I discovered them through museum exhibitions, studio visits, and word of mouth.

Ayers: A lot of people don’t realize that for the first six or so years of the gallery, we only worked with contemporary artists. A lot of people only associate us with the master artists we represent. We have worked with Oscar Muñoz, Liliana Porter, and Pablo Siquier since the late 1990’s.

Installation view of “Carlos Cruz-Diez: La Autonomia del Color,” 2017. Courtesy Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino, Houston.

Alison, how did you come to art as a profession and when did you join the business?

Ayers: I have a minor in art history and after college ended up going into advertising and marketing. I did that for several years and it was during that time that my husband and I met María Ines. That was in 1996 and the following year I began working on marketing and editorial projects for the gallery. In 2000, we became partners.

When did your third partner, Carlos Bacino, join? How did you meet?

Sicardi: Carlos came into the gallery one day and expressed a great interest in art. He loved it and started to come back every Saturday and collected work bought from us. He is from Argentina and brings a really sharp, rational business prospective. Though I started the business on my own, I wanted to have partners since I’d had a positive experience with a partner back in Buenos Aires. I also felt that it was impossible to accomplish what I had envisioned for the gallery alone. I wanted to make the gallery larger and share my experience, and it has worked out very well with Carlos and Allison. Both he and Allison have been with me since 2000.

Installation view of “Masters,” 2018. Courtesy Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino, Houston.

With three different partners—and opinions—in the mix, how do you create a consistent program?

Sicardi: The gallery has carefully defined its line of work through the years. In the beginning, we were showing younger artists from South America. Once we became a partnership, we added masters to the programming. And, after a trip to Venezuela, we began to incorporate a group of artists who focused on kineticism and geometric abstraction. These artists were based in Paris and South America.

Ayers: We each bring different things to the table. My husband is a lawyer and is very involved with the gallery. His practical business background and research is instrumental to our program. Carlos, who is a geneticist, brings his practical and business background to the group as well.  We all balance each other. We’re not going to agree on everything, but one thing we have to agree on is that we won’t show an artist unless we have full approval from the group. We’ve had many wonderful experiences and feel fortunate to work in a field that has seen so much growth and international recognition.  

Luis Tomasello, Atmosphère chromoplastique No. 1014, 2012, acrylic on wood. Courtesy Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino, Houston.

Because you show primarily international artists, do you find that your collector base is mostly international as well?

Ayers: Given the nature of what we do, our client base has always been a combination of American and Latin American collectors, institutions, and museums from the United States and abroad. We’ve had a lot of success locally, in Texas. One thing that’s special about Texas is that everyone has been so welcoming, so open-minded. Houston, in particular, is amazing—it’s the fourth largest city in the country, has a large international population, and is home to really great museums and patrons.

Sicardi: We have many collectors from Latin America and the United States. We’ve participated in Art Basel Miami Beach and The Armory Show for more than ten years, which has allowed us to expand our base in the Latin American countries, the United States, and Europe.

Installation view of “Marco Maggi: Putin’s Pencils,” 2017. Courtesy Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino, Houston.

Can you tell us about your upcoming exhibitions?

Ayers: We are working on a solo exhibition for Mercedes Pardo in September. Mercedes was married to the Venezuelan kinetic artist Alejandro Otero and has an amazing body of work that has not had much exposure in the United States. We will also screen a new video by the Colombian artist Maria Fernanda Cardoso. A little later in the fall we will show Miguel Ángel Rojas and Manuel Espinosa.

What advice do you have for working artists today?

Sicardi: My advice to artists would be for them to do what they feel that they need to do and not focus too much on the market—that’s very important. The work itself matters, not just selling and marketing it.

Ayers: Chose a dealer who understands you and with whom you can have communication. We believe in making a long-term plan with our artists and working on all aspects of their career.

Thomas Glassford, Labrys, 2018, lacquer on MDF. Courtesy Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino, Houston.

Advice for new collectors?

Sicardi: Similar to my advice for artists, I think it’s important for collectors to follow their intuition and realize that knowledge is the key to building a good collection.  

Ayers: For new collectors, I’d advise seeing as much as you can, educating yourself, taking notes, asking questions, don’t ever feel like you have to buy impulsively. It should take time to build a collection.  

What would you say to someone interested in starting her or his own gallery?

Ayers and Sicardi: Surround yourself with a good group of people and know that you can’t do everything yourself. You need professionals in all areas and you must have a long-term plan.