<p class="has-drop-cap">At <strong>Rienzi</strong>, the former River Oaks residence of collectors <strong>Carroll Sterling Masterson</strong> and <strong>Harris Masterson III</strong>, an intimate black-tie dinner gives patrons an unusually direct role in shaping a museum collection.</p><p>The annual <strong>Rienzi Society Dinner</strong>, organized by the <strong>Museum of Fine Arts, Houston</strong>, celebrates European decorative arts within a house designed by architect <strong>John Staub</strong> in 1952. Its interiors hold a collection of paintings, porcelain, furniture, and decorative objects dating from the seventeenth to the mid-nineteenth century.</p><p>Rather than simply raising funds, the evening invites society members to examine a selection of artworks proposed for acquisition and vote on which pieces should enter the museum's collection. A formal dinner in Rienzi's ballroom follows, bringing collectors and patrons together in the setting originally conceived for the Mastersons' private entertaining.</p><p>Chaired in 2027 by <strong>Molly and Ken Delery</strong> and <strong>Susan and Bill Finnegan</strong>, the occasion preserves the connection between private collecting and institutional patronage, with each acquisition contributing to the future of Rienzi's European decorative arts collection.</p>
Tickets and event experience packages on request: concierge@babble-up.com