At Frilly and Floral Rienzi Spring Party, Guests Raise a Glass to 25 Years

Wilson Parish
At Frilly and Floral Rienzi Spring Party, Guests Raise a Glass to 25 Years

Julia Davis, Sophia Cantu, Christiana Reckling, Julia Hotze, Randa McConn

AN INTIMATE GATHERING of around 125 guests toasted the 25th anniversary of Rienzi, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's house of European decorative arts. Beautiful blooms in shades of pink, white and blue, complemented by blue-toile linens, were found all around the verdant grounds, illuminated by simply chic string lights hanging from above.


The annual al fresco fete included a dinner catered by City Kitchen, and an oh-so-sweet dessert spread that included sorbet, gelato, chocolate mousse shooters, fruit tarts, and gooseberries dipped in chocolate. Nick Serena provided a live poolside soundtrack for the evening, which took inspiration from the Portrait of Eleanor, Countess of Lauderdale painting in the Drawing Room at Rienzi.

Chaired by Meg and Nelson Murray, the Spring Party raised nearly $95,000 for Rienzi's operating budget.

Ann Weston, Mitchell Cox

Mary and John Craddock

Anna and Alan Chambers

Maddy and Harrison Schuhmacher

Bagpiper at the 2024 Rienzi Spring Party

Linda Burdine, Jane DiPaolo, Jenny Elkins

Carroll and John Wessels

Natassia Horowitz, Monica Hoz de Vila

Celina Hellmund, Courtnay Elias

Gillian Sarofim, Selim Baysal, Lauren Gray

Chairs Nelson and Meg Murray

Eddie Allen, Eric Bing, Jeff Firestone

Parties

Októ will have a lively bar like the one at Doris Metropolitan, pictured here. (photo by Kirsten Gilliam)

AFTER YEARS OF operating solid, Israeli-influenced concepts — Doris Metropolitan on Shepherd, and Badolina and Hamsa in Rice Village — Sof Hospitality is set to debut its latest concept in Montrose Collective this summer. Surprise, this time it’s Mediterranean cuisine!

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“DO YOU KNOW how a river forms?” is the question that begins Houston author Vaishnavi Patel’s new book, Goddess of the River. The voice belongs to Ganga, goddess of India’s Ganges river, who has been transformed against her will by Lord Shiva from “a tributary of the cosmic ocean” into the physical form of a mere winding river, with no path to the heavens, only the sea. Later, Ganga runs afoul of a powerful sage who transforms her yet again into a human, and as it happens in myths, things get complicated.

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Art + Entertainment