When it’s summer in Texas, your first thought might not be: “Oh, we should visit Houston” since it tends to be humid and quite warm. But we made the trek from Austin, and a perfect weekend commenced.
First up: The Menil
Ancient Greek and Roman, African, modern and contemporary, outsider, and surrealist… it was a romp through art history at the classy Menil. The Menil is an exemplar of the traditional, white space, hushed voices type of museum — and I don’t mean this as an insult. It is intentionally a peaceful, contemplative space. There are no cameras allowed and no interpretive text on labels. (Hence, no illicit photos in this post!) In the museum world, cameras can be controversial. I see both sides (perhaps not surprisingly, with my museum background). I love capturing photos of my favorite pieces and I make an effort to look and absorb the work before taking a photograph. At the Menil, I went the sketching route, which reminded me of my days as an art history student.
Highlights:
- Thoth with Ibis Head, Egyptian figurine, 712-343 BC
- Henri Cartier-Bresson photographs (my favorite was Simiane la Rotonde, 1969)
- Sculpture by Robert Gober (whose work I originally saw in-person at The Contemporary in Austin)
- A wall-length Kara Walker (Freedom Fighters for the Society of Forgotten Knowledge, Northern Domestic Scene, 2005)
- Wols (a European abstract expressionist I discovered)
- A Surrealist’s study
Fueled by local beers and one of the best burgers in town (as rated by the Houston alt-paper), we scooted over to Second Saturdays at the Silos. Converted rice silos have been re-purposed into individual artist studios. The space was compelling to explore, as was the art. (It feels similar to Canopy in Austin). We wrapped up the day with fajitas at El Tiempo (highly recommend!) and a free performance by the Houston Symphony. Houston really delivered on its cultural claims!
