Untitled Art launches Inaugural Commission Prize with Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

In the lead-up to its inaugural Houston edition at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Untitled Art has announced the CAMH Commission Prize supported by Untitled Art—a new initiative developed with Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH), one of the fair's esteemed cultural partners. This prize was created with a clear purpose: to provide meaningful support to artists through a major new commission to be presented at Untitled Art, Houston 2026, or through a collateral venue during the fair week.

To make this prize a reality, Untitled Art partnered with the Texas-based artist Vincent Valdez, who is not only one of the most vital and fearless voices in American art today, but the first artist to join the Host Committee for Untitled Art, Houston. In collaboration with Gary Lichtenstein Editions, Valdez has produced a limited-edition print titled It Was A Very Good Year (1986)—an elegant, urgent piece that draws from his continued exploration of the newspaper as both object and symbol. The edition, priced at $2,500, will be released in a print run of just 25 and 50% of the proceeds from sales will go directly to CAMH to fund the prize.

"As someone who’s spent the last 15 years writing about artists for magazines and newspapers, it was deeply meaningful to work with Vincent on this piece," says Michael Slenske, director for Untitled Art, Houston. "He’s not just one of the most compelling narrative painters working today—he’s also a hardcore news junkie. The idea of a newspaper as a vehicle for memory, resistance, and social commentary resonated instantly for both of us. He’s incorporated printed broadsheets and sculptural newspapers into previous museum shows, including his recent retrospective at CAMH and Mass MOCA so it felt only natural that this would be the format for the inaugural CAMH Commission Prize."

"I create images as instruments, to probe the past in order to examine what is occurring today,” says Vincent Valdez. “I am alarmed by the denial of history and will continue to create counter-images that impede our collective social amnesia. I offer this work as a report - my visual testimony about an epic, unfolding tale of hope, struggle, and survival in contemporary America."

“I’ve been working with Vincent since 2022 and I am continually awestruck by his examination of life in 21st century America. Vincent’s courageous work presents truth and history and also hope,” says Gary Lichtenstein. “This particular project was a bit of a departure for us as we sought to print something that would feel sculptural. It Was A Very Good Year (1986) is composed of 8 pages of prints based on original drawings created by Vincent.”

The selected artist(s) for the 2026 commission will be chosen by CAMH’s curatorial team from among more than 100 exhibiting artists who will participate in Untitled Art, Houston 2025. This ensures that the prize remains closely tied to the Houston arts ecosystem while also aligning with CAMH’s curatorial vision and Untitled Art’s mission to champion forward-thinking, socially engaged work.

This prize launch also aligns with Vincent Valdez: Just a Dream…, the artist’s first major museum survey, which debuted at CAMH and is now on view at Mass MOCA through March 2026. The exhibition spans over 20 years of Valdez’s practice—from early career drawings to recent allegorical portraits—celebrating everyday people from his family and the headlines dominating our political, psychological, and social connections.

Gary Lichtenstein Editions officially releases It Was A Very Good Year (1986) on August 11.

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