The Menil Collection

So many folks in Houston get into a routine/rut of doing the same things. Visiting sites like the Menil can decidedly awaken our senses and fullfill a need for culture. Plus, right next door is the Rothko chapel… his artwork can be found in high rise office buildings around town but it’s much more interesting and relaxing to visit the serene environment of the chapel. Overall I feel the Menil is overlooked by most Houstonians if not unheard of, what a great change of pace this unique collection provides.

Don’t forget the Byzantine frescoes! They’re breathtaking and the only real Byzantine frescoes in the Western world. They’re set up in the Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum, a short walk from the Menil Collection building and the Rothko Chapel. That was my favorite part of the whole collection.

John and Dominique de Menil were a French couple who emigrated to Houston in 1941. By the time they moved here, they had already been collecting art in Europe for 10 years. They were active supporters of Houston’s local art community for 35 years, and, at the same time, continued to expand their private collection. After John’s death in 1973, Dominique started making plans for a museum:

As the idea of the museum slowly took shape, I dreamed of preserving some of the intimacy I had enjoyed with the works of art. I came up with the concept to which architect Renzo Piano responded brilliantly: we would rotate the works of art.

We would show only portions of the collection at a time, but displayed in generous and attractive space. The public would never know museum fatigue and would have the rare joy of sitting in front of a painting and contemplating it. Works would appear, disappear, and reappear like actors on a stage. Each time they would be seen with a fresh eye. Habit blunts vision.

The museum is everything she wanted it to be, from the simple exterior to the amount of natural light inside to the sculptures outside. The Menil Collection is the product of people who truly loved art, and it shows.

Peaceful art viewing at its best!

Just a few days before coming back from Houston, my wife and I stopped in at the Menil Collection. It was absolutely incredible! I especially liked two pieces that are visiting pieces. One was “Red Rain” in the Colors and Lines Exhibit, and the other was the throwing knives in Chance Encounters. Both these pieces show beautiful interplay between the objects themselves and the shadows they create. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find any pictures of either. If you know where I can find pictures, please let me know. :)

The staff members here are really friendly. (In contrast to Chicago and New York, many of the museum staff here in Houston talk to you!)

Take your time and enjoy each separate collection – don’t “blow through”, because the collection is huge and rotating – it might not be there next time.

I think we were most excited by some of the Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol pieces on display.

Read the supplemental materials shown under glass (from letters and manifestos).

Also, this museum does not give you lots of editorializing about what the art is supposed to mean – thank you!

I can’t remember if the pop art exhibit was permanent or temporary, but it’s the main thing I remember from visiting the Menil. Worth checking out if you haven’t before.

After I got the book for Xmas, this was the first place I crossed off the list (not including the few I’d seen before I got the book).

Hey, what’s better than a world-class art museum? A free world-class art museum! I also like this part of the city, and the adjoining art museums (Cy Twombly Gallery).