MKG Art Management Staff

MKG Art Management’s consultants have earned advanced degrees in art history and arts administration and bring an academic perspective into the process of building art collections. Before joining MKG Art Management, our consultants have acquired varied experiences in the art world: in academia, museums, non-profit organizations, galleries, auction houses, and other consulting companies.

MKG Art Management has the largest art advisory staff in the city of Houston. MKG’s depth of talent makes MKG Art Management well suited to handle the largest and most complex projects. In addition, MKG Art Management is uniquely equipped to provide clients with certified fine art appraisals with members of the International Society of Appraisers on staff.

Melissa Kepke Grobmyer, M.A.
Founding Partner, President
Melissa Kepke Grobmyer earned her Bachelor of Arts and her Master of Arts degrees at the University of Texas at Austin, where she graduated with high honors. Before becoming an art advisor, Mrs. Grobmyer worked with 9th through 18th century Decorative art at Sotheby's in New York. Later she worked with Contemporary art at Robert Miller Gallery and 19th century American art at Richard York Gallery, both in New York.

After returning to Houston, Mrs. Grobmyer was Senior Associate at an art-advising firm for three and one half years, where she edited American Images: The SBC Collection of Twentieth-Century American Art, published by Abrams in 1996.

In 1998, Mrs. Grobmyer founded MKG Art Management, the only art advisory and appraisal firm in Houston. Through her career as an art advisor, Mrs. Grobmyer has assembled collections focused on topics such as American photography, Contemporary art, African-American art, Latino-American art, Asian-American art, and Texas Regionalism. Mrs. Grobmyer has also taught classes on various aspects of the history of art and architecture, most notably on Gulf Coast Vernacular architecture for the Rice University School of Continuing Studies. She has also researched, assembled and administrated collections of Modernism, Abstract Expressionism, and 19th century Realism and Impressionism. Mrs. Grobmyer currently serves on the Modern and Contemporary Acquisitions subcommittee of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and is an emeritus board member of Lawndale Art Center. She is a member of ArTTable, and the International Association of Professional Art Advisors.

Cecily E. Horton, M.A., I.S.A.
Partner
Cecily Earhart Horton joined MKG Art Management in 1999, bringing an expertise in both fine and decorative arts. Trained initially at the Inchbold School of Design in London, England, Ms. Horton received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from Wellesley College and her Master of Arts degree and Master of Philosophy degree in the History of Art from Yale University. Ms. Horton directed sales of contemporary art at Hiram Butler Gallery and, later, prints and drawings at Moody Gallery, both of Houston. Ms. Horton has been a member of the International Society of Appraisers since 2000, specializing in fine art. Ms. Horton is a past trustee of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (2001-07), serving on the Accessions committee. She currently serves on the Davis Museum Advisory Council at Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, and chairs the University of Houston school of Art Partners committee. Ms. Horton also serves of the board of Art Lies, a quarterly publication dedicated to contemporary art in Texas.

Tabitha Caldwell Doby, M.A., I.S.A.
Partner
Tabitha Caldwell Doby received her Masters of Fine Arts Degree in Museum Studies/Museum Exhibition Planning and Design from the Philadelphia College of Art and Design at The University of the Arts. Before joining MKG in 2004, Ms. Doby has worked with such venues as the Library of Congress, The Barnes Foundation of Merrion, Pennsylvania, The Philadelphia Arts Alliance, and The Academy of Natural Sciences. Her experience includes conceptualization, research, organization, design, and production of exhibits and educational presentations, utilizing a variety of techniques and media.

After joining MKG, Ms. Doby obtained her appraisers certification from the University of Maryland. In addition to major private collections, Ms. Doby has managed and completed large scale appraisal projects for Torch Energy Advisors, the Holocaust Museum Houston, and The University of Texas System in Austin.

Janet McDonald Hobby
Partner
Janet McDonald Hobby received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She later went on to create the streaming video fashion website, Virtual Runway, featured in Women’s Wear Daily and Harpers Bazaar. Mrs. Hobby and her partner ultimately sold to Los Angeles based Real TV in 2003.

Before joining MKG, Mrs. Hobby chaired the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts’ Visual Art Committee. Under her leadership the committee commissioned two significant public artworks – Wall Drawing by Sol LeWitt and In Minds, a cast bronze two-part sculpture, by Tony Cragg. Shortly thereafter, Mrs. Hobby consulted with a private equity firm in commissioning a large scale, public water sculpture by Jene Highstein to anchor the development of a 17- acre urban mixed-use campus.

Mrs. Hobby’s experience includes research, artist/institution collaboration, logistics and site-specific installations. Mrs. Hobby is on the Board of Trustees at the Houston Arts Alliance and St. John’s School. She has served as a board committee member at The Museum of Fine Arts’ Glassell School and at The Menil Collection.

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