Gary Tinterow, Director MFA, Houston

How did you frst become involved in the art sector? And are you as passionate about art now as you were back then?

My father was a professional violinist and my mother an amateur artist, so the visual and performing arts were fundamental, but oddly, always very special in our home. I have strong memories of my frst visits to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, to Bayou Bend, and to the house of John and Dominique de Menil.

By the time I was in high school I was devouring art magazines and haunting the Rothko Chapel. Those early experiences were transformative. Fortunately, as easy as it would be to become jaded in my profession, I can still experience a rush of pleasure and excitement at new discoveries and even repeat visits to favorite places.

What is your favorite piece of art – or the one piece you would love to have on your wall at home?

It’s an impossible question, one that I never answer. The great delight is to learn about realms that I had previously ignored. These days it is an odd combo: Achaemenid art, the art of Byzantium, and the arts of Mogul India. But I am always attracted to 15th-century European painting—both in Flanders and in Italy.

Of course, 19th-century French painting and early Modernism—especially Cubism—are areas in which I have published and these felds remain home territory for me. At my museum we have a strong program in modern Latin American art that has opened my eyes to exciting new vistas. And the vast, global, world of contemporary art is endlessly fascinating.

What do you think the fundamentals of leadership are? / What is your leadership style?

That is an easy one. In order to be a leader, one must have followers, and the leader must be constantly aware of the mood and movement of the troops; if not, one will turn around and fnd oneself alone.

One must listen, listen again, do one’s own research and then communicate a position effectively so that the team knows where the leader stands. Vacillation is deadly; direct communication, and to the extent possible, transparency, are key.

Above all, honesty, consistency and reliability are essential.

I understand you are currently undergoing (or undergone) a $450 million (£297 million) refurbishment at the MFAH, what do you hope to achieve with the plans?

It’s impossible to summarize the many aspirations we have for the campus expansion plan: a new art school, a new building for modern and contemporary art, a new conservation center, new public plazas, a rooftop sculpture garden, new auditoriums and an amphitheater, indoor and outdoor restaurants and cafes.

All to be realized with outstanding architecture and extraordinary works of art. We hope to become the regional hub for all things cultural, a magnet for tourism, a place of discovery, wonder and inspiration for our visitors, a place for innovation and creativity for our staff.

But even this description is inadequate to characterize our plans. My trustees think big, and the generosity of our donors is the envy of my colleagues.

Could you describe what you get up to on a typical working day.

I get up, let the dogs out, and fre up the coffee maker and the computer. After an hour at the gym, it’s emails, phone calls, and coffee before the offce; then coffee, meetings, emails, lunch with a donor; phone calls, emails, meetings, coffee; then drinks at one reception, drinks at another, dinner with donors, dog walking with my partner, and so to bed.

What book are you currently reading?

Christopher Rothko, Rothko Inside Out; Doris K Goodwin, Mithraic Societies.

Are you a fan of modern architecture? Or do you have more classic tastes? If classic, which of the architectural periods do you prefer i.e. Georgian, Victorian etc.

I do follow contemporary architecture: I began my professional studies as an architectural historian, and I firted with the possibility of becoming an architect.

But a lecture by Philip Johnson at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where I spent most of my time the frst year of graduate school, put me off that course: Johnson said that the only hope for any architect in the audience was to marry well. That wasn’t an option for me, then, and anyway I was quickly seduced by the study of European Modernism.

Which third or second world areas in the world do you think are ripe for expansion (growth) economically, culturally, socially and or politically?

I am just beginning to discover India, and what a marvelous, inexhaustible civilization that is.

I-MAGAZINE is all about promoting British values, politics, lifestyle and brands, who is your favorite ‘British’ clothing designer and why?

It won’t be obvious to your readers, but Southern culture is Anglophilic, so once I started traveling to London regularly I began to buy my kit on Jermyn Street and Savile Row.

While I still prefer British cloth, cuts, and shoes, nothing beats Neapolitan workmanship.

Of course the Neapolitan tailors look back to Savile Row and the London drape cut, but they add their inimitable sprezzatura, and an admirable attention to detail. London tailors, watch your back!

What is your favorite cuisine?

Italian and Indian. And goodMexican food.