Anya Tish, 1950 — 2024

Anya Tish, founder of the Houston-based Anya Tish Gallery, died on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in her hometown of Kraków, Poland. 

Anya Tish

Mrs. Tish was born on February 6, 1950, in Kraków, Poland. She was the only child of Henryk and Edith Sierpińska, who married after both surviving imprisonment in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz. Ms. Tish spent her childhood in the city, which was established in the 13th century and is known for its architecture and art. 

Mrs. Tish traveled to Texas at the age of 22 as a transfer student attending the University of Houston. During this time she met her future husband, Mark Tish. The two were married in 1973 and she received her BA in Psychology in 1974. In 1978, the couple traveled to Kraków, where Mrs. Tish studied at Jagiellonian University. She received an MA in Industrial Psychology in 1980.

Anya and Mark Tish

In 1981, Mr. and Mrs. Tish returned to Houston. Mrs. Tish took a job at Alan Austin, a boutique in Saks Fifth Avenue Houston, where she worked for several years and was promoted to a managerial position. Despite her success in the industry, she was drawn to refocus her career by her passion for art. She began taking courses at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Glassell School of Art and was hired by the Gerhard Wurzer Gallery. Mrs. Tish worked for the gallery for many years under the mentorship of Mr. Wurzer, and eventually became its director. 

In 1996, she opened Anya Tish Gallery at 1740 Sunset Boulevard, south of Houston’s Montrose area, where she showed works on paper, paintings, and sculptures by Texas artists, as well as works by artists from Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Russia. The gallery’s extensive collection of Eastern European artists set it apart from other galleries operating in Houston at the time.

4411 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX.

In 2005, Anya Tish Gallery, along with Barbara Davis Gallery, Joan Wich & Co. Gallery, and Wade Wilson Art, was one of the first tenants at the 4411 Montrose Boulevard building designed by Peter Zweig. The larger space provided an opportunity for the gallery to expand to show video art, light sculptures, installations, and other large-scale works. Mrs. Tish’s commitment to the artists the gallery represents is evident in that many of them have worked with the gallery for a number of years. Some artists represented by Anya Tish Gallery include William Cannings, Dmitri Koustov, Adela Andea, Katja Loher, Maxim Wakultschik, Paweł Dutkiewicz, Neva Mikulicz, and HJ Bott.

Lillian Warren, an artist who has known Mrs. Tish for more than 20 years and been with the gallery for over a decade, spoke with Glasstire. She noted, “[Anya] was a perfectionist, had great integrity and honesty, and was passionate about art and the gallery. Anya’s artistic interests were wide ranging and it showed in the artists she worked with. If she thought the work was good, she was willing to take a risk on artists without a proven track record of significant sales. That takes courage and conviction.”

On a personal note, Ms. Warren remarked, “It wasn’t all business with Anya. When she felt I hadn’t been by often enough to touch base, she would peer at me over a pair of wonderfully outrageous glasses and give me a gentle scolding for not coming by sooner for a chat and to let her know how things were going. She had a great sense of fun. I will miss her.”

Adela Andea and Anya Tish

Adela Andea echoed Ms. Warren’s comments. She told Glasstire, “Anya Tish was an inspirational figure that kept all of us strong and together. She created an art family. Her gallery wasn’t just a space for art — it was a sanctuary where creativity thrived. She believed wholeheartedly in our artistic abilities and talents. Every artist she represented was meticulously chosen. Anya was a visionary with a keen eye for amazing art, and she was very particular about her aesthetic and choices.”

Ms. Andea added that Mrs. Tish held herself and other artists to high standards and taught her many tough lessons. Among the things she learned from Mrs. Tish were, “Never stop working, no matter what; Great art is always first, making it or finding it takes a lot of guts; Always push it beyond everybody’s level of acceptance; and that special people don’t just appear and stay in your life for no reason.”

Beyond her work in the gallery, Mrs. Tish supported social issues. Mr. Tish told Glasstire, “Throughout her art career Anya kept close contact with the political developments in Eastern Europe. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, Anya Tish Gallery held a fundraiser, Slava Ukraini, for the people under attack by the Russian invasion. Over 250 works of art, donated by artists and from Anya’s personal collection, were sold during this fundraiser. One hundred percent of all sales were donated to the CARE Ukraine fund.”

Anya Tish

In a statement released by FotoFest, Steven Evans, the organization’s Executive Director, remarked, “Anya Tish was a beacon in the Houston gallery scene and art world, and she worked with FotoFest many times over the years. Her support of international, boundary-pushing artists was remarkable. She possessed exuberant energy and had special insight into provocative, thoughtful art.”

Wendy Watriss, FotoFest Co-Founder and Chairperson, added, “Anya Tish was an exceptional collaborator with FotoFest from the very beginning…[She] had an international vision and a concern for artists and will be missed.”

Mark and Anya Tish with art collector, Ray Hylenski.

In a statement, the gallery indicated that it will continue to move forward, though specific details were not provided. Additionally, information regarding a memorial service will be shared by the gallery. 

Update July 5, 2023: There will be a celebration memorial for Anya Tish on July 13 in Houston. For more information, email Anya Tish Gallery Director Dawn Ohmer at [email protected].