Inside the MFAH

Customize Your Art Experience

Caitlin Duerler — Wed, 27 May 2015 12:12:40 -0500

So you’ve already taken the Museum’s guided tours, attended the public lectures, and explored the publications at the libraries, but still haven’t satisfied your art fix?

Plan an experience at the Works on Paper Study Center, where more than 40,000 prints, drawings, and photographs are stored. Curators use the study center to experiment with themes for future exhibitions, but that's only part of the facility's purpose—individuals, educators, and small groups of art lovers are welcome, too.

Whether you're interested in an up-close view of hatch marks on a Rembrandt, or a survey of form by artists such as Guido Reni, the study center offers catered visits. Start by making an appointment, and you’re on your way.

Sessions last about an hour and a half, and they include a custom display of up to 12 works of art. Presentations are prepared according to visitors’ interests, so prior to your appointment date, you’ll consult with the study center’s staff via phone or e-mail about what you’d like to see.
If you want to explore watercolors, for example, the staff may suggest themes such as 20th-century art, use of negative space, or a survey from the past 500 years. Interested in looking closer at prints? Perhaps you’d like to investigate the different states of prints and how artists modify their work after the first pressing.
Museum staff draw from the digital database, as well as their own knowledge of the art collections, to find striking examples by a range of artists—from the most famous names in art history to notable Houston artists.

“Through direct exposure to the works at the center, visitors are encouraged to learn more about the art and to return to the Museum often,” explains curatorial assistant Lauren Rosenblum. “The Works on Paper Study Center is an indispensable resource for telling the visual story of works on paper.”

The center is open on weekdays, and you’re encouraged to make your appointment about a month in advance. Handy tip: protecting the artwork is top priority, so lockers are provided for you to secure personal items like pens, bags, jewelry, and long scarves before you enter the study center.

► Check out all the details here, and set up your visit!

What’s Blooming at Bayou Bend? Magnolias!

Kelly Laskosky — Fri, 01 May 2015 15:21:27 -0500

The lush grounds at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens are glorious year-round. Dazzling azaleas and camellias may take center stage during early spring, but framing the splendor are the magnificent magnolias, which bloom well into the summer months, when few other flowers can be found.

The diverse magnolia collection brings beauty and variety to Bayou Bend Gardens.

• The first type to bloom each year is the Star Magnolia (Magnolia stellata), named for its 30+ petals. Found in the White Garden, the Star Magnolia welcomes spring and anticipates the flowering of the rest of the magnolia family.

Star Magnolia

• The White Garden also features the Yulan Magnolia (Magnolia denudata), which enhances the woodland greenery with its creamy white blooms.

Yulan Magnolia

• With too many varieties to count, the Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x Soulangeana) blooms in many colors, ranging from light pink to dark purple, to pink fading to white, to all white. It provides a seamless transition of color throughout the 14-acre landscape.

Saucer Magnolia

• As the days warm and grow longer, the magnolias continue to bloom. In the Butterfly Garden, when the azaleas’ blooms fade away, the Sweetbay Magnolias (Magnolia virginiana) reveal their blooms. Not as showy as their Asian cousins, the native Sweetbay Magnolias provide a discreet but sweet fragrance.

Sweetbay Magnolia

• All of the other magnolias set the stage for the native variety known as the “Queen of the South,” which blooms in the early summer months. The Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) features big, beautiful white blooms and fills the air with the sweetest perfume. Additionally, it is the largest magnolia tree and can grow to 80 feet or even higher. Bayou Bend has many great Southern Magnolia specimens in the Euterpe and Butterfly gardens.

Southern Magnolia

No matter when you visit Bayou Bend from spring through early summer, you’ll see magnolias blooming!

Fun Film Facts for “Latin Wave 10”

Will Otter — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 12:00:00 -0500

Latin Wave, the Museum’s annual showcase of new films from Latin America, celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2015 with a great lineup of films and special guests. Latin Wave 10 kicks off Thursday, April 30, at 6 p.m. with a special Happy Hour Thursday, and screenings continue all weekend.

► Here are some fun facts about Latin Wave 10:

• The critical darling of this year’s festival looks to be Jauja. Argentine director Lisandro Alonso received acclaim for earlier films like Liverpool and Los muertos, but the presence of actor Viggo Mortensen has brought Alonso's latest feature to a wider audience. A sparse pseudo-Western about a Danish soldier searching for his daughter in 19th-century Patagonia, Jauja took home the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) Prize at Cannes.

Viggo Mortensen in Jauja

• One of the directors doesn't actually hail from Latin America: that’s Josef Kubota Wladyka, a Brooklyn resident of Japanese and Polish heritage. His debut feature, Manos sucias—produced by Spike Lee—is a chronicle of two brothers smuggling drugs in hopes of escaping the poverty of Buenaventura, Colombia.

Manos sucias

• To those who haven’t followed her career closely, Geraldine Chaplin might seem an unlikely choice as a distinguished guest. Daughter of Charlie Chaplin, she’s known for film roles in Doctor Zhivago and Nashville. But in fact, the long-time resident of Spain has starred in more than a dozen Spanish-language films. She collaborated on Sand Dollars, about a complicated lesbian romance in a Dominican beach town.

Sand Dollars

• A fun aspect of hosting a long-running festival like Latin Wave is showing films by directors who have participated in past years. Latin Wave 10 sees the return of two: Chile’s Cristián Jiménez (Bonsái, Latin Wave 6) and Colombia’s Oscar Ruiz Navia (Crab Trap, Latin Wave 5). Jiménez’s latest feature, Voice Over, is a witty comedy-drama about a young actress, and Ruiz Navia’s Los hongos follows two young street artists in Cali, Colombia.

Check the Latin Wave 10 calendar for the schedule of screenings and guest appearances. Be sure to get your tickets early!

Houston Culinary Stars Cook Up “Demon Rum” Dinner at Rienzi

Sara Edwards — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 12:00:00 -0500

Rienzi, known for its beautiful collection of European decorative arts and paintings, is a place where social history comes alive. The objects in the collection tell stories—not only about why the objects were made but also about the people who used them.

As an MFAH house museum, Rienzi offers programming that explores the history of drinking and dining, and the April 29 “Demon Rum” Dinner examines the fascinating evolution of rum through a one-of-a-kind culinary experience. Guests will enjoy historic rum cocktails paired with a decadent four-course meal, all created by two dynamic forces on Houston’s restaurant scene: bartender Bobby Heugel (Anvil Bar and Refuge) and chef Chris Shepherd (Underbelly).

We asked Heugel and Shepherd their thoughts on preparing for the “Demon Rum” Dinner. Whet your appetite with a look at their answers below. See the menu and more info here.

What gives rum its unique reputation, and why is it a favorite ingredient for bartenders?
• Bobby Heugel Rum has been considered a drink of the people throughout its history. It has also been at the center of many cocktail movements, so it can morph into different meanings depending on the occasion. Rum is arguably the most diverse spirit in the world. Every region produces an entirely different spirit based on the type of cane that grows there . . . [so] rum has a vast and exciting spectrum of flavors to draw from.

Bobby Heugel

Where will you get ideas for the “Demon Rum” Dinner’s menu and drinks?
• Bobby Heugel Rum’s complex social history is ripe for discussions about how the world of drinks and humanity are often intertwined in ways outside of the glass. We will focus on varying regions and rums that reflect different periods of history to discuss some of these concepts.
• Chris Shepherd Rum is a spirit that built the Southern part of our country, so influences come from all over the South and the Caribbean. I’m going to follow Bobby’s lead to see his inspiration for the cocktails. If he makes a Tiki-style cocktail or an old-school Southern cocktail, I’m going to pair the food to match the time period and location.

Chris Shepherd

If you lived in Europe in the 18th century, what would be your drink of choice? Your favorite meal?
• Bobby Heugel I would have loved a Navy Grog. The British Royal Navy bought and consumed more rum than any other group worldwide during this era. Sailors were given large daily rations, and they often mixed them together in a grog—some type of combination of rum, lime, water, and possibly a sweetener.
• Chris Shepherd I would definitely like to explore the spices that were being brought in from all over. I’d also like to study classic French cuisine as it was being created and developed.

The “Demon Rum” Dinner takes place on Wednesday, April 29. More Info

A Weekend of Tantalizing Turkish Cinema

Marian Luntz — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 16:20:18 -0500

It’s an exciting time for Turkish cinema! At the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, Turkey's Winter Sleep won the prestigious Palme d’Or, and the centennial of Turkish filmmaking has been celebrated widely with retrospectives and events.

Four years ago, we were approached about holding an annual Turkish Film Festival at the Museum. Given Houston’s vibrant Turkish community, and knowing that local movie fans have an enduring interest in contemporary world cinema, we agreed. Our inaugural edition featured the debonair Tamer Karadağli—“the George Clooney of Turkey”—and last year’s festival opener, the epic period film The Butterfly’s Dream, attracted turn-away crowds.

I was fortunate enough to delve deeper into Turkish cinema at the Golden Boll Film Festival last fall in Adana, Turkey. My trip also included a stop in the bustling city of Istanbul, and I plan to visit again very soon.

Curator Marian Luntz in Adana, Turkey.

Returning to Houston, I set about working with collaborators to choose the films for this year’s festival, which screens the weekend of March 27. First to be confirmed was Winter Sleep, an immersive character drama that’s well worth the three-hour time commitment. Next we firmed up two films I saw in Adana: the entertaining documentary Jazz in Turkey, and the dark comedy Why Can’t I Be Tarkovsky?

Why Can't I Be Tarkovsky?

Our collaborators at the Consulate General of Turkey helped to confirm two films whose directors will join us at the Museum. For opening night on Friday, seasoned filmmaker Çagan Irmak presents his moving new film Whisper If I Forget, followed by a reception in his honor. The Saturday centerpiece screening is Mix Tape, director Tunç Şahin's film about a romance that takes a few decades to gel.

Clear your calendars for this rewarding weekend! The Turkish Film Festival runs from Friday through Sunday, March 27–29, bringing a total of five recent releases to Houston. Visit mfah.org/turkishfilmfestival for details and to get your tickets in advance.

Mix Tape

The Fine Art of Staying Healthy

Caitlin Duerler — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 06:00:00 -0600

During National Nutrition Month in March, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and VegOut! with Recipe for Success are teaming up to encourage Houstonians to add more vegetables to their plates.

The 30 Ways in 30 Days challenge asks participants to track meals prepared with a different vegetable each day of the month in order to be entered in a drawing for prizes. The Museum is celebrating National Nutrition Month with many other great activities:

Art Bite Tours “Healthy Food in Art”

To stay healthy, you are supposed to have nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and there is new proof that looking at art can keep you healthy, too. Join a 20-minute Art Bite tour on selected days at noon to view fruits and vegetables in works of art. You’ll be ready for lunch after that! Check out the tour schedule.

Still-Life Sketching

During regular Museum hours, pop into the Kinder Foundation Education Center and sketch a still-life drawing inspired by a colorful arrangement of delicious vegetables. Paper and colored pencils are provided. This program is free with general admission and open to adults, kids, couples—everyone's invited!

Art-Inspired Recipes

While indulging your appetite for fine art, browse the collection of cookbooks at the Museum’s Hirsch Library and Bayou Bend’s Powell Library. Make plans to prepare some art-inspired dishes from recipes like these three examples, pulled from cookbooks in the libraries’ holdings.

► Still Life with Leg of Lamb (1730) by Jean-Siméon Chardin
A master of the still life, 18th-century French painter Jean-Siméon Chardin instilled beauty and dignity in the simplest subjects. To impress dinner guests, try this recipe in The Guild Collection: Recipes from Art Lovers cookbook, compiled by the Museum’s Guild:

Lamb Shanks à la Merrily
4 lamb shanks (3¼ – 4 lbs.)
4 onions, thinly sliced
¾ cup dry vermouth
splash of rice wine
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic
pepper, to taste
Arrange onion slices in ovenproof pan. Top with lamb shanks and pour vermouth over. Stir together lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic, pepper, and rice wine; pour over shanks. Bake at 350° for 3½ to 4 hours, or until lamb is done. Remove lamb and onions to serving platter. Skim and discard fat from pan juices. Reduce juices on high heat until about ¼ cup remains. Serve onions and shanks with rice, and spoon juices over all. Yield: 4 servings

► Still Life with Vegetables (1826) by James Peale
Nineteenth-century American painter James Peale shows all the color and textures of an array of squashes, turnips, radishes, beets, tomatoes, and eggplants in his highly detailed painting. Add some color and spice to your meal with this veggie-rich recipe in The Starving Artist’s Cookbook, featuring delicious and experimental dishes from artists including Louise Bourgeois and John Cage:

Sidney’s Tortes (recipe submitted by artist Sidney Perry)
1   large white onion
2   green peppers
3   yellow or summer squash, sliced
3   green zucchini, sliced
½ stick of butter
1 small container of sour cream
1 package of tortillas (flour or corn)
salt and pepper, to taste
Slice onion and cut up green peppers. In a large fry pan or pot, cook until soft in butter, medium low heat. Add sliced zucchini and squash; cook until soft. Warm tortillas simply by placing individually on gas or electric stove burner; flip very frequently over heat until warm. Place vegetables on warm tortillas; salt and pepper to taste; dollop with sour cream.

► PH "Artichoke" Lamp (1958) by Poul Henningsen
Inspired by the shapes of the small, budding flowers on the edible base of the vegetable, PH "Artichoke" Lamp emits a warm glow—leading to the lamp’s popularity in 20th-century Danish residences and businesses. Cooks who are more daring in the kitchen may want to try this dish from French Country Living: A Year in Gascony:

Lapin aux coeurs d'artichaut / Rabbit with Artichoke Hearts
8 small purple artichoke hearts, pared and cut into quarters
lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste
1 rabbit, cut in 7–8 pieces, liver reserved
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, skinned and chopped
fresh rosemary to taste
1 bay leaf
1 glass dry white wine
pinch of sugar
1 garlic clove, skinned
6 anchovy fillets, soaked in milk
1 tbsp capers
fresh parsley, to taste
Squeeze a little lemon juice over the artichoke hearts to prevent discoloration. Season the rabbit well. Heat the oil in a heavy-based casserole and brown the rabbit on both sides. Lower the heat, add the onion, rosemary, bay leaf, and artichoke hearts, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the wine and sugar. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Lower the heat; cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the garlic, anchovies, capers, parsley, and rabbit liver in a food processor, blender, or by hand. When the rabbit is tender, remove from the casserole and keep warm. Add the liver mixture to the casserole and stir well over very low heat for 5 minutes; do not boil. Pour this over the rabbit. Serve the dish with freshly cooked tagliatelle.

Fine Art + Healthy Food

Make sure not to miss out on these pairings of fine art and healthy food during National Nutrition Month!

Spring Break 2015: 6 Ways to Visit the MFAH for Free

Caitlin Duerler — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 14:06:50 -0600

Houstonians don’t have to travel far or break the bank to have fun this Spring Break.

Get out of the house and check out these six, free ways to enjoy the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston!

1) Cullen Sculpture Garden For an outdoor experience, relax among sculptures by artists such as Ellsworth Kelly and Auguste Rodin. Admission is always free, and the garden is open every day from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

2) Lunch + Look Plan on having lunch at the Museum’s Cafe Express or one of the Fine Art + Food Trucks and take advantage of free same-day general admission with presentation of your meal receipt between noon and 2 p.m.

3) Free Thursdays Courtesy of Shell, Museum admission is free on Thursdays, and the hours are extended to 9 p.m. So you have plenty of time to view the exhibitions and art collections.

4) The Libraries The Hirsch Library on the main campus, and Powell Library at Bayou Bend, offer visitors an opportunity to take a break for reading up on the visual arts.

5) Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens Plenty of family fun awaits, with games in the gardens and tours of the collection scheduled especially for the holiday. Admission at this house museum is free for ages 18 and younger.

6) Rienzi From sketching Sèvres porcelain in the house to taking snapshots in the gardens, satisfy your fine-art fancies at this house museum. Ages 12 and younger receive free admission, and admission to the gardens is free for everyone.

Children 12 and younger always receive free general admission and access to activities at the MFAH.

For more free opportunities all year long, consider becoming an MFAH member today!

Tackling Taiwan: The Films of Hou Hsiao-hsien

Will Otter — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 06:00:00 -0600

The internationally touring film retrospective Also Like Life: The Films of Hou Hsiao-hsien, honoring Taiwanese modern master Hou Hsiao-hsien, arrives at the Museum on March 6.

If you’ve never heard of Hou, that’s understandable. Unlike the films of his compatriot Ang Lee (director of The Ice Storm, Brokeback Mountain, and Life of Pi, among many others), Hou’s work has rarely been screened in the United States. In Europe, however, Hou has been a festival favorite for decades, winning the first-ever Golden Lion for a Chinese-language film (City of Sadness) at the 1989 Venice Film Festival and a Jury Prize at Cannes in 1994 for The Puppetmaster.

In his home country, Hou has influenced every important filmmaker since his ascension to prominence during the Taiwanese New Wave movement of the 1980s. Reflecting the widespread appreciation of Hou’s importance, the Also Like Life series makes stops at prominent venues in 22 cities, from New York to London to Tokyo.

So what’s the attraction of Hou’s films?
► Hou is an undisputed master of the static, long take in cinematography. Each shot is masterfully staged, and Hou is never boring: He takes care to make sure each take is teeming with movement.

► He tackles the issue of filming Taiwan’s complex 20th-century history in a unique way. Hou’s films always carry subtle political undertones, but he focuses—in understated fashion—on the lives of specific individuals and families. The result is an honest take on Taiwanese history from the experiences of those who lived it.

► The modest veneer of Hou’s films masks a deeper, universal brilliance. As film critic J. Hoberman wrote in the Village Voice, “Is there another filmmaker who can so fluidly celebrate the moment as well as the epoch, and do so in the same shot?”

Explore Also Like Life in Houston over two weekends. At the Museum (March 6–8), see A Time to Live and a Time to Die on Friday, Dust in the Wind on Saturday, and The Puppetmaster on Sunday. The retrospective continues with three more films at Rice Cinema the following weekend.

One on One with the Curator of Bayou Bend Gardens

Kelly Laskosky — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 18:46:03 -0600

You might expect that Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens has a curator for the art collection, but did you know there's a dedicated curator for the gardens, too? His name is Bart Brechter, and he’s seen it all—sunshine to hurricanes—since joining the staff in 2001. He and his team care for and expertly preserve the 14-acre estate and historic gardens, and we invited him to share some of his unique insights.

Q) Bayou Bend Gardens is one of the most beautiful public gardens in America. What can we look forward to as spring approaches?

A) In the spring, Bayou Bend is like the grand finale of a fireworks show. Hot pink blooms burst open at the same time to overwhelm the gardens with bright colors.

Q) It’s been nearly a century since the legendary Ima Hogg had the idea for these splendid gardens, and now they are a favorite stop on Houston’s annual Azalea Trail. This year's three-day event takes place the weekend of March 6. What would you like visitors to know?

A) The way Miss Hogg used the azaleas throughout the gardens helps to move you from one garden to the next. Different colors and forms keep your interest through the whole property.

Q) What are the advantages of Bayou Bend’s proximity to Buffalo Bayou?

A) The main advantage is the soil. Over the years, the bayou has deposited the perfect blend of sand, silt, and clay—so much so that in some places it is 110 feet thick.

Q) The grounds of Bayou Bend Gardens are embellished with several water features. What is their role in the overall landscape design?

A) The fountains in the Diana Garden and East Garden are the primary focal points. Without them, the gardens themselves lose interest and focus.

Q) Bayou Bend was among the first public formal gardens in Texas to use organic gardening techniques. Why has organic gardening remained important to Bayou Bend?

A) Mainly because gardening this way is a continuous building process that relies on the living soil to be part of the equation. For an organic garden, the soil and its health are just as important to the way we manage the property as the plants are. Having healthy soil results in healthy plants.

Visiting Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens

If you haven't been to Bayou Bend lately, spring is the perfect time to visit. Tour the house and the gardens; bring the kids for family-friendly activities; and enjoy evening cocktail events for adults, from Jazz & Juleps to Sip & Stroll. Check out all the options, and drop by often!

Classy, Tragic Love: Romance in the French New Wave

Will Otter — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 06:00:00 -0600

Simply calling Alain Resnais’s Hiroshima mon amour a love story doesn’t do it justice.

The 1959 film about a torrid, tortured romance between a French actress (Emmanuelle Riva) and a Japanese architect (Eiji Okada) in post-nuclear Hiroshima was a major catalyst for the French New Wave, a film movement that featured innovative miniature flashbacks and provocative analysis of the connection between memory and authentic experience in the wake of World War II.

If you’re looking for the sentimentality of mainstream romance films, the New Wave probably shouldn’t be your first choice for a date-night movie. But if you’re okay with the idea that love doesn’t always end well, come to the Museum on Valentine’s Day weekend to see a glisteningly restored Hiroshima mon amour. The film screens on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, February 13, 14, and 15.

For Your Consideration

You might also like to try these New Wave romances:

• Breathless (1960) | Directed by Jean-Luc Godard
Who's cooler: icy French criminal Michel (Jean-Paul Belmondo) or his young American girlfriend Patricia (Jean Seberg)? Let’s call it a tie, with both getting bonus cool points from Godard’s bold, stylish cinematography.

• Jules and Jim (1962) | Directed by François Truffaut
If you missed it during the Museum’s recent Truffaut retrospective, put this classic love triangle first on your list. The endlessly intriguing Catherine (Jeanne Moreau) learns that loving two men takes more than just laughing while running across bridges.

• The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) | Directed by Jacques Demy
Okay, probably not New Wave in the strictest sense, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a more delightful film than this Technicolor operetta about the wartime separation of two overly romantic young lovers (Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo).

• A Man and a Woman (1966) | Directed by Claude Lelouch
A chance meeting between a widower (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who's a professional race-car driver and a widow (Anouk Aimée) turns into something deeper, even as trust issues linger. What will happen if he drives all night to reach her?

• My Night at Maud’s (1969) | Directed by Éric Rohmer
Believe in love at first sight? In this film for the intellectual and romantic alike, Catholic engineer Jean-Louis (Jean-Louis Trintignant) spends an enchanting night talking about love and religion with Maud (Françoise Fabian), a charming divorcée.

MFAH Films

To keep up with all the latest from MFAH Films, visit the online calendar, and join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Need to Know: 3 Things about “A History of Photography”

Kelly Laskosky — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 12:00:00 -0600

“View of Paris” possesses an entrancing three-dimensionality akin to that of a modern hologram. —Malcolm Daniel, curator in charge, department of photography and special projects

Daguerreotype may have evolved to digital, and silver prints to selfies, but ever since the invention of photography, one thing remains the same: Photographs are fascinating.

The Museum’s famed photography collection comprises some 30,000 images. When curator Malcolm Daniel came to the MFAH from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art about a year ago, he couldn’t wait to share those treasures in a new light.

The result? The exhibition series A History of Photography: Selections from the Museum’s Collection, which offers a new snapshot of the collection every few months. The first rotation is on view now.

Enjoy the View

1) Leading off the installation is View of Paris, a new acquisition that is also the earliest image in the collection. Made barely a year after the invention of photography in 1839, this dramatic daguerreotype showing Paris landmarks is dazzling in its detail. You can use the handy magnifying glass hanging on the wall for an even closer look at the Louvre, the Seine, an equestrian statue of Henri IV, and more.

2) Featured locations span the globe. In addition to France, settings include street life in 1870s London; Edward Steichen's expressive artistry in Trees, Long Island; Malick Sidibé’s look at the exuberant 1960s-era nightlife of Bamako, Mali; and Richard Misrach’s startling 1990 image of Andy Warhol on a bullet-ridden Playboy magazine cover used as target practice at the Nevada nuclear-testing site.

3) Choice portraits of women span the centuries. Julia Margaret Cameron’s pre-Raphaelite–inflected Rosalba and Diane Arbus’s awkwardly elegant Girl in a shiny dress, N.Y.C. were taken exactly 100 years apart, in 1867 and 1967. Lucia Moholy’s 1927 close-up of Bauhaus artist Florence Henri seemed exotic at the time, and still does. Thomas Ruff’s large-scale Carol Pilar, from 1989, closes out the presentation.

Be sure to catch this rotation of A History of Photography before it closes on March 8. Then come see the next group of selections, opening the following week on March 17.

#FutureMFAH

Kelly Laskosky — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 06:00:00 -0600

Rooftop garden? Check. A new restaurant and theater? Check. Public plazas and reflecting pools? A walkable 14-acre campus? A translucent building to display 20th- and 21st-century art? Yes! All of the above, and more, for the future Fayez S. Sarofim campus of the MFAH.

The Museum is about to transform. Over the next five years, the campus is undergoing a dramatic redevelopment, adding three new structures: another major gallery building, a conservation center, and a new home for the Glassell School of Art.

Complemented by enhanced green spaces, these new buildings complete the Museum’s suite of notable architectural features from the past century. Here’s a time line of highlights:

20th Century

1924 | The original building, designed by Houston architect William Ward Watkin in the Greek Neoclassical style, is the first art museum built in Texas.
1953 | The Blaffer Memorial Wing, by Houston architect Kenneth Franzheim, opens.
1958 | Cullinan Hall, a free-span exhibition space designed by German-born American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, is completed.
1974 | Brown Pavilion, also by Mies, adds a new entrance lobby, an expansive second-floor gallery, and a theater.
1986 | The Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden, by American landscape architect and sculptor Isamu Noguchi, takes a modern approach to the traditional garden.
1998 | The Caroline Wiess Law Building becomes the name of the Museum building, in honor of the longtime patron.
2000 | The Audrey Jones Beck Building, by Spanish architect Rafael Moneo, adds more than 85,000 square feet of gallery space, along with a new shop, café, and offices.

21st Century

2017 | The Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation Center for Conservation, by Lake|Flato Architects of San Antonio, provides a two-story facility atop the Museum’s existing parking garage, adding conservation labs and studios, and a street-level café.
2017 | The new Glassell School of Art, by New York’s Steven Holl Architects, extends the landscape of the campus with The Brown Foundation, Inc. Plaza, walkable roof garden, reflecting pool, café, and art-supply store.
2019 | The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building, a translucent structure also by Steven Holl Architects, adds two floors of galleries that circle a three-level atrium, as well as a restaurant, café, theater, reflecting pools, vertical gardens, meeting rooms, connectivity to the Glassell School, and underground parking.

Join us on this grand adventure! We’ll announce more details as they unfold, so follow along with #FutureMFAH for the latest news. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Vimeo.

“Monet and the Seine” Brings an Icy Wonderland to Houston

Kelly Laskosky — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 06:00:00 -0600

The Houston climate doesn't offer "winter wonderland" views very often, but this year we can enjoy some extra icy shades of winter in Monet and the Seine: Impressions of a River.

Claude Monet painted scenes of his beloved Seine River at every season, including the winter of 1879, one of the coldest France endured during the entire century. Frozen waterways and heavy snowfalls disrupted daily life, but Monet was enchanted. He set up his easel—and a coal-heated stove for warmth—along the Seine and proceeded to capture the glistening winter landscape.

When the Seine began to thaw, the frozen river broke into massive ice floes that hurtled downstream with such force that the noise awakened and terrified nearby residents. Monet’s reaction? He’d “make something” of the natural catastrophe. He created 20 superb canvases, several of which you can see in this exhibition and the accompanying illustrated catalogue. Some highlights:

The Breakup of the Ice Monet found this dramatic landscape, born out of violence with its watery beauty and exquisite gray-blue tonality, irresistible.
The Ice Floes (Les Glaçons) This magnificently large canvas (nearly 5 feet wide) is the culmination of Monet’s paintings of the ice floes on the frozen Seine.
Winter Sun, Lavacourt The small sun barely warms the bare trees and whitish-blue fields, virtually indistinguishable from the river.
The Thaw at Vétheuil In this particularly powerful painting, Monet’s treatment of the ice floes in the foreground looks ahead to his famous Water Lilies.
Ice Floes Monet revisited his icy theme when the Seine froze again during the winter of 1892, as seen in this depiction of the river’s surface, glassy and mirrorlike—a reminder of Monet’s passion for its reflective qualities.

In addition to these winter scenes, Monet and the Seine features nearly 50 other examples of the busy, ever-changing French waterway that fascinated the artist throughout his life. Also included are cityscapes, scenes of commerce and leisure activities, and ethereal paintings from Monet’s famous “Mornings on the Seine” series. The exhibition is on view through February 1.

A Holiday Look at “Annunciation to the Shepherds”

James Clifton — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 15:07:54 -0600

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:8–11, New Revised Standard Version of the Bible)

Annunciation to the Shepherds, the colorful painting by Dutch Calvinist Joachim Wtewael (1566–1638) in the collection of the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation, is one of the largest representations of the subject. The dramatic work—nearly six feet high and more than four feet wide—was painted in 1606, and it is on view in the Blaffer galleries of the Audrey Jones Beck Building.

The Netherlands of Wtewael’s time had been torn by religious strife. Shepherds were seen as models of humility for the faithful and as symbols of peace, which was said to be born of humility. French theologian John Calvin reminded his readers that life on earth is continual warfare, and Calvin interpreted the peace promised by the angels as a purely inner tranquility resulting from reconciliation with God.

Wtewael may have understood the story of the Annunciation to the Shepherds in the same way, yet in keeping with the Dutch penchant for interpreting contemporary events and scripture together, he and his viewers may also have looked to Christ, the Prince of Peace, to reconcile the Christians of the Netherlands—Protestants and Catholics alike—in a joint faith and perpetual peace.

Wtewael’s Annunciation to the Shepherds will be featured in the exhibition Pleasure and Piety: The Art of Joachim Wtewael, opening in November 2015.

Lions, Tigers, and . . . Llamas? Exploring the Ancient American Cosmos

Chelsea Dacus — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 06:00:00 -0600

The idea for the exhibition Fangs, Feathers, and Fins: Sacred Creatures in Ancient American Art began when I subscribed to International Wildlife as a teenager. Instead of boy-band posters on my bedroom wall, I had pages torn from this magazine.

That’s what drew me to Pre-Columbian studies, to examine the cultures that existed in the Americas before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. For the people of these ancient cultures, animals helped explain the world and why things happened. Why did one person die, and another live? Why did another get sick or recover?

The answers came through a cosmological perception of the world that intimately involved animals, which helped people navigate the often-perilous world. Fangs, feathers, and fins were essential characteristics that made animals spiritually magical to Pre-Columbian cultures.

The world was divided into three realms:

Celestial Because of their amazing ability to fly, birds were believed to travel to the Celestial Realm of the sky, where gods lived. Feather tunics like one on display in the exhibition (slideshow image #2)—treasured as more precious than gold—were invested with cosmological power.
Terrestrial The powerful animals with fangs—like the jaguars represented in the exhibition by ceramics and stone—dwelt with humankind in the Terrestrial Realm, and fangs gave these creatures a power over death and other beings.
Underworld Stingrays—like one shown in a gold pendant (slideshow image #3)—and other miraculous water-dwelling animals possessed fins and lived in the watery Underworld Realm.

Not only did sacred creatures dwell in these realms—and sometimes voyage from one realm to another—but gifted humans with supernatural connections could traverse the realms by transforming into different animals. Ornaments like collars depicting double-headed serpents (slideshow image #4) could define and change the human body into sacred space.

As you visit the exhibition, I hope you feel some of that power.

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