HOUSTON, TX.- An extraordinary gathering of art historians, curators, and conservationists will gather in Houston on Saturday, October 2 to present and discuss new research into the work of Henri Rousseau. The afternoon symposium – to be held at Jones Auditorium on the University of St. Thomas campus, located two blocks east of the Menil Collection – is free of charge and open to the public. Born in 1844, the French painter is perhaps one of the most misunderstood of modern artists. Although some of Rousseau’s pictures are among the most famous and beloved of their era (and of art-history classes), debate has abounded for decades about the artist’s methods, techniques, media, and intentions. To this day some consider Rousseau a grandfather of Surrealism, others a precursor of Cubism – while still others have positioned him as the leader of a school of modern primitives. Long acknowledged as a key figure in