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FY25 Annual Report

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The Menil Collection Annual Report

We are pleased to share this annual report highlighting notable events that took place across the Menil Collection’s neighborhood of art during Fiscal Year 2025 (July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025).

Fiscal Year 2025 was an exciting and extremely productive year for the Menil Collection, one marked by extraordinary gifts, internationally acclaimed exhibitions, and significant progress on many of the institution’s strategic goals.

Over the course of the year, the Cy Twombly Gallery was refurbished in anticipation of its 30th anniversary. New lighting was installed throughout the building, and the foyer was rearranged to call attention to the room of plaster sculptures. A visitor seating area was added, along with a custom-designed visitor services desk with a shelf for Twombly-related publications. In the main museum building, a fully reconceived installation of A Surrealist Wunderkammer opened to the public in November 2024. Notably, the previous wall-sized permanent case was replaced with one that is accessible, so that for the first time, the objects in the case are available to staff, scholars, and conservators.

FY25 marked a particularly robust period in the Menil’s long history of engaging with contemporary artists. Tacita Dean: Blind Folly, the first major museum survey of Dean’s work in the United States, highlighted the artist’s approach to creating art through unmediated and chance-based drawing processes. The show was accompanied by a pocket-sized curatorial essay and an artist book created by Dean after spending the night in the Cy Twombly Gallery. Important displays at the Menil Drawing Institute included Ronny Quevedo’s C A R A A C A R A (the annual wall drawing commission) and the ambitious spring exhibition What drawing can be: four responses, in which four artists created site-specific installations that pushed the boundaries of drawing. Toward the end of the fiscal year, the Menil opened The Space Between Looking and Loving: Francesca Fuchs and the de Menil House, a poetic exhibition

that included sketches and paintings by Houston-based artist Francesca Fuchs.

Another curatorial highlight was Joe Overstreet: Taking Flight, an exhibition touted as a “must-see” by ARTnews and other outlets soon after it opened in January 2025. It was accompanied by an exhibition catalogue with a detailed chronology of the artist’s life and copious photographs showing the works installed at the museum.

The Menil prides itself on generously lending to other institutions. Among the loans made in FY25, twenty-four paintings, two objects, and three archival items by René Magritte were sent to the Art Gallery of New South Wales for Australia’s first ever retrospective of the Belgian surrealist artist.

A major goal of the museum’s strategic plan was the creation of a new website. After three years of sustained work, it debuted in July 2025, enhancing access to the Menil’s collections, deepening research capabilities, and inviting meaningful engagement with the art and ideas that define the museum. For many, it is the first introduction to the museum and its 30-acre campus.

Speaking of the campus, a new addition to the neighborhood is Hotel Saint Augustine, which opened in January 2025 across the street from the Menil on Main Street. The boutique property, which is neither controlled nor operated by the Menil, is a wonderful complement to the artistic ethos of the museum and its surroundings.

On the following pages, you will read about many of these projects in more detail. Before closing, I would like to call special attention to two groups of artwork that were accessioned by the Menil this year. First, after the death of Trustee Janie C. Lee, her promised gift of fifty-seven drawings, augmented by two more in her bequest, were transferred to the museum. Janie was an early champion of the Menil Drawing Institute, and it is in part thanks to her vision that this year the Menil also received a major gift of 121 drawings from the Cy Twombly Foundation.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Rabinow. Photo: Sarah Hobson

The Menil Collection is committed to its founders’ belief that art is essential to the human experience. Set in a residential Houston neighborhood, the Menil fosters direct, personal encounters with works of art and welcomes all visitors free of charge to its museum buildings and surrounding green spaces.

Values Statement

Diversity and Inclusion Statement

The Menil’s institutional culture and actions are guided by the following core values:

Inclusivity We are committed to being equitable, inclusive, and welcoming to all people.

Integrity We strive toward transparency and accountability, and we actively work to combat bias and racism in all of our practices, interactions, and activities.

Empathy We are a small staff who work closely together. We listen to different points of view and are committed to acting with kindness, respect, and understanding toward one another.

Excellence We uphold the highest professional standards. We consistently strive to innovate those standards and exceed expectations.

Intellectual Curiosity Guided by our founders’ vision, we are committed to being socially and culturally aware, to pursuing new and challenging ideas, and to advancing new scholarship and new perspectives.

Community We aim to contribute to the cultural vibrancy of our diverse community by being a site for learning, sharing, and the free exchange of ideas. We are a thoughtful and active member of the Montrose and greater Houston community; we are a good neighbor and responsible partner.

Firm in the belief that art is essential to the human experience, the Menil Collection remains free to all, always. From their philanthropic vision to their work with artists, our founders sought to combat prejudice and champion social justice. This legacy lives on in our work and mission, to which diversity, inclusion, and equitable representation are fundamental.

True commitment to diversity and inclusion is an active process; we are dedicated to the work of listening, learning, and taking action that this ongoing commitment necessitates. It is our responsibility to reflect the diversity of our community, from our galleries and programming to our offices and green spaces. At the Menil, you are included, welcomed, and needed.

Louisa Stude Sarofim, Chair Emerita

Janet M. Hobby, Chair

Doug Lawing, President

Leslie Elkins Sasser, Vice President

James W. Stewart, Jr., Treasurer

Eddie R. Allen III, Secretary

Nancy Abendshein

Suzanne Deal Booth

Hilda Curran

Cheryl Finley

Aziz Friedrich

Elizabeth Glassman

Barbara Goot-Gamson

Cecily E. Horton

George B. Kelly

Dillon Kyle

Alison Leland

Isabel Lummis

Francois de Menil

Clémence Molin

Franci Neely

Anaeze Offodile II

David Ruiz

Mark Wawro

Miles Glaser (1925–2004), Emeritus

Founding Benefactors

Stephanie Aleixo

Chinhui Juhn Allen

Kristen Berger

Michael Cannon

Stephanie Cockrell

Margaret Vaughan Cox

Caroline Finkelstein

David Fitch

I.H. Kempner III

Marley Lott

Ransom Lummis

Nancy McGregor Manne

Poppi Massey

David Moriniere

Cullen Muse

Carol Neuberger

Judy Nyquist

Jessica Phifer

Harry C. Pinson

Mary Hammon Quinn

Victoria Salem

Paul Seifert

Kelly R. Silvers

Aliyya Stude

Patrick G. Wade

Morris Weiner

Lea Weingarten

William H. White

Barry Young

Sylvie and Eric Boissonnas

The Brown Foundation, Inc.

Edmund and Adelaide de Menil Carpenter

The Cullen Foundation

Margaret W. and J. A. Elkins, Jr.

The Charles Englehard Foundation

Fariha and Heiner Friedrich

Hobby Foundation

Houston Endowment Inc.

Caroline Weiss Law

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Dominique de Menil

Susan and Francois de Menil

Annalee G. Newman

Susan E. and Roy S. O’Connor

Fayez Sarofim & Co.

Louisa Stude Sarofim

Scaler Foundation, Inc.

Annette Schlumberger

The Wortham Foundation

Menil Council

In FY25, in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Cy Twombly Gallery, the Cy Twombly Foundation gifted the Menil Collection two rare early paintings. The Menil’s freestanding Cy Twombly Gallery was inaugurated in February 1995 and remains the only permanent retrospective exhibition devoted to the artist’s oeuvre. It is an international destination for the study, presentation, and appreciation of Twombly’s work. The art on view spans five decades of the artist’s paintings and sculptures, from his formative years during the 1950s to the end of his life, when he was investigating themes of spirituality, mythology, loss, and the passage of time.

With the Twombly Foundation’s gift of Volubilus, 1953, and Untitled, 1954, two paintings previously on long-term loan to the museum, the Menil now owns all works on view inside the Twombly Gallery.

Volubilus, titled after the site of an ancient city in present-day Morocco, has arch-like forms drawn in the wet paint that recall Romanera architecture. During his first visit to Europe, Twombly drew inspiration from ancient Mediterranean history and geography, Greek and Roman mythology, classical literature, and poetry. Untitled, a creamcolored painting with loose graphite scrawls scratched into the surface, was made while Twombly was serving in the United States Army as a cryptologist. During this experimental period, he began drawing in the dark to understand how a gesture could convey emotions.

Later in the year, the Cy Twombly Foundation made an additional gift of 121 drawings by the artist, transforming the Menil’s ability to exhibit and study the artist’s practice. The gift elevates the visibility of the Menil Drawing Institute, which upholds drawing’s centrality in the lives of artists as well as its crucial role in modern and contemporary artistic culture.

The drawings were created between 1954 and 2005, with some sharing motifs and themes with paintings and sculptures in the Menil’s holdings. They feature materials ranging from graphite to oil paint, techniques such as drawing and collage, and themes that run through his artistic practice, including classical antiquity, eroticism, and nature.

The directors of the Cy Twombly Foundation traveled from across Europe to Houston in February 2025 to participate in anniversary programs and celebrations, which included the launch of a new artist book by Tacita Dean titled Why Cy.

Above: Cy Twombly, Scent of Madness 1986. Watercolor, 19 11/16 × 14 ¼ in. (50 × 36.2 cm). The Menil Collection, Houston, Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation in celebration of the 30th anniverary of the Cy Twombly Gallery.
© Cy Twombly Foundation. Photo: Caroline Philippone
Below: Cy Twombly, Volubilus 1953. House paint, oil, crayon, and charcoal on canvas, 55 × 76 in. (139.7 × 193 cm).
The Menil Collection, Houston, Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Cy Twombly Gallery. © Cy Twombly Foundation. Photo: Adam Neese and Paul Hester

September 13, 2024–August 10, 2025

The Menil Collection presented the sixth installment of its site-specific Wall Drawing Series at the Menil Drawing Institute with a commission by New York-based artist Ronny Quevedo (b. 1981).

The 36-foot triptych explored the relationship between origin, transfer, and translation, with each panel of the composition indicating a step in the artist’s process. Quevedo uses drawing, particularly schematic renderings, to explore the visual languages of abstraction, cartography, cosmology, and sport from across the Americas. In his wall drawing, the artist built upon these interests with interconnected diagrams and markings spread across panels to express the complex relationships between the body, home, field, globe, and celestial spaces.

Titled C A R A A C A R A , “face-to-face” in English, the work evoked the communication or confrontation that results when cultures or worlds collide. The title also relates to the visible side of the fabric, or “face,” in sewing patterns. By using dressmaker wax paper as his foremost material, Quevedo reproduced images in a way that displayed the transformation from the initial drawing to its conclusion, while simultaneously connecting with his mother’s history as a seamstress.

In speaking about his work, Quevedo said, “I’m fascinated with how unaligned objects can come together, and how we develop diagrams that map a neutral space. By connecting different symbolic representations, it provides a collective understanding and an entry point for myself and the viewer.”

The first panel of the work was created by smoothing blue dressmaker wax paper against the wall and imprinting marks using a bone folder—a small tool for folding and creasing, often used in bookbinding and origami—along with other tools to transfer blue lines. For the second panel, that same paper was pressed against the wall using heat, suffusing the surface with blue pigmented wax that retained traces of the previously transferred marks. In the third panel, the creased and eroded paper was turned face out and pasted onto the surface of the wall. Quevedo’s final composition translates, mirrors, echoes, and even blurs earlier marks, forming a visual allegory of what we inherit from the past, how we inhabit the present, and what we will pass down to the future.

Wall Drawing Series: Ronny Quevedo was curated by Kelly Montana, Associate Curator.

This wall drawing was generously supported by Jereann Chaney; Dillon Kyle and Sam Lasseter; Scott and Judy Nyquist; Leslie and Shannon Sasser; Bill Stewart and Johanna Brassert; and Elizabeth and Barry Young.

Fragments of Memory

September 20, 2024–January 26, 2025

Fragments of Memory, a selection of works from the Menil Collection’s holdings, addressed how 20th- and 21st-century artists have placed personal experiences and historic events at the heart of their work. Through the use of materials such as snapshots, collages, notes, and relics—which are often fragmentary, ephemeral, and deeply imbued with emotional weight—the past remains alive and replete with possibility. Events are revisited in multiple ways, creating alternate perspectives and proposing new understandings.

A 2019 acquisition by the Menil, Wardell Milan’s (b. 1977) Pulse, 2019, recalls the 2016 deadly mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub that targeted the city’s queer and Latin American communities. The artist’s decision to remember the victims in a vibrant dance celebration is intended as a message of resistance against calculated violence. Milan participated in an Artist Talk at the Menil Drawing Institute in fall 2024.

Another artist represented in the exhibition was Sari Dienes (1898–1992), who took inspiration from everyday objects and occurrences—like street detritus or a chance rendezvous. In Letterbox, 1940s–1980s, made over several decades, Dienes fused artwork, community portrait, and alternative archives by juxtaposing personal correspondence from her friends and colleagues inside a found display case. Memory, and how it fragments as time passes, is a foremost theme in artist Luc Tuymans’s (b. 1958) work. My Door I–VI, 2013, is a set of watercolors depicting a figure observing a waning sun. By fracturing the scene into six similar but distinctly different perspectives, the artist challenges any claim to a complete or accurate depiction. For Tuymans and others in the exhibition, the idea of the fragment surfaces in their exploration of vision, identity, and elegy. The show also included work by James Lee Byars, Jacob El Hanani, Joe Goode, Jasper Johns, Mark Lombardi, Jim Love, Walter Tandy Murch, Denyse Thomasos, Cy Twombly, and Danh Vo. Fragments of Memory was curated by Kelly Montana, Associate Curator.

Installation view of Ronny Quevedo, C A R A A C A R A, 2024 at the Menil Drawing Institute. Photo: Sarah Hobson
This exhibition was generously supported by Diane and Michael Cannon; Caroline Huber; Susan and Francois de Menil; Sheila Noeth and Ted Dohmen; and by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.
Sari Dienes, Peterboro, ca. 1949–53. Ink rubbing, cloth, and cardboard on paper, 31 15/16 × 23 11/16 in. (81.1 × 60.2 cm). The Menil Collection, Houston, Gift of the Sari Dienes Foundation. © Sari Dienes Foundation/Artists Rights Society, New York.
Photo: Paul Hester

Out of Thin Air: Emerging Forms

September 20, 2024–January 26, 2025

Out of Thin Air: Emerging Forms at the Menil Drawing Institute examined drawing as a meditative process of finding form, whether abstract or representational. Twenty-nine works—dating from the late 1930s to the present—were united by a visual language: emerging forms. Neither fully resolved nor strictly defined, the evocative artworks selected from the Menil Collection’s permanent holdings are open, suggestive images that seem as though they are still becoming.

On view for the first time at the Menil was a group of drawings by American artist Gregory Masurovsky (1929–2009), who sought to “express the forces that animate the universe” with pen and ink on paper. The marks comprising his delicate drawings hover between materialization and imminent dispersal. Described by the artist as “a sort of ambiguity rendered with precision,” his drawings suggest fleeting swarms, vibrations, or cloud formations.

Acquired by the museum in 2023 and on view in this presentation was Gustavo Díaz’s (b. 1969) Imaginary Flight Patterns V, 2021. This work explores the notion of complexity through an intricate network of marks that recalls electrical currents, aerial maps, or flocks of birds in flight. Díaz participated in an Artist Talk in October 2024.

Other evocative and seemingly ephemeral works in the exhibition included three of John Cage’s (1912–1992) immersive River Rocks and Smoke drawings from 1990 and two drawings by Japanese artist Hiroyuki Doi (b. 1946), formed through the accumulation of minute circles, calling to mind celestial galaxies, rapidly multiplying cells, or cresting waves.

A large gestural drawing by Sonia Gechtoff (1926–2018) features wispy graphite lines poised in space as if shaped by a gust of wind into a figural form that straddles representation and abstraction. Lee Bontecou’s (1931–2022) cosmic architectures similarly hover suspended at the center of large sheets, unlocking worlds beyond that seem to be continuously coming into view.

Out of Thin Air: Emerging Forms was curated by Kirsten Marples, Assistant Curator.

by

Tacita Dean: Blind Folly

October 11, 2024–April 19, 2025

Tacita Dean: Blind Folly was the first major museum survey in the United States of work by British European visual artist Tacita Dean (b. 1965). The exhibition, organized in close collaboration with the artist, featured more than one hundred works across a variety of mediums, from film to printmaking.

The show highlighted the artist’s large-scale “portraits” of trees; monumental blackboard drawings like The Montafon Letter, 2017, made with a simple piece of white chalk; and groups of rarely shown drawings on paper from her studio, found postcards, and albumen photographs. It also included new works inspired by Dean’s time in Houston, such as Found Cy, Houston, 2024, and a series of chalk drawings created on found pieces of worn green slates. A separate gallery presented a rotating group of her 16mm films: Claes Oldenburg draws Blueberry Pie, 2023; The Friar’s Doodle, 2009; Edwin Parker, 2011; and The Green Ray, 2001.

Blind Folly, the show’s title, reflects Dean’s desire to let the behavior of her mediums dictate the results of her work. For the artist, the playful and old-fashioned phrase connoting foolishness represents the role chance and fate play in the creative act. “It’s always ‘Blind Folly’ for me,” the artist said, “because I never know where I’m going. And I need to not know where I’m going.”

Blind Folly or How Tacita Dean Draws by Michelle White was published in conjunction with the exhibition’s opening in October 2024. The text, illustrated with more than forty images, is based on seven years of conversation between the author and the artist.

Dean returned to Houston for the Cy Twombly Gallery’s 30th anniversary celebrations and participated in an Artist Talk and a book signing of Why Cy, a collection of the artist’s photographs of the Cy Twombly Gallery published on the occasion of the anniversary.

Tacita Dean: Blind Folly was curated by Michelle White, Senior Curator. The exhibition traveled to the Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio in October 2025.

Underwriting for this exhibition was generously provided by Lea Weingarten; Nina and Michael Zilkha; and Texas Commission on the Arts. Major funding for this exhibition was provided by Clare Casademont and Michael Metz; Cecily E. Horton; Nancy O’Connor; and Morris A. Weiner and Leslie Field. Additional support came from Mary and Marcel Barone; Hilda Curran; John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation; Cece and Mack Fowler; Frost Bank; Barbara and Michael Gamson; Janet and Paul Hobby; Caroline Huber; Linda and George Kelly; Anne Levy Charitable Trust; Rebecca Marvil and Brian Smyth; Susan and Francois de Menil; Fan and Peter Morris; Franci Neely; Carol and David Neuberger; Sheila Noeth and Ted Dohmen; Mark W. and Angela Laswell Smith; and the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.

This exhibition was generously supported
Diane and Michael Cannon; Caroline Huber; Susan and Francois de Menil; Sheila Noeth and Ted Dohmen; and by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.
Sonia Gechtoff, Untitled 1956–57. Graphite on paper mounted on board, 61 × 40 in. (154.9 × 101.6 cm).
The Menil Collection, Houston, Gift of the artist in the memory of Walter Hopps. © Menil Foundation, Inc. Photo: James Craven
Tacita Dean, Beauty, 2006. Gouache on black and white fibre-based photograph mounted on paper, 141 × 147 in. (358.1 ×373.4 cm). San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Purchase through a gift of Raoul Kennedy in memory of Patricia A. Kennedy.
© Tacita Dean. Photo: Tenari Tuatagaloa

Joe Overstreet: Taking Flight

January 24–July 13, 2025

Joe Overstreet: Taking Flight featured vibrant abstract paintings created by the artist Joe Overstreet (1933–2019). In a career that spanned sixty years, he consistently innovated novel approaches to non-representational painting, imbuing it with both personal and political meaning. He advanced abstraction as an expansive tool for exploring national history, current events, and his own biography as a Black artist in the United States.

The exhibition focused on three of his most significant series: shaped canvas constructions from the 1960s; unstretched paintings from the 1970s, known as Flight Patterns; and monumental abstractions from the 1990s. To create the Flight Patterns, Overstreet spliced, stained, and stitched together canvases that he tethered to the wall, floor, and ceiling with taut ropes. Described by the artist as “birds in flight” able to “take off, to lift up, rather than be held down,” the resulting forms transgress the traditional boundaries of two-dimensional painting, inaugurating a dynamic relationship between object, viewer, and architecture. The Flight Patterns followed his intricately constructed shaped canvases of the late 1960s, which often referenced the Civil Rights movement and drew inspiration from African design and mythology. Several decades later, following an inspiring trip to Senegal in 1992, Overstreet created a series of monumental and luminous abstractions that address the African diaspora and explore questions of inheritance and memory.

In February 2025, the DeLUXE Theater in Houston presented The Art of Legacy: Joe Overstreet & The Black Arts Center, a related exhibition that paid tribute to the artist, who had a solo exhibition at that site in 1972.

Joe Overstreet: Taking Flight was curated by Natalie Dupêcher, Associate Curator of Modern Art, and organized in conjunction with the artist’s estate. The exhibition included key loans from United States museums and collections, as well as extensive and rarely exhibited work from the artist’s estate. It was accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue featuring new scholarly essays, a detailed chronology, and all-new photography of the installation at the Menil.

The exhibition traveled to the Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, in November 2025.

Major funding for this exhibition was provided by the Henry Luce Foundation; and Franci Neely. Additional support came from Ellen Benninghoven and Michael Schafer; Clare Casademont and Michael Metz; Barbara and Michael Gamson; Janet and Paul Hobby; Linda and George Kelly; the National Endowment for the Arts; The Oshman Foundation; Mark Wawro and Melanie Gray; and the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.

What drawing can be: four responses

March 21, 2025–August 10, 2025

Four contemporary artists stretched the boundaries of drawing in the exhibition What drawing can be: four responses. Jillian Conrad, Teresita Fernández, Tony Lewis, and Constantin Luser each were assigned a gallery space at the Menil Drawing Institute to explore the experimental potential of the medium and its connections with other arts, such as sculpture and architecture. The exhibition aligned with the Drawing Institute’s mission, which recognizes drawing’s centrality in the lives of artists and its crucial role in modern and contemporary artistic culture.

Houston artist Jillian Conrad (b. 1970) challenged perceptions of the tangible and the intangible. Exploring the motifs of nature, intimacy, and alchemy, Conrad created minimal, yet playful works for this presentation. In one of the works, titled Cetus, the artist recreated the constellation Cetus, the Sea Monster, with pliable metals, jewelry chains, and hand-blown glass orbs depicting stars.

Teresita Fernández (b. 1968) drew inspiration from landscape and mapping. For her installation, she used only one medium: charcoal. The artist positioned narratives rooted in colonialism and violence, and visibility and erasure at the forefront of her piece, Scorched Earth (Lament), by creating an immersive, multi-sensory environment that evoked a cross section of earth’s strata.

Tony Lewis’s (b. 1986) ever-expanding engagement with drawing included Relatively Submerged, 2015, a massive graphite-laden sheet of paper weighing approximately fifty-pounds displayed in a vitrine set in a pile of crushed graphite.

Austrian artist Constantin Luser’s (b. 1976) three-dimensional “spatial drawings” were constructed from multiple brass wires. These kinetic floating sculptures cast elaborate shadows across drawings the artist made directly on the walls, creating a complex, visual exchange that amplified the networks of lines and challenged visitors’ perceptions.

Conrad and Fernández both participated in Artist Talks, and Luser performed a sound activation of his work.

What drawing can be: four responses was curated by Edouard Kopp, John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation Chief Curator, and Kelly Montana, Associate Curator.

This exhibition was generously supported by the Susan Vaughan Foundation; Phileas—The Austrian Office for Contemporary Art; the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation; Dillon Kyle and Sam Lasseter; The Novum Foundation; Leslie and Shannon Sasser; Ann and Mathew Wolf Drawing Exhibition Fund; and the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.
Installation view of Teresita Fernández, Scorched Earth (Lament) 2025, in What drawing can be: four responses Photo: Lauren Marek
Joe Overstreet, HooDoo Mandala 1970. Acrylic on canvas with metal grommets and cotton rope, 90 × 89 1/2 in. (228.6 × 227.3 cm). Neil Lane Collection. © Estate of Joe Overstreet/Artist Rights Society (ARS), courtesy of Eric Firestone Gallery, New York. Photo: Jenny Gorman

The Space Between Looking and Loving:

Francesca Fuchs and the de Menil House

May 23–November 2, 2025

In 1970, John de Menil wrote to German classical archeologist Dr. Werner Fuchs (1927–2016) seeking to identify the subject of a 2nd century Roman sculpture of a male torso in his collection. Forty-nine years later, artist Francesca Fuchs (b. 1965) discovered black-and-white photographs of the marble torso in her father’s personal effects in Oxford, England, which led her to a carbon copy of John de Menil’s letter in the Menil’s archives.

Born in London and raised in Münster, Germany, Fuchs trained as a sculptor before completing her MFA at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany. The following year, in 1996, she moved to Houston as a Core Program Fellow at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Living and working in Houston ever since, Fuchs divides her time between her art studio in the city’s Heights neighborhood and faculty position at the Glassell School of Art.

Fuchs’s serendipitous discovery of the photographs was the impetus for a series of initial sketches and paintings exploring her connection to the Roman sculpture and the de Menils. “I make my work thinking about the significance of objects,” Fuchs said, “making paintings of paintings, and paintings of objects I live with and love, trying to upend hierarchies from within the intimacies of domestic space.”

The Space Between Looking and Loving: Francesca Fuchs and the de Menil House represents Fuchs’s expanded meditation on these relationships with objects at the de Menil’s house. Archival photographs of the house provided the artist with a sense of the deep connections the de Menils had to the artworks they collected and lived with, one that mirrors the artist’s studied remaking of objects through painting. The exhibition featured new sketches and paintings by Fuchs that depicted objects the de Menils displayed in their Houston home alongside remade keepsakes from Fuchs’s childhood, rarely seen archival photographs of the house, and artworks from the museum’s collection.

The Space Between Looking and Loving: Francesca Fuchs and the de Menil House was curated by Paul R. Davis, Curator of Collections.

Major funding for this exhibition was generously provided by Cecily E. Horton. Additional support came from Franci Neely; Jacquelyn Barish; Mary and Marcel Barone; Hilda Curran; Jessica and Brian Leeke; Fan and Peter Morris; Scott and Judy Nyquist; Beverly and Howard Robinson; Karlsson and Brian Salek; Bill Stewart and Johanna Brassert; Wawro-Gray Family Foundation; Nina and Michael Zilkha; John Zipprich; and the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.

Francesca Fuchs, Magenta Ernst 2024. Acrylic on canvas over wood panel, 37 × 22 in. (94 × 55.9 cm). Courtesy of the artist, Inman Gallery, Houston, and Talley Dunn Gallery, Dallas.
© Francesca Fuchs. Photo: Thomas R. DuBrock

Acquisitions

Ruth Asawa, Untitled (FF.1211, Paul Lanier on Patterned Blanket) 1961. Felt-tipped pen on paper on board, 29 7/8 × 20 1/4 in. (75.9 × 51.4 cm). The Menil Collection, Houston, Purchased with funds provided by an anonymous donor, the William F. Stern Acquisitions Fund, the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation, and Nancy Abendshein. © Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc. Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy David Zwirner

Tacita Dean, The Sublunaries (First Quarter), 2024. Enamel and mirror lacquer on found steam train windows, 12 1/8 × 17 3/16 × 3/16 in. (30.8 × 43.7 × 0.4 cm). Purchased with funds provided by Allison Sarofim and Patrick Seabase, Nora and Bob Ackerley, Caroline Huber, Bill Stewart and Johanna Brassert, Nina and Michael Zilkha, Franci Neely, Mark Wawro and Melanie Gray, and Clare Casademont and Michael Metz. © Tacita Dean. Photo: Studio Tacita Dean/Simon Hanzer

Magdalena Abakanowicz

Polish, 1930–2017

Face (83T), 1982

Charcoal on paper

39 5/8 × 26 in. (100.6 × 66 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.1

Headet Tree 1992

Charcoal on paper

24 × 18 7/8 in. (61 × 48 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.2

Avigdor Arikha Israeli, 1929–2010 Knife, 1975

Watercolor on paper

9 3/8 × 12 3/8 in. (23.9 × 31.5 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.3

Untitled (Bread) 1975

Watercolor on paper

9 1/4 × 13 1/4 in. (23.5 × 33.7 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.4

Ruth Asawa

American, 1926–2013

Untitled (SF.030, Blue Triangles on Brown), ca. late 1950s

Watercolor, gouache, and graphite on board

30 × 28 in. (76.2 × 71.1 cm)

Gift of the Cuneo Family 2024-16

Untitled (FF.1211, Paul Lanier on Patterned Blanket), 1961

Felt-tipped pen on paper on board

29 7/8 × 20 1/4 in. (75.9 × 51.4 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by an anonymous donor, the William F. Stern Acquisitions Fund, the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation, and Nancy Abendshein 2024-24

Cabbage (P.021), 1984

Offset lithograph

9 1/4 × 9 3/8 in. (23.5 × 23.8 cm)

Gift of Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc. 2025-10.1

Untitled (P.001, Tied-Wire Sculpture

Drawing with Six Branches), 1995 Etching

29/100

26 1/2 × 22 1/4 in. (67.3 × 56.5 cm)

Gift of Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc. 2025-10.2

Frank Auerbach

British, 1931–2024

Head of Jacob 1984

Charcoal and chalk on paper

33 × 26 5/8 in. (83.8 × 67.6 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.5

Head of Julia II 1989

Charcoal on paper

30 1/4 × 22 3/4 in. (76.8 × 57.8 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.6

Balthus

French, 1908–2001

Study for Nude in Front of Mantel (Etude pour Nu devant la cheminée) 1954

Charcoal on paper

14 1/8 × 9 1/2 in. (35.8 × 24.1 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.7

Still Life with Fruits (Nature Morte aux Fruits), 1963

Watercolor and graphite on paper

10 3/4 × 15 in. (27.3 × 38.1 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.8

Georg Baselitz

German, born 1938

Untitled 1967

Graphite and crayon on paper

26 3/8 × 18 1/4 in. (67.1 × 46.4 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.9

Untitled (Greetings from Oslo [Gruß aus Oslo]) 1986

Charcoal on paper

39 1/4 × 27 1/2 in. (99.7 × 69.9 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.10

Marc Bauer

Swiss, born 1975

Drawing the Line, Memories (1981–1992) 2023

Graphite and lithographic crayon on paper

Each Sheet: 11 7/8 × 16 1/2 in. (30.2 × 41.9 cm)

2025-15.1-.11

Untitled, Greek Art, 2018

Graphite on paper

39 3/8 × 55 1/8 in. (100 × 140 cm)

2025-15.12

Untitled, 1860, 2018

Graphite on paper

39 3/8 × 55 1/8 in. (100 × 140 cm)

2025-15.13

Untitled, Gericault 2018

Graphite on paper

39 3/8 × 55 1/8 in. (100 × 140 cm)

2025-15.14

Sea, 2019

Animated film

2/3 (+1 AP)

Duration: 58 seconds

2025-15.15

Robert Beck

American, born 1959

Untitled (Highlights for Children, October 1990, pg. 14), 1996

Graphite on paper

13 7/8 × 11 in. (35.3 × 27.9 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.11

Untitled (The House Tree Person Technique: Revised Manual by John N. Buck), 2000 Carbon, charcoal, and graphite on paper

10 × 8 in. (25.4 × 20.3 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.12

Forrest Bess

American, 1911–1977

Mexican Boy, ca. 1938

Linocut print

4/6

Block: 3 1/2 × 3 1/2 in. (8.9 × 8.9 cm)

Sheet: 4 3/4 × 4 1/4 in. (12.1 × 10.8 cm)

Gift of Goodwood Museum and Gardens in memory of Thomas M. Hood 2024-30.1

Maria, ca. 1938

Linocut print

4/6

Block: 6 × 4 in. (15.2 × 10.2 cm)

Sheet: 7 1/8 × 5 1/4 in. (18 × 13.3 cm)

Gift of Goodwood Museum and Gardens in memory of Thomas M. Hood 2024-30.2

Laguna Acapulco ca. 1938 Linocut print

4/6

Block: 4 × 3 in. (10.2 × 7.6 cm)

Sheet: 5 1/4 × 4 in. (13.3 × 10.2 cm)

Gift of Goodwood Museum and Gardens in memory of Thomas M. Hood 2024-30.3

Cathedral in Taxco, ca. 1938

Linocut print

Block: 7 × 5 in. (17.8 × 12.7 cm)

Sheet: 8 × 6 in. (20.3 × 15.2 cm)

Gift of Goodwood Museum and Gardens in memory of Thomas M. Hood 2024-30.4

Night in Taxco, ca. 1938

Print

Block: 7 × 5 in. (17.8 × 12.7 cm)

Sheet: 8 × 6 in. (20.3 × 15.2 cm)

Gift of Goodwood Museum and Gardens in memory of Thomas M. Hood 2024-30.5

Untitled n.d.

Linocut print

Block: 7 1/8 × 5 in. (18 × 12.7 cm)

Sheet: 8 × 6 in. (20.3 × 15.2 cm)

Gift of Goodwood Museum and Gardens in memory of Thomas M. Hood 2024-30.6

Taxco n.d. Linocut print

Block: 5 × 7 in. (12.7 × 17.8 cm)

Sheet: 6 1/4 × 8 1/4 in. (15.9 × 21 cm)

Gift of Goodwood Museum and Gardens in memory of Thomas M. Hood 2024-30.7

Prints of Mexico. Portfolio Cover ca. 1938

Faux suede

12 × 9 3/8 in. (30.5 × 23.9 cm) (Folded)

Gift of Goodwood Museum and Gardens in memory of Thomas M. Hood 2024-30.8

Joseph Beuys

German, 1921–1986

Women, 1954

Watercolor and graphite on paper

11 1/4 × 8 1/4 in. (28.6 × 21 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.13

John Biggers

American, 1924–2001

Untitled 1988

Conte crayon on wove paper

22 × 15 in. (55.9 × 38.1 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by the Wawro Gray Family Foundation 2024-33

Mel Bochner

American, 1940–2025

7 Properties of Between, 1971 Ink on paper

10 7/8 × 8 1/2 in. (27.7 × 21.6 cm)

Gift of the artist in honor of Louisa Stude Sarofim 2024-27

James Castle American, 1899–1977

Untitled, 20th century

Collage with found paper, string, and soot

5 3/4 × 8 1/4 in. (14.6 × 21 cm)

Gift of Monty Blanchard and Leslie Tcheyan in honor of Francois and Susan de Menil 2024-34

Paul Cézanne French, 1839–1906

Bather Standing with Back Turned (Baigneur debout, le dos tourné) [recto]; Portrait of a Man (Portrait d’homme) [verso], ca. 1877–80 [recto]; not dated [verso]

Graphite on paper

9 1/4 × 5 7/8 in. (23.5 × 15 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee in honor of Jasper Johns 2024-4.14

Chuck Close American, 1940–2021

In collaboration with Dieu Donné Watermark Self-Portrait 2007 Light and shade watermark on handmade paper 16/35

11 3/4 × 9 1/4 in. (29.8 × 23.5 cm) 2025- 9

Tacita Dean English, born 1965 Houston Derecho, 2024 Lithographic postcard with black tea, wax, postage stamp, and ink

3 1/2 × 5 1/2 in. (8.9 × 14 cm)

Gift of Michelle White 2025-7

The Sublunaries 2024

From the series Locomotive Drawings

Enamel and mirror lacquer on found tarnished steam train windows

Each Window: 12 1/8 × 17 3/16 in. (30.8 × 43.7 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Allison Sarofim and Patrick Seabase, Nora and Bob Ackerley, Caroline Huber, Bill Stewart and Johanna Brassert, Nina and Michael Zilkha, Franci Neely, Mark Wawro and Melanie Gray, and Clare Casademont and Michael Metz

2025-13

Jay DeFeo

American, 1929–1989

Untitled (Plow series, 9H Pencil series), 1981 Graphite, crayon, charcoal, and acrylic on paper

11 × 14 in. (27.9 × 35.6 cm)

Gift of The Jay DeFeo Foundation

2024-23

Edgar Degas

French, 1834–1917

Study for The Daughter of Jephthah (Etude pour La Fille de Jephté), ca. 1859

Graphite and ink on paper

9 1/2 × 12 in. (24.1 × 30.5 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.17

Willem de Kooning

American, 1904–1997

Abstraction 1945

Graphite and pastel on paper

13 1/2 × 18 1/2 in. (34.3 × 47 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.15

Untitled 1975

Pastel and oil on paper

18 1/2 × 23 3/4 in. (47 × 60.3 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.16

James Drake

American, born 1946

The Heart Has Many Rivers (My Life in Drawing, 1962–2023), 1962–2023

Graphite, charcoal, ink, and watercolor on paper, and inkjet prints, mounted to paper in a leather-bound album

18 × 14 × 3 in. (45.7 × 35.6 × 7.6 cm)

Gift of the artist and Moody Gallery in honor of Louisa Stude Sarofim 2024-22

Master Drawings, drawings #1243, 1244 & 1245, 2013

Graphite, ink, and book covers on paper

19 × 72 in. (48.3 × 182.9 cm)

Gift of Lannan Foundation 2024-26.1

Accelerators, drawings #1262, 1263, 1264 & 1265, 2014

Graphite and ink on book pages

38 × 48 in. (96.5 × 121.9 cm)

Gift of Lannan Foundation 2024-26.2

Dan Flavin

American, 1933–1996

untitled (to Janie Lee) one and two, 1971

Colored pencil on graph paper

16 5/8 × 21 5/8 in. (42.2 × 54.9 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.18

Sails, 1986 Pastel on paper

11 × 14 in. (27.9 × 35.6 cm)

Gift of Fredericka Hunter and Ian Glennie

2024-21.1

Untitled 1986 Pastel on paper

2 1/2 × 3 7/16 in. (6.4 × 8.8 cm)

Gift of Fredericka Hunter and Ian Glennie

2024-21.2

Sam Francis

American, 1923–1994

Gray Cloud Study 1952 Ink on paper

24 1/2 × 16 3/4 in. (62.2 × 42.5 cm) (visible)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.19

Helen Frankenthaler

American, 1928–2011

Untitled 1980

Acrylic on paper

20 1/4 × 30 in. (51.4 × 76.2 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.20

Untitled 1958–60

Oil on paper

24 3/8 × 33 3/8 in. (62 × 84.8 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.21

Suzan Frecon

American, born 1941

from the series of composition with red earth and red earth (o) watchtower/boulder

mountains, 2005/06

Oil on wood panel

9 15/16 × 7 15/16 in. (25.3 × 20.2 cm)

Gift of the artist and David Zwirner

2024-32.1

embodiment of red (trial) version 4 , 2006

Oil on wood panel

10 × 8 in. (25.4 × 20.3 cm)

Gift of the artist and David Zwirner

2024-32.2

stone cathedral 2018

Oil on fiberboard

9 15/16 × 7 15/16 in. (25.3 × 20.2 cm)

Gift of the artist and David Zwirner

2024-32.3

annunciata 2019

Oil on wood panel

9 3/4 × 12 in. (24.8 × 30.5 cm)

Gift of the artist and David Zwirner

2024-32.4

lantern (for Fred) trial 2, 2020

Oil on wood panel

9 3/4 × 12 in. (24.8 × 30.5 cm)

Gift of the artist and David Zwirner

2024-32.5

Roy Fridge

American, 1927–2007

Bone Boat Totem, 1980

Bone and mahogany

59 × 11 × 17 1/2 in. (149.9 × 27.9 × 44.5 cm)

Gift of Elizabeth Weingarten in memory of Jack Weingarten

2024-29

Alberto Giacometti

Swiss, 1901–1966

City Square, 1955

Lithographic crayon on paper

13 × 8 7/8 in. (33 × 22.6 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.22

Sam Gilliam

American, 1933–2022

Coffee Thyme II 1982

Color lithograph, screenprint, relief, etching, and embossing on handmade paper

21/37

31 1/2 × 40 in. (80 × 101.6 cm)

Gift of Barbara and Aaron Levine

2024-17.1

Coffee Thyme II, 1980

Color lithograph, screenprint, relief, etching, and embossing on handmade paper

38/65

31 1/2 × 40 in. (80 × 101.6 cm)

Gift of Barbara and Aaron Levine

2024-17.2

Robert Gober

American, born 1954

Untitled 1984

Graphite on paper

11 3/8 × 13 1/4 in. (29 × 33.7 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.23

Nancy Grossman

American, born 1940 Looped Crown 1968

Ink on paper

10 7/8 × 12 7/8 in. (27.7 × 32.8 cm)

Gift of Robert Gober 2024-20

Philip Guston

American, born in Canada, 1913–1980

Head 1968

Ink on paper

18 × 22 1/4 in. (45.7 × 56.5 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.24

Untitled ca. 1954

Ink on paper

23 3/8 × 17 3/4 in. (59.4 × 45.1 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.25

Ann Hamilton

American, born 1956

In collaboration with Dieu Donné poche, 2014

Abaca paper, raw sheep wool, linen thread 9/15

24 × 18 in. (61 × 45.7 cm)

Gift of Dieu Donné

2025-2.1

In collaboration with Dieu Donné poche, 2014

Abaca paper, raw sheep wool, linen thread 9/15

24 × 18 in. (61 × 45.7 cm)

Gift of Dieu Donné 2025-2.2

Eva Hesse

American, 1936–1970

No title, 1966

Ink and graphite on paper

9 5/8 × 7 3/4 in. (24.4 × 19.7 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.26

Sheila Hicks

American, active in France, born 1934

Indigo Fiber 1, 2014

Indigo - dyed fibers on paper

16 1/8 × 22 3/4 in. (40.9 × 57.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Clare Casademont and Michael Metz 2025- 5

Stitched Drawing, 2000

Handmade paper stitched with thread

14 3/4 × 19 3/4 in. (37.5 × 50.2 cm)

Gift of Melvin Bedrick 2025- 6

Roni Horn

American, born 1955 aka 2008–09

Inkjet prints on rag paper

Each Frame: 17 1/16 × 15 1/16 × 1 3/16 in. (43.3 × 38.3 × 3 cm)

Gift of John A. MacMahon and Graham Steele 2024-31

Shirley Jaffe

American, 1923–2016

Untitled #1, ca. 1990

Mixed media on paper

25 1/2 × 19 1/2 in. (64.8 × 49.5 cm)

Gift of Kerry Inman and Denby Auble 2024-19

Jasper Johns

American, born 1930 Flag on Orange Field 1957

Fluorescent paint, watercolor, pastel, and graphite on paper

10 1/2 × 7 3/4 in. (26.7 × 19.7 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee in memory of her grandfather, Alfred C. Glassell, Sr. 2024-4.27

Souvenir for Janie, 1977 Ink on plastic

14 1/2 × 10 7/8 in. (36.8 × 27.6 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.28

Target with Four Faces, 1977 Ink and graphite on plastic

11 × 8 3/4 in. (27.9 × 22.2 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.29

Untitled, 1984 Ink and graphite on plastic

26 1/4 × 34 1/2 in. (66.7 × 87.6 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.30

Study for Fall 1986 Graphite on paper

20 1/8 × 28 3/4 in. (51.1 × 73 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.31

Untitled, 2012 Graphite on paper

19 3/4 × 14 3/8 in. (50.2 × 36.6 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.32

Ellsworth Kelly

American, 1923–2015 Study for Wall, 1964 Ink and graphite on printed paper

13 1/2 × 9 1/8 in. (34.3 × 23.1 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.33

Begonia 1980 Graphite on paper

24 × 36 in. (61 × 91.4 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee in honor of Leslie Elkins Sasser 2024-4.34

Anselm Kiefer German, born 1945

Untitled (The Painter’s Studio [Des Malers Atelier]) ca. 1982

Graphite and watercolor on paper

19 1/2 × 25 in. (49.5 × 63.5 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.35

Franz Kline

American, 1910–1962 Double-Sided Composition 1950 Ink on paper

29 7/8 × 23 in. (75.9 × 58.4 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.36

Lars Lerup

American, born 1940

Drawing for “room”. Watt 1996

Mixed media on paper

11 × 8 1/2 in. (27.9 × 21.6 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.1

Drawing for “room”. Room, 2014

Mixed media on paper

14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.2

Drawing for “room”. Watt’s lift (OIL-chair), 1996

Mixed media on paper

14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.3

Drawing for “room”. Murphy’s Bed 2014

Mixed media on paper

14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.4

Drawing for “room”. Lean-to, 1998

Mixed media on paper

14 1/16 × 11 in. (35.7 × 27.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.5

Drawing for “room”. Lean-to closet, 1996

Mixed media on paper

11 × 8 1/2 in. (27.9 × 21.6 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.6

Drawing for “room”. T-chair, 2014

Mixed media on paper

14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.7

Drawing for “room”. Racer 1996

Mixed media on paper

14 1/16 × 11 in. (35.7 × 27.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.8

Drawing for “room”. Tall boy, 1997

Mixed media on paper

14 1/16 × 11 in. (35.7 × 27.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.9

Drawing for “room”. Blu, 2017

Mixed media on paper

14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.10

Drawing for “room”. Maus, 2014

Mixed media on paper

14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.11

Drawing for “room”. Flatbed 1998

Mixed media on paper

14 1/16 × 11 in. (35.7 × 27.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.12

Drawing for “room”. Tallboy, 1998

Mixed media on paper

14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.13

Drawing for “room”. O’Meldon’s Cube n’ Root, 2014

Mixed media on paper

14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.14

Drawing for “room”. New lite old lamp, 2017

Mixed media on paper

14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.15

Drawing for “room”. Shtick, 2017

Mixed media on paper

14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.16

Drawing for “room”. Wobbly Wall, 2014

Mixed media on paper

14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.17

Drawing for “room”. Trabajo di Silleria, 2017

Mixed media on paper

12 × 9 in. (30.5 × 22.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.18

Drawing for “room”. Youme, which-way-chair, 2017

Mixed media on paper

14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.19

Drawing for “room”. Freud-oman, 2017

Mixed media on paper

14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Cindy and Frank Liu

2024-18.20

Si Lewen

American, 1918–2016

The Great Feast, 1964

Acrylic and collage on canvas

90 × 150 3/4 in. (228.6 × 382.9 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by an anonymous donor, Suzanne Deal Booth, and Nina and Michael Zilkha 2024-25

Roy Lichtenstein

American, 1923–1997

Figures (Study), 1977

Colored pencil and graphite on paper

6 × 7 13/16 in. (15.2 × 19.8 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by an anonymous donor 2025-3.1

Figure with Trylon and Perisphere and Surrealism (Studies) 1977

Colored pencil and graphite on paper

8 3/4 × 7 13/16 in. (22.2 × 19.8 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by an anonymous donor 2025-3.2

Forest Scene with Temple (Study), 1985

Colored pencil and graphite on paper

9 1/4 × 11 11/16 in. (23.5 × 29.7 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by an anonymous donor 2025-3.3

Landscape with Figures and Rainbow and Brushstrokes (Studies), 1980

Colored pencil and graphite on paper

12 5/8 × 7 5/8 in. (32.1 × 19.4 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by an anonymous donor 2025-3.4

Morris Louis American, 1912–1962

Untitled, 1954

Acrylic on canvas

95 5/8 × 77 5/8 in. (242.9 × 197.2 cm)

Gift of Lannan Foundation 2024-26.3

Henri Matisse French, 1869–1954

Fruit Leaves 1942

Charcoal on paper

15 7/8 × 10 1/4 in. (40.4 × 26 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee in honor of Rebecca Rabinow 2024-4.37

Leila McConnell American, born 1927

Collage #40 (pink and blue landscape), 1980

Paper collage

10 3/4 × 8 in. (27.3 × 20.3 cm) 2025- 8.1

Collage #67 (sandy landscape with blue triangle), 1982

Paper collage

6 × 4 1/4 in. (15.2 × 10.8 cm) 2025- 8.2

Piet Mondrian Dutch, 1872–1944

Chrysanthemum, 1907

Graphite on paper

11 5/8 × 8 1/8 in. (29.5 × 20.6 cm) (visible)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.38

Dune Landscape (Dünenlandschaft), ca. 1908

Charcoal on paper

10 3/4 × 17 3/8 in. (27.3 × 44.2 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.39

Robert Motherwell

American, 1915–1991

Black on White No. 7, 1968

Acrylic and graphite on paper

6 × 8 in. (15.2 × 20.3 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.40

Open Study No. 10 1968

Charcoal on paper

22 1/8 × 30 1/2 in. (56.1 × 77.5 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.41

Barnett Newman American, 1905–1970

Christmas greetings to Betty Parsons 1950 Ink on paper

6 5/8 × 8 in. (16.8 × 20.3 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee in honor of Louisa Stude Sarofim

2024-4.42

Georgia O’Keeffe American, 1887–1986

From a River Trip, ca. 1965

Charcoal on paper

24 1/2 × 18 1/2 in. (62.2 × 47 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.43

Claes Oldenburg American, 1929–2022

Pat in Black Underwear, Seated, 1959

Crayon on paper

13 1/8 × 10 1/8 in. (33.3 × 25.7 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.44

Proposal for a Sculpture in the Form of a Giant Skate 1968

Crayon and watercolor on paper

10 5/8 × 13 3/8 in. (26.9 × 34 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.45

Jackson Pollock American, 1912–1956 Untitled , 1951 Ink on paper

25 × 39 1/8 in. (63.5 × 99.3 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee in honor of David B. Warren

2024-4.46

Christina Quarles

American, born 1985

Play Yer Part, 2023

Acrylic on canvas

55 1/4 × 88 × 2 in. (140.3 × 223.5 × 5.1 cm)

Purchased in part with funds provided by Suzanne Deal Booth 2024-15

Robert Rauschenberg

American, 1925–2008

First Chance (Slide), 1979

Solvent transfer and fabric on paper

60 × 40 in. (152.4 × 101.6 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.47

Currency, 1958

Solvent transfer, graphite, gouache, and watercolor on paper

22 3/4 × 28 3/4 in. (57.8 × 73 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.48

Susan Rothenberg

American, 1945–2020

Untitled, 1981

Charcoal on paper

30 × 22 in. (76.2 × 55.9 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.49

Gabriel de Saint‑Aubin French, 1724–1780

Outside the Colisée, Paris, 1772 Ink, watercolor, and chalk on paper 6 × 8 1/2 in. (15.2 × 21.6 cm)

Gift of John Davidson 2025-12

Richard Serra American, 1938–2024

Untitled, 1971 Charcoal on paper

26 1/4 × 40 in. (66.7 × 101.6 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.50

T.W.U. #10, 1980

Paintstick on paper

49 1/4 × 38 in. (125.1 × 96.5 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.51

Buster Keaton II 1993

Paintstick on paper

40 × 39 1/2 in. (101.6 × 100.3 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.52

Untitled

Charcoal and enamel on paper

19 3/4 × 24 3/4 in. (50.2 × 62.9 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024

Jasper Johns, Flag on Orange Field 1957. Fluorescent paint, watercolor, pastel, and graphite on paper, 10 1/2 × 7 3/4 in. (26.7 × 19.7 cm). The Menil Collection, Houston, Bequest of Janie C. Lee in memory of her grandfather, Alfred C. Glassell, Sr. © Jasper Johns / VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS). Photo: Jamie M. Stukenberg

Morris Louis, Untitled 1954. Acrylic on canvas, 95 5/8 × 77 5/8 in. (242.9 × 197.2 cm). The Menil Collection, Houston, Gift of Lannan Foundation. © Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Rights administered by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: James Craven

Cy Twombly, Study for Treatise on the Veil, 1970. Collage of paper and transparent tape, with graphite, wax crayon, and colored pencil on paper, 27 ¾ × 39 3/8 in. (70.5 × 100 cm). The Menil Collection, Houston, Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation. © Cy Twombly Foundation.

American, born 1942

July 12, News at Noon, 1978

From the series Television Drawings

Graphite and colored pencil on black paper

30 1/2 × 40 1/2 in. (77.5 × 102.9 cm) 2025-14.1

Violence in America, Good Evening, 1977

From the series Television Drawings

Ink and graphite on paper

22 1/2 × 30 in. (57.2 × 76.2 cm) 2025-14.2

Frank Stella

American, 1936–2024

Untitled , ca. 1964

Graphite and chalk on graph paper

8 7/16 × 11 7/8 in. (21.5 × 30.2 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee 2024-4.55

Dorothea Tanning

American, 1910–2012

Untitled (Unpublished), 1970

Color lithograph

20 1/2 × 26 3/4 in. (52.1 × 67.9 cm)

Gift of Barbara and Jim Metcalf and the Gallery of Surrealism 2024-28.1

Untitled (Unpublished), 1970

Color lithograph

21 1/8 × 26 1/2 in. (53.7 × 67.3 cm)

Gift of Barbara and Jim Metcalf and the Gallery of Surrealism 2024-28.2

Cy Twombly American, 1928–2011 Volubilus, 1953

House paint, oil, crayon, and charcoal on canvas

55 × 76 in. (139.7 × 193 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Cy Twombly Gallery 2024-11.1

Untitled 1954

House paint, crayon, and graphite on canvas

68 3/4 × 86 in. (174.6 × 218.4 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Cy Twombly Gallery 2024-11.2

Untitled, 1954

Graphite on paper with staples

11 1/16 × 8 5/8 in. (28.1 × 21.8 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.1

Untitled, 1954

Graphite on paper with staples

11 × 8 7/16 in. (27.9 × 21.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.2

Untitled, 1954

Graphite on paper with staples

11 × 8 5/8 in. (27.9 × 21.8 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.3

Untitled, 1954

Graphite on paper

19 × 25 1/8 in. (48.3 × 63.8 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.4

Untitled, 1954

Graphite on paper

19 × 25 in. (48.3 × 63.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.5

Untitled, 1954

Graphite on paper

25 × 19 in. (63.5 × 48.3 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.6

Untitled, 1956

Graphite on paper

21 7/8 × 30 in. (55.6 × 76.2 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.7

Untitled, 1955–56

Graphite on paper

22 × 30 1/8 in. (55.9 × 76.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.8

Untitled, 1957

Graphite on paper

12 × 14 1/2 in. (30.5 × 36.8 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.9

Untitled, 1957

Graphite on paper

12 × 14 1/2 in. (30.5 × 36.8 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.10

Untitled 1957

Graphite on paper

12 × 14 1/2 in. (30.5 × 36.8 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.11

Untitled 1959

Graphite on paper

24 1/8 × 36 1/16 in. (61.2 × 91.6 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.12

Untitled 1959

Graphite and oil on paper

24 1/8 × 36 1/16 in. (61.2 × 91.6 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.13

Sperlonga drawing, 1959

House paint and graphite on paper

27 9/16 × 39 3/16 in. (70 × 99.6 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.14

Sperlonga collage, 1959

Collage of shredded papers, with graphite and ballpoint pen on paper

14 7/16 × 12 in. (36.7 × 30.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.15

See Naples + Die, 1960

Graphite, wax crayon, colored pencil, and ballpoint pen on paper

19 1/2 × 27 1/2 in. (49.5 × 69.9 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.16

Untitled (Rape of the Sabines) 1960

Wax crayon, graphite, and ballpoint pen on paper

19 1/2 × 27 1/2 in. (49.5 × 69.9 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.17

Untitled (Rape of the Sabines) 1960

Graphite, colored pencil, and wax crayon on paper

19 1/2 × 27 1/2 in. (49.5 × 69.9 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.18

Untitled (Rape of the Sabines) 1960

Graphite, wax crayon, colored pencil, and ballpoint pen on paper

19 11/16 × 27 9/16 in. (50 × 70 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.19

Untitled 1961

Graphite, wax crayon, colored pencil, and ballpoint pen on paper

13 1/8 × 14 in. (33.3 × 35.6 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.20

Venus and Mars, 1962

Graphite, colored pencil, ballpoint pen, and watercolor on paper

19 5/8 × 27 5/8 in. (49.8 × 70.1 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.21

Birth of Venus, 1962

Wax crayon, graphite, and colored pencil on paper

13 3/16 × 14 in. (33.5 × 35.6 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.22

Birth of Venus, 1962

Wax crayon, graphite, and colored pencil on paper

13 1/8 × 14 1/8 in. (33.3 × 35.8 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.23

Untitled (Sapphic), 1963

Graphite and colored pencil on paper

19 11/16 × 19 11/16 in. (50 × 50 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.24

Untitled 1963

Graphite, colored pencil, and ballpoint pen on paper

13 3/16 × 14 in. (33.5 × 35.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.25

Untitled 1963

Graphite, wax crayon, colored pencil, and ballpoint pen on paper

13 3/16 × 14 in. (33.5 × 35.6 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.26

Untitled 1961–63

Graphite, colored pencil, and ballpoint pen on paper

13 1/4 × 14 1/8 in. (33.7 × 35.8 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.27

Untitled 1964

Graphite, colored pencil, and ballpoint pen on paper

27 9/16 × 39 3/8 in. (70 × 100.1 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.28

Untitled, 1965

Graphite and wax crayon on paper

26 1/2 × 34 in. (67.3 × 86.4 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.29

Untitled [recto]; Untitled [verso] 1965

Graphite and wax crayon on paper

17 × 13 5/16 in. (43.2 × 33.8 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.30

Untitled, 1965

Graphite, colored pencil, and ballpoint pen on paper

27 5/8 × 19 13/16 in. (70.1 × 50.3 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.31

Untitled, 1965

Graphite, colored pencil, and ballpoint pen on paper

34 × 26 1/2 in. (86.4 × 67.3 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.32

Untitled, 1965

Graphite and wax crayon on paper

26 1/2 × 34 in. (67.3 × 86.4 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.33

Untitled, 1965

Graphite and wax crayon on paper

26 9/16 × 33 15/16 in. (67.5 × 86.2 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.34

Untitled, 1965

Graphite, wax crayon, and colored pencil on paper

33 15/16 × 26 9/16 in. (86.2 × 67.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.35

Untitled, 1965

Graphite and wax crayon on paper

26 1/2 × 34 in. (67.3 × 86.4 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.36

Untitled, 1965

Graphite and wax crayon on paper

34 × 26 1/2 in. (86.4 × 67.3 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.37

Untitled, 1965

Graphite and wax crayon on paper

33 15/16 × 26 9/16 in. (86.2 × 67.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.38

Untitled 1965

Graphite, wax crayon, and ballpoint pen on paper

34 × 26 1/2 in. (86.4 × 67.3 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.39

Untitled 1965

Graphite, wax crayon, and ballpoint pen on paper

17 1/16 × 13 1/4 in. (43.4 × 33.6 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.40

Untitled 1965

Graphite, wax crayon, and ballpoint pen on paper

33 15/16 × 26 9/16 in. (86.2 × 67.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.41

Untitled 1966

Graphite and ballpoint pen on paper

17 1/16 × 13 1/4 in. (43.3 × 33.7 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.42

Untitled 1966

Graphite on paper

17 1/16 × 13 3/8 in. (43.3 × 34 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.43

Untitled 1966

Collage of cardboard and packaging tape, with graphite, wax crayon, and ballpoint pen on cardboard

27 5/8 × 19 1/2 in. (70.1 × 49.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.44

Untitled 1966

Collage of cardboard and packaging tape, with wax crayon and graphite on cardboard

27 5/8 × 19 1/2 in. (70.1 × 49.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.45

Untitled (Greetings from Gorgo), 1966

Graphite and wax crayon on paper

16 3/8 × 13 1/4 in. (41.7 × 33.7 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.46

Untitled (Greetings from Gorgo), 1966

Graphite, wax crayon, and ballpoint pen on paper

16 15/16 × 13 3/16 in. (43.1 × 33.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation

2025-1.47

Untitled (Greetings from Gorgo), 1966

Graphite, wax crayon, and ballpoint pen on paper

33 15/16 × 26 9/16 in. (86.2 × 67.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.48

Untitled (Greetings from Gorgo), 1966

Graphite and wax crayon on paper

17 × 13 3/8 in. (43.2 × 34 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.49

Untitled (Greetings from Gorgo), 1966

Graphite and wax crayon on paper

33 15/16 × 26 9/16 in. (86.2 × 67.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.50

Untitled (Greetings from Gorgo), 1966

Graphite, wax crayon, and ballpoint pen on paper

34 × 26 1/2 in. (86.4 × 67.3 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.51

Untitled 1969

Oil, wax crayon, and graphite on paper

30 × 40 in. (76.2 × 101.6 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.52

Untitled 1969

Graphite, wax crayon, colored pencil, and felt-tip pen on paper

28 1/2 × 40 in. (72.4 × 101.6 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.53

Untitled 1969

Graphite, wax crayon, colored pencil, and felt-tip pen on paper

28 5/8 × 40 in. (72.6 × 101.6 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.54

Untitled 1970

Oil and wax crayon on paper

27 9/16 × 34 3/8 in. (70 × 87.3 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.55

Untitled 1970

Oil and wax crayon on paper

27 9/16 × 34 1/2 in. (70 × 87.6 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.56

Study for Treatise on the Veil 1970

30 31

Collage of paper and transparent tape, with graphite, wax crayon, and colored pencil on paper

32 × 39 in. (81.3 × 99.1 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.57

Untitled 1970

Collage of postcards, tickets, and transparent tape, with wax crayon, graphite, and ink on paper

29 1/2 × 27 5/8 in. (75 × 70.1 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.58

Untitled 1970

Oil , graphite, and wax crayon on paper

23 7/16 × 17 5/16 in. (59.5 × 44 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.59

Untitled 1970–71

Collage of papers, postcard, sticker, and transparent tape, with watercolor, wax crayon, graphite, and ink on paper

29 3/4 × 22 1/8 in. (75.6 × 56.1 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.60

Untitled 1971

Oil graphite, and wax crayon on paper

15 11/16 × 13 3/4 in. (39.8 × 35 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.61

Untitled 1971

Oil, conté crayon, graphite, and wax crayon on paper

15 3/4 × 14 in. (40 × 35.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.62

Untitled 1961–72

Graphite and wax crayon on paper

28 3/4 × 40 3/16 in. (73 × 102 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.63

Untitled 1961–72

Graphite and wax crayon on paper

28 3/4 × 40 3/16 in. (73 × 102 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.64

Virgil, 1973

House paint, wax crayon, and transparent tape on paper

27 1/2 × 39 3/16 in. (69.8 × 99.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.65

Virgil 1973

House paint and graphite on paper

27 9/16 × 39 3/8 in. (70 × 100 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.66

Turn and Coda, 1973

Oil, wax crayon, and graphite on paper

27 9/16 × 39 5/16 in. (70 × 99.8 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.67

Turn and Coda, 1973

Oil, wax crayon, and graphite on paper

27 9/16 × 39 3/8 in. (70 × 100.1 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.68

Turn and Coda, 1973

Oil, wax crayon, and graphite on paper

27 9/16 × 39 3/8 in. (70 × 100 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.69

Gladings (Love’s Infinite Causes), 1973

Collage of lithograph, paper, transparent tape, and staples, with oil, wax crayon, ink, and graphite on paper

40 7/16 × 27 9/16 in. (102.7 × 70 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.70

Untitled, 1974

Collage of papers and transparent tape, with wax crayon and graphite on paper

29 1/2 × 41 3/4 in. (75 × 106 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.71

Untitled, 1974

Collage of papers, masking tape, and transparent tape, with wax crayon, graphite, and ink on paper

39 3/8 × 27 5/8 in. (100 × 70.2 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.72

Sesostris II, 1974

Oil, wax crayon, and graphite on paper

27 1/2 × 39 1/4 in. (69.9 × 99.7 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.73

Sesostris II, 1974

House paint, wax crayon, and graphite on paper

27 9/16 × 39 1/4 in. (70 × 99.7 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.74

Narcissus, 1975

Collage of paper, with oil, charcoal, and wax crayon on paper

55 1/8 × 39 1/4 in. (140 × 99.7 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.75

Portrait of Pico della Mirandola, 1975

Oil, wax crayon, and graphite on paper

26 1/4 × 20 in. (66.6 × 50.8 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.76

Phaedrus, 1977

Oil and graphite on print proof

26 3/8 × 20 3/16 in. (67 × 51.2 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.77

Lysis 1977

Oil and graphite on print proof

26 3/8 × 20 in. (67.1 × 50.8 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.78

Todos los Santos, 1980

Acrylic on handmade paper

Each sheet: 10 5/8 × 11 13/16 in. (26.9 × 30 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.79

Untitled (3 Nudes on the Beach), 1980

Acrylic and graphite on handmade paper

10 3/8 × 11 5/8 in. (26.4 × 29.5 cm)

10 1/2 × 11 1/2 in. (26.7 × 29.2 cm)

10 × 11 1/4 in. (25.4 × 28.6 cm)

10 1/2 × 11 1/2 in. (26.7 × 29.2 cm)

10 5/8 × 11 5/8 in. (26.9 × 29.5 cm)

10 1/2 × 11 1/2 in. (26.7 × 29.2 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.80

Narcissus, 1980

Graphite on paper; Oil, wax crayon, and charcoal on paper; Collage of paper and staples, with acrylic, charcoal, and graphite on paper; Collage of paper and staples, with oil and graphite on paper

25 1/2 × 19 5/8 in. (64.8 × 49.8 cm)

51 × 63 3/16 in. (129.5 × 160.5 cm)

11 1/4 × 10 1/8 in. (28.6 × 25.7 cm)

13 × 14 in. (33 × 35.6 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.81

Animula Vagula 1980 Colored pencil on paper

27 15/16 × 39 3/8 in. (71 × 100 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.82

Nike, 1981

Wax crayon, colored pencil, and graphite on paper

41 × 27 1/2 in. (104.1 × 69.9 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.83

Untitled 1982 Oil, wax crayon, and graphite on paper

39 3/8 × 27 11/16 in. (100 × 70.3 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.84

Untitled 1983

Acrylic, wax crayon, and graphite on paper

30 3/16 × 22 3/8 in. (76.7 × 56.9 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.85

Scent of Madness, 1986 Watercolor on paper

19 5/8 × 14 1/4 in. (49.8 × 36.2 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.86

Scent of Madness, 1986 Watercolor on paper

19 1/2 × 14 1/8 in. (49.5 × 35.8 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.87

Scent of Madness, 1986 Watercolor on paper

19 5/8 × 14 3/16 in. (49.8 × 36.1 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.88

Scent of Madness, 1986 Watercolor on paper

19 11/16 × 14 3/16 in. (50 × 36.1 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.89

Scent of Madness, 1986 Watercolor on paper

19 5/8 × 14 1/4 in. (49.8 × 36.2 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.90

Scent of Madness, 1986 Watercolor on paper

19 11/16 × 14 1/4 in. (50 × 36.2 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.91

Scent of Madness, 1986 Watercolor on paper

19 5/8 × 14 1/4 in. (49.8 × 36.2 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.92

Scent of Madness, 1986

Watercolor on paper

19 11/16 × 14 1/4 in. (50 × 36.2 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.93

Scent of Madness, 1986

Watercolor on paper

19 5/8 × 14 1/4 in. (49.8 × 36.2 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.94

Scent of Madness, 1986

Watercolor on paper

19 11/16 × 14 1/4 in. (50 × 36.2 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.95

Untitled 1986

Acrylic and oil on handmade Japanese paper

21 1/2 × 28 1/4 in. (54.6 × 71.8 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.96

Untitled 1986

Acrylic and oil on handmade Japanese paper

21 × 28 in. (53.3 × 71.1 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.97

Untitled 1986

Acrylic and oil on handmade Japanese paper

21 × 28 in. (53.3 × 71.1 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.98

Untitled 1986

Acrylic and oil on handmade Japanese paper

21 7/16 × 28 11/16 in. (54.5 × 72.8 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.99

Untitled 1986

Acrylic on handmade paper

23 5/8 × 17 7/8 in. (60 × 45.4 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.100

Untitled 1987

Collage of paper with acrylic, oil stick, wax crayon, and graphite on paper

39 3/16 × 27 9/16 in. (99.5 × 70 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.101

Toilet of Venere, 1988

Collage of paper and staples, with acrylic, wax crayon, and graphite on paper

56 5/16 × 50 in. (143 × 127 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.102

Untitled 1990

Acrylic, wax crayon, and graphite on handmade paper

30 11/16 × 20 7/8 in. (78 × 53 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.103

Untitled 1990

Acrylic and graphite on handmade paper

29 3/4 × 21 1/8 in. (75.5 × 53.7 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.104

Untitled 1990

Acrylic, wax crayon, and graphite on handmade paper

30 1/8 × 22 7/16 in. (76.5 × 57 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.105

Untitled (Nicola’s Iris) 1990

Acrylic, wax crayon, and graphite on handmade paper

29 3/4 × 22 1/16 in. (75.5 × 56 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.106

Untitled (In the Garden), 1990

Acrylic on handmade paper

30 1/8 × 21 7/8 in. (76.5 × 55.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.107

Untitled 1991

Acrylic on handmade paper

30 1/8 × 22 1/16 in. (76.5 × 56 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.108

Untitled 2005

Acrylic on handmade paper

21 15/16 × 14 15/16 in. (55.8 × 38 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.109

Untitled 2005

Acrylic on handmade paper

22 1/16 × 15 1/16 in. (56 × 38.3 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.110

Untitled 2005

Acrylic on handmade paper

22 7/16 × 15 3/8 in. (57 × 39 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.111

Untitled 2005

Acrylic on handmade paper

22 1/16 × 15 1/16 in. (56 × 38.3 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.112

Study for Triumph of Galatea 1961 Graphite on paper

10 11/16 × 14 in. (27.1 × 35.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.113

Study for Triumph of Galatea 1961 Ballpoint pen on paper

10 11/16 × 14 in. (27.1 × 35.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.114

Study for Triumph of Galatea 1961 Graphite on paper

10 11/16 × 14 in. (27.1 × 35.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.115

Study for Triumph of Galatea 1961

Graphite on paper

10 11/16 × 14 in. (27.1 × 35.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.116

Untitled 1966

Graphite, wax crayon, and ballpoint pen on paper

17 × 13 5/16 in. (43.2 × 33.8 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.117

Nike [recto]; Venus [verso], 1980

Wax crayon, graphite, and house paint on paper

34 5/8 × 27 9/16 in. (88 × 70 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.118

Untitled 1981

Oil, acrylic, wax crayon, and graphite on paper

30 1/16 × 22 1/4 in. (76.4 × 56.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.119

Untitled 1981

Oil, acrylic, wax crayon, and graphite on paper

34 5/8 × 27 3/4 in. (87.9 × 70.5 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.120

Untitled 1982 Pastel, wax crayon, graphite, and acrylic on paper

30 × 22 3/8 in. (76.2 × 56.8 cm)

Gift of the Cy Twombly Foundation 2025-1.121

Rachel Whiteread

English, born 1963

Study for White Bed, 1992

Correction fluid, ink, and varnish on graph paper

12 × 18 in. (30.5 × 45.7 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.56

Terry Winters

American, born 1949

Untitled, 1988

Graphite wash on paper

30 3/8 × 22 in. (77.2 × 55.9 cm)

Bequest of Janie C. Lee

2024-4.57

Susan York

American, born 1951

Composition of Two Black Squares, 2018 Graphite

Left:

Gift of Lannan Foundation 2024-26.4

Double Column, no. 2, 2019 Graphite

Left:

Right:

Gift of Lannan Foundation 2024-26.5

Conservation Artists Documentation Program

Significant projects in FY25 included the reinstallation of A Surrealist Wunderkammer, for which Kari Dodson, Objects Conservator, and Joy Bloser, Associate Objects Conservator, examined and treated many of the works. Dodson also coordinated with a contract mountmaker to create thirty-seven new mounts for the installation. Bloser, Dodson, and James Craven, Imaging Specialist, restored the magic lantern and camera obscura to functionality. Mina Gaber, Associate Matter and Framer, also contributed to this project by reframing sixteen works using historic frames from the collection.

The Conservation team brought two of Jean Tinguely’s iconic kinetic water works, Fontaine B-7 and Fountain (1968, 1969), to life at Neighborhood Community Day on May 17, 2025. The fountains had not been on view in decades. Bloser also prepared the artist’s Dissecting Machine (1965), and M.O.N.S.T.R.E (1964), a collaborative work with Nikki de Saint Phalle, for display and activation in the galleries.

For the exhibition Joe Overstreet: Taking Flight, Desirae Dijkema, former Associate Conservator of Paintings, and Sara Kornhauser, Assistant Paintings Conservator, assisted in the complicated travel preparations of five large ten-by-twelve-foot paintings from the artist’s Door of No Return series. Once the works arrived in Houston, they were unfolded and re-stretched for installation. The team also performed treatment on several works to ensure future stability, as the exhibition traveled to the Mississippi Museum of Art after being displayed at the Menil Collection.

The Conservation team continues to contribute to scholarly research as well. Bloser presented her work on Chryssa sculptures at a symposium at the Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California, and the California Institute of Technology in October 2024. Dr. Cory Rogge, Director of Conservation, and Dodson saw the publication of their paper “Edward Kienholz: Digging a Deeper Truth” printed in the book Bridging the Gap: Synergies Between Art History and Conservation (Archetype Books).

The Artists Documentation Program (ADP), a collaborative project established in 1990 between the Menil and the Whitney Museum of American Art, records and publishes interviews between artists and conservators. Discussions include the materials and techniques used to create the artist’s work, as well as their wishes for the preservation and presentation of their art.

In cooperation with other staff and contractors, Jeremy Davet, former ADP Project Archivist, published interviews deep in the Menil’s production backlog; implemented a robust digital file backup structure; built records related to ADP in the Menil’s ArchivesSpace software; facilitated research requests; and prepared reports for outside ADP funders.

In FY25, two interviews were filmed. Bloser interviewed artist Leslie Hewitt, whose work Where Paths Meet, Turn Away, Then Align Again, 2013, was installed in the exhibition Abstraction after Modernism: Recent Acquisitions; and Jan Burandt, the Menil’s former Paper Conservator, spoke with Wardell Milan about his collage Pulse, 2019, which was on display in Fragments of Memory

In May 2025, Rogge and Matthew Skopek, Melva S. Buckbaum Director of Conservation at the Whitney, copresented a talk on ADP at the Annual Meeting of the American Institute for Conservation. Titled “Bringing in New Voices: The Next Generation of the Artist Documentation Program,” the talk focused on the past and future of ADP and was coauthored by Bloser, Davet,Kornhauser, and Farris Wabeh, Benjamin and Irma Weiss Director of Research Resources and Collection Management at Whitney Museum of American Art. ADP interviews can be found at adp.menil.org.

Joy Bloser and artist Leslie Hewitt. Courtesy of Chris Multop
Photo: Sarah Wuenscher

Each year, the Menil Collection offers fellowships to established scholars and graduate students of art history and conservation at various stages of their careers.

Alexis Kho, the Andrew W. Mellon Advanced Training Fellow in Objects Conservation, graduated from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver with a Bachelor of Science in natural resources conservation and from Fleming College in Peterborough, Canada, with a certificate in cultural heritage conservation. At the Menil, Kho assists in all aspects of preparation of three-dimensional objects for exhibition and loan, including treatment, mount making, scientific analysis, and documentation. Her focus is a large and complex installation work by Houston artist Dario Robleto.

Audrey Storm, the 2024–25 Morgan-Menil Fellow, is a Ph.D. candidate in Art History at the University of Southern California. She holds a BA with honors from Yale University in History of Art and Economics. At the Menil Drawing Institute, she researched American Abstract Expressionist ink drawing, focusing on Mark Tobey’s sumi studies from the 1960s as well as works by Sam Francis, Franz Kline, Robert Motherwell, and Barnett Newman.

Jana La Brasca, the Menil Drawing Institute’s 2024–25 Predoctoral Fellow, received her doctorate in art history at the University of Texas at Austin. She previously earned her MA at UT Austin and a BA with high honors at the University of California, Berkeley. During her time at the Menil, she gave several seminars, presented a lecture, and continued research for her dissertation on the sculpture and drawings by Alice Aycock.

Charles “Mark” Haxthausen, the Menil Drawing Institute’s Research Fellow for Spring 2025, is a native of Houston who received his undergraduate degree in art history from the University of St. Thomas and his Ph.D. in art history from Columbia University. He is the Robert Sterling Clark Professor of Art History, Emeritus, at Williams College.

At the Drawing Institute, he investigated the issue of temporality in the art of Cy Twombly, giving a presentation and a lecture on the results of his research.

Blind Folly or How Tacita Dean Draws

Blind Folly or How Tacita Dean Draws covers three decades of work by the British-born European artist Tacita Dean, from sweeping chalk landscapes on blackboards to fleeting celestial phenomena on film. Michelle White, Senior Curator, proposes that the artist approaches drawing as an indeterminate journey of fate and folly, chance and medium, and argues that Dean’s strategy of adopting blindness to make an image is a response to our culturally, technologically, and ecologically unstable moment. The text is based on seven years of conversations between the author and the artist.

Designed by Martyn Ridgewell; printed by KOPA, Lithuania; copublished with MACK

Why Cy

Why Cy, an artist’s book by Tacita Dean published in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Cy Twombly Gallery, is a photographic response to a night Dean spent in the building in February 2024. Featuring immersive and hypnotic color and black-and-white photographs, as well as a separate booklet of notes made that night by Dean, Why Cy is a meditative expression of Dean’s close relationship to Twombly and his work. The book was published in a limited edition of one thousand signed and numbered copies.

By Tacita Dean

Designed by Martyn Ridgewell; printed in Balzano, Italy; copublished with MACK

The Menil Collection offers two curatorial internships to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the art history departments at Rice University and the University of Houston.

Alec Story, University of Houston Graduate Intern, assisted Michelle White, Senior Curator, and Sophie Asakura, Curatorial Assistant, Modern and Contemporary Art, with archival research for the exhibition Robert Rauschenberg: Fabric Works of the 1970s.

Corey Stout, Rice University Intern, worked with Edouard Kopp, John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation Chief Curator, Menil Drawing Institute, conducting research on the drawings of David Smith.

Joe Overstreet: Taking Flight

Joe Overstreet: Taking Flight is the first book to explore the dynamic, innovative work of the abstract painter Joe Overstreet (1933–2019). Illustrated with all new photography of individual artworks and the installation at the Menil Collection, this groundbreaking survey features three scholarly essays, a detailed chronology, an overview of the artist’s connection to John and Dominique de Menil, and first-hand accounts of Overstreet’s life and career. The book focuses on three series: the shaped canvas constructions of the 1960s; the colorful 1970s Flight Pattern series, hung with ropes from the floor, walls, and ceilings; and the immense abstract paintings he made after a trip to Senegal in 1992.

By Natalie Dupêcher, with contributions by Darby English, Richard Hylton, Corrine Jennings, Rebecca Rabinow, Ishmael Reed, Abbe Schriber, and Jacqueline Siegel. Photography by Thomas R. DuBrock and Fredrik Nilsen

Designed by Porter Gillespie; printed by Conti Tipocolor, Italy; distributed by Yale University Press, New Haven and London

Alexis Kho Audrey Storm
Jana La Brasca Charles “Mark” Haxthausen
Flexibound

Research Resources

The Research Resources Department comprises three divisions united by the purpose of stewarding and providing access to the Menil’s information resources: the Library, Archives, and Imaging Services.

Library

The Library supports the reference, research, and scholarly needs of the museum and outside scholars. The Library added more than 925 periodicals and digital resources to its collection during FY25.

Materials from the library are regularly displayed at the Menil.

In FY25, Parler Seul: poème was installed in the Surrealism galleries, highlighting lithographs by Joan Miró. A volume of La nature: revue des sciences et de leurs applications aux arts et à l’industrie was included in A Surrealist Wunderkammer.

The library is open by appointment to students, university and college faculty, museum professionals, artists and designers, art historians, arts professionals, and writers.

Archives

The Menil Archives preserves and provides access to administrative, business, and departmental records of the Menil Foundation and the museum, as well as exhibition history records, film and media materials, special collections, and the papers of John and Dominique de Menil. The Archives stewards institutional records that document the present and past activities of the museum.

The Archives fielded 355 internal and external inquiries and hosted 180 onsite research visits during FY25. Archival photographs featured prominently in the exhibition The Space Between Looking and Loving: Francesca Fuchs and the de Menil House.

In FY25, the Archives was accepted into the Bloomberg Digital Accelerator Program, which supports arts organizations through strategic improvements to technology infrastructure. With Bloomberg Philanthropies’ support, the Archives is working to ensure that the Menil’s born-digital records—emails, images, and other electronic materials—are safeguarded for the future.

Imaging Services

Imaging Services oversees new photography of collection objects, archival materials, and rare books. Imaging staff manage analog object photography and digital image collections in the museum’s digital asset management system (DAMS), license images to outside scholars and publishers, and secure reproduction rights for publications. In FY25, more than 15,000 digital assets were added to the Menil’s DAMS. This included more than 3,000 images of permanent collection objects and coverage of thirty-three permanent collection rotations and member programs.

Caroline Philippone in the Collections Photo Studio. Photo: Jennifer Greene
Artist Francesca Fuchs vists the Archives with Lisa Barkley, Archives Manager. Courtesy of Jay Clark Films
Speaking Alone (Parler Seul) 1950. Written by Tristan Tzara, illustrated by Joan MirÓ Book with color lithographs. Menil Library Special Collections, Bequest of William F. Stern in memory of his father, Joseph S. Stern, Jr. Photo: Caroline Philippone

The Menil Collection offers a variety of public lectures, conversations, and performances to deepen visitors’ appreciation of the art on view. These programs are free and open to everyone.

During FY25, the Menil organized fifty public programs. A notable example was the Moon Party—a lunar-focused celebration inspired by the trio of On Kawara “Date Paintings” from the Today series on view in the museum’s foyer. On July 20, 2024, the anniversary of the moon landing, visitors were invited to the museum for an Apollo 11 and NASArelated lecture by NASA Johnson Space Center representative Dr. Gary H. Kitmacher, outdoor stargazing with a soundtrack by Peter Lucas and DJ Sun, NASA footage projections, and Rice University telescopes for attendees to view celestial objects.

The Menil’s annual Neighborhood Community Day took place in May 2025 and celebrated the museum’s vibrant neighborhood. DACAMERA, Houston Center for Photography (HCP), Inprint, the Menil, Plant It Forward, Rothko Chapel, Watercolor Art Society, and Writers in the Schools (WITS) all participated in the day’s activities that had nearly 2,000 attendees.

The Menil welcomed six artists for its Artist Talk series: Jillian Conrad, Tacita Dean, Gustavo Díaz, Teresita Fernández, Wardell Milan, and Ronny Quevedo. Dean’s talk, copresented with DACAMERA, was in conversation with British composer and pianist Thomas Adès, and pianist and DACAMERA Artistic Director Sarah Rothenberg.

The Menil also hosted eight Curator Talks, eight lectures, and two book readings. Highlights included a discussion with Carol Mancusi-Ungaro on Cy Twombly; a lecture by Professor George Baker, who used passages in his latest book to respond to Tacita Dean: Blind Folly ; and a lecture in memory of Bernice Rose, the Menil Drawing Institute’s inaugural chief curator. Museum goers enjoyed a writing workout in conjunction with Fragments of Memory, a drawing workshop related to Out of Thin Air: Emerging Forms, and a special conversation and informal performance by vocalist, composer, and visual artist Cécile McLorin Salvant.

Since 1989, Writers in the Schools (WITS) has brought Gulf Coast–area school children to the Menil Collection, where students create stories, poems, and prose inspired by works on view. A juried competition leads to the annual publication of the Watchful Eye anthology—a collection of poems and essays by students about their trips to the museum. The authors of the selected works are invited to participate in readings at the Menil at the end of the school year. In addition to financially supporting the program, the Menil opens its art buildings early at no charge to WITS so that the students and teachers may visit the galleries before regular business hours.

During FY25, approximately 1,545 students from twenty-four schools made field trips to the museum.

Musical Performances and Film Screenings

The Menil Collection partnered with DACAMERA to host seventeen concerts, including five as part of their Stop, Look, and Listen! series in conjunction with the exhibitions Fragments of Memory, Joe Overstreet: Taking Flight, and Tacita Dean: Blind Folly. One notable program was an evening of music and conversation with DACAMERA and Jeremy Eichler, the author of Time’s Echo: The Second World War, the Holocaust, and the Music of Remembrance. Pianist and DACAMERA Artistic Director Sarah Rothenberg and DACAMERA Young Artists performed Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2 in E Minor in response to Si Lewen’s The Great Feast, 1964, which was on view in the Menil’s Surrealism galleries.

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Cy Twombly Gallery, the Menil presented two intimate performances in Richmond Hall by composer and performer Meredith Monk with renowned members of her Vocal Ensemble Katie Geissinger and Allison Sniffin. A performance by ROCO’s professional chamber orchestra also took place in Richmond Hall, responding to the acoustically and visually vibrant installation of Dan Flavin’s light sculpture.

The Menil screened five film programs. Framing Abstraction: Short Films by Women 1920–1970, a program that presented the avantgarde visions of six women in cinema, emphasized their innovative use of visual language, unconventional narratives, and abstract storytelling techniques. On the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of Surrealism, the Menil hosted an outdoor screening of the 1958 romantic comedy Bell, Book and Candle set at the Carlebach Gallery, a “tribal arts” gallery in New York frequented by the Surrealists. Saving Cinema: A Conversation and Film Screening” featured a discussion with film preservationist Mark Toscano on the world of film preservation and the fragile future of cinema, and a screening of Tacita Dean’s film Kodak, 2006. Constant Companions, copresented with Aurora Picture Show, was held in conjunction with the installation Animals, Monsters, and Creatures from the Collection.

Joe Overstreet Taking Flight panel discussion. Courtesy of BEND Productions
Bring Your Own Beamer (BYOB). Photo: Tony Martinez
Allison Sniffin; Meredith Monk; and Katie Geissinger. Courtesy of BEND Productions

Support

Support

The Menil Collection gratefully acknowledges the following donors for their cumulative gifts of $500 and above between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025. Gifts shown here include all nonmembership gifts in support of annual museum operations, exhibitions, conservation, public programs, and other projects.

$1,000,000 +

The Brown Foundation, Inc.

$500,000–$999,999

City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance

$200,000–$499,000

Eddie and Chinhui Allen

Kathy and George Britton, Jr.

The Elkins Foundation

Allison Sarofim

Sarofim Foundation

Texas Commission on the Arts

$100,000–$199,999

Nora and Bob Ackerley

Suzanne Deal Booth

Cockrell Family Fund

The Cullen Foundation

John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation

Cecily E. Horton

Dillon Kyle and Sam Lasseter

Bérengère Primat

Morris A. Weiner and Leslie Field

Lea Weingarten

The Wortham Foundation, Inc.

Nina and Michael Zilkha

$50,000–$99,999

Clare Casademont and Michael Metz

The J.W. Couch Foundation

Barbara and Michael Gamson

Caroline Huber

Linda and George Kelly

The Henry Luce Foundation, Inc.

Susan and Francois de Menil

Franci Neely

The Powell Foundation

Vivian L. Smith Foundation

Bill Stewart and Johanna Brassert

Mark Wawro and Melanie Gray

$25,000–$49,999

Jim Avant

Jacquelyn Barish

Diane and Michael Cannon

Hilda and Greg Curran

Estate of Cynthia A. Diller

Sheila Noeth and Ted Dohmen

Agnes Gund*

Janet and Paul Hobby

Ann and John Johnson

Nancy McGregor Manne and Neal Manne

Leslie and Shannon Sasser

The Clarence Westbury Foundation

Mary and Greg Whalley

$10,000–$24,999

Mary and Marcel Barone

Ellen Benninghoven and Michael Schafer

Bettie Cartwright

Anne and Albert Chao

Cece and Mack Fowler

Heidi and David Gerger

The George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation

Sissy and Denny Kempner

The Anne and Edgar Lackner Charitable Foundation

Anne Levy Charitable Trust

Cindy and Frank Liu

Lois and George de Menil

Betty Moody

National Endowment for the Arts

Carol and David Neuberger

The Novum Foundation

Scott and Judy Nyquist

Phileas: The Austrian Office for Contemporary Art

Robert Rauschenberg Foundation

Manizeh and Danny Rimer

Andrew Rosenfeld

Courtney and Christopher Sarofim

Winifred Scheuer and Kevin Bonebrake

Angela and Mark Smith

Judy and Charles Tate

Melissa and Oliver Tuckerman

Susan Vaughan Foundation, Inc.

Gail Viele

Estate of Marietta Voglis

Cyvia Wolff

Elizabeth and Barry Young

$5,000–$9,999

Kristin Andrichik and Henk Mooiweer

Helyna Bledsoe and John Thompson

Jereann Chaney

Lidiya Gold

Lucie Harte and Daniel Arnoldy

Anna and Harold Holliday

Jessica and Brian Leeke

Alison Leland

Shelli and Steven Lindley

Fan and Peter Morris

Tracy and William Northington

Marilyn Oshman*

Beverly and Howard Robinson

Karlsson and Brian Salek

John Sapp

Kelley and Jeffrey Scofield

Julia and John Stallcup

Jennifer and David Strauss

Mike Stude

Cynthia Toles

Anat and Jay Zeidman

John Zipprich

$1,000–$4,999

Benjamin Ackerley

AHB Foundation

Anaceli Aldaz and Javier Del Olmo

Kathryn Austin

Katherine Avery

Sarah Balinskas

Katharine Barthelme and Shane Frank

Julie and Ryan Bergeron

Carolyn Bloomer

Kate and Joseph Cavanaugh

Gracie and Robert Cavnar

Julie and John Cogan, Jr.

Diane Connelly

Margaret Vaughan Cox and Jonathan Cox

Peilin Cui

Jane and Bill Curtis

Margot and Zach Davis

Megan Davis

Liz and George DeMontrond

Brenda and Kenneth Dillon

Kim and Anatol Feygin

Mary Foster

Illa and William Gaunt

Laura Groppe

Terri and Troy Hamm

Rock Jacobs

George W. Johnston

Kirkpatrick Family Fund

Katie Kitchen and Paul Kovach

Kiki and Taylor Landry

Doug Lawing and Guy Hagstette

Elizabeth Linnell

Robert Lorio

Michael Manteris

Mary Marold

Annie and Taylor Mason

Hayden and David McGuiness

Stephen Miranda and Blake Mudd

Alison and Tony Mustoe

Margaret Naeve

Dean Narahara

Capera and Igor Norinsky

Cabrina and Steve Owsley

Sue Payne

Olivia and Edward Persia

Madeleine and Harvey Plonsker

Mary Hammon Quinn and Jacob Quinn

Fairfax and Risher Randall

Isla and Thomas Reckling

Lisa Rich and John McLaughlin

David Ruiz

Lea Salamoun and Marouen Dimassi

Victoria Salem

Sandberg Family Charitable Fund

Sarah Beth and Paul Seifert

Diana Skerl

Sandra Tirey and Jan van Lohuizen

Heather and Robert Westendarp

Andrea and Bill White

Tarin Wilson

Beth and James Woldert

Nancy Worthington-Broyles

Lisa Young and Matthew Assiff

Erla and Harry* Zuber

$500–$999

Kelly Barnhart

Patricia Beaver-Skakun and Gary Skakun

Susan Boone

Marianna and Chris Brewster

Alan Brochstein

Yini and Dane Collette

Lauri and Christopher Cragg

Paula Daly

Lindsay and Charles Fehr

Sarah Foltz

Charles Fuhs and Christopher Hlavinka

Lloyd D. Gray

Alecia Harris

Bradley Houston

Lee Huber

Sara Kelly

Zoya Tommy Kemp

Rajiv Kohli

Ritsuko Komaki

Kristen and Matthew Loden

Caroline Negley

Eliza H. Ozden

Jessica Phifer

The Muriel Pollia Foundation

Jennifer Segal

Orel Shoham

Andrea Siso

Michael Slenske

Linley Stroud

The Thompson Fund

Milton Townsend

Sally Vernon

James Calvin Williams

*Deceased
What drawing can be: four responses public opening. Photo: Hung Truong

Menil Society

The Menil Society is a group of committed patrons who enjoy a close relationship with the Menil Collection. Members are dedicated to fostering deeper engagement with the museum, its mission, and its world-renowned collection by generously supporting exhibitions, programming, and the museum’s annual fund.

Benefactor

Nora and Bob Ackerley

Diane and Michael Cannon

Bettie Cartwright

Clare Casademont and Michael Metz

Kate and Joseph Cavanaugh

Julie and John Cogan, Jr.

Marsha and Samuel Dodson

Laura and Walter Elcock

Caroline and Jeremy Finkelstein

Cindy and David Fitch

Cece and Mack Fowler

Barbara and Michael Gamson

Agnes Gund*

Judith and Marc Herzstein

Janet and Paul Hobby

Linda and George Kelly

Sissy and Denny Kempner

Karol Kreymer and Robert Card

Dillon Kyle and Sam Lasseter

Doug Lawing and Guy Hagstette

Margery and Robert Loeb

Nancy McGregor Manne and Neal Manne

Cynthia and Robert McClain

Susan and Francois de Menil

Sara and Bill Morgan

Kimball and David Moriniere

Franci Neely

Carol and David Neuberger

Scott and Judy Nyquist

Anaeze Offodile II

Karen and Harry Pinson

Susanne and William E. Pritchard III

Kathryn and Richard Rabinow

Leslie and Shannon Sasser

Kelley and Jeffrey Scofield

Lois and George Stark

Bill Stewart and Johanna Brassert

Mark Wawro and Melanie Gray

Morris Weiner and Leslie Field

Elizabeth Weingarten

Marion Wilcox

Cyvia Wolff

Nina and Michael Zilkha

Friend

Benjamin Ackerley

Jacquelyn Barish

Melza and Ted Barr

Cynthia and Laurence Burns

Angela and William Cannady

Jereann Chaney

Jane and Bill Curtis

Linda and Simon Eyles

Amanda and Morris Gelb

Heidi and David Gerger

Elizabeth Glassman

Alessandra Grace and Sam Gorgen

Claudia and Karsten Greve

Melissa and Albert Grobmyer

Anna and Harold Holliday

Elise and Russell Joseph

Page Kempner

Jeanne and Michael Klein

Cornelia Long

Poppi Massey

Lisa Rich and John McLaughlin

Sarah Morian and Michael Clark

Anne and John Moriniere

Lillie Robertson

Angela and Mark Smith

Julia and John Stallcup

Judy and Charles Tate

Martha Claire Tompkins

Margaret Vaughan Cox and Jonathan Cox

Gail Viele

Ann Wales

Andrea and Bill White

Elizabeth and Barry Young

John Zipprich

Fellow

Carlos Bacino

Mary and Marcel Barone

Jeff Beauchamp

Leah Bennett

Lesley and Gerald Bodzy

Sharon Cheng

Amy Sutton and Gary Chiles

C.C. Conner, Jr. and David Groover

Lauri and Christopher Cragg

Paula Daly

Rod Danielson and Kelly Dehay

Megan Davis

Brenda and Kenneth Dillon

Nancy Dunlap

Carrie Ermler

Mary Foster and Donald DeSimone

Ryan Goodland and Evan Leslie

Joyce Goss

Joy and Don Haley

Jennifer Hau and Drew Boling

Shanna Hennig

Angela and Craig Jarchow

Anne L. Kinder

Terry Mahaffey

Mari and Greg Marchbanks

Rebecca Marvil and Brian Smyth

Fan and Peter Morris

Stephen Schwarz and Michael Naul

Mari Omori

Cabrina and Steven Owsley

Evelyn Pappas

Chris Goins and Josh Pazda

Olivia and Edward Persia

Jessica Phifer

Mary Hammon Quinn and Jacob Quinn

David Ruiz

Karlsson and Brian Salek

Victoria Salem

Winifred Scheuer and Kevin Bonebrake

Marc B. Schindler

Izzy and John Schulte

Liana and Andrew Schwaitzberg

Sarah Beth and Paul Seifert

Christine Traversi and Binod Shrestha

Kelly and Nick Silvers

Leigh and Reggie Smith

Jennifer and David Strauss

Cynthia Toles

Margaret and Kenneth Williams

Associate

Maida Asofsky

Mary Axelrad and Malcolm F. King, Jr.

Sarah Balinskas

Ilene and Paul Barr

Nana Booker

Paul L. Bowman

Kathleen Boyd

Marianna and Chris Brewster

Richard Brooks

David Brown

Lora Wildenthal and Carl Caldwell

Virginia and William Camfield

Julia Doran and Adam Carlis

Chris and William Caudill

Helen and Benjamin Cohen

Patricia Colville

George Connelly

Nancy and Taylor Cooksey

Elizabeth and Steven Crowell

Rozina Damani and Devon Rosenfeld

Emily and Damon Daniels

Liz and George DeMontrond

Devon DiVito

Sheila Noeth and Ted Dohmen

Joell and Thomas Doneker

James Dunn

Nanette Garelis

Diana Garza and Peter McLaughlin

Leslie Gassner

Elizabeth and Wayne Gibbens

Kathy and Martyn Goossen

Timothy Green

Anna Hanks

Sarah and John Hastings

Dorene and Frank Herzog

G.G. Hsieh

Lee Huber

Fredericka Hunter and Ian Glennie

Greg Ingram

James Kelly

Wendy and Mavis Kelsey

Malcolm F. King, Jr.

Carla Knobloch

Ann and Timothy Koerner

Katherine Kohlmeyer

Devika Kornbacher

Christa and Aivars Krumins

Cynthia and Campbell Lange

Alison Leland

Joan Schnitzer Levy

Carol LeWitt

Christine and Graham Makin

Judy and Rodney Margolis

Gaye and Edward McCullough

Betty Moody

Crystal Moore and Christopher Hubbard

Sealy Moore

Jennifer Nelsen and Vinod Pathrose

Evelyn Nolen

Maureen and Paul Perea

Andrea and Carl Peterson

Kara Przybyl McIver and David McIver

Nancy and David Pustka

Fairfax and Risher Randall

Michael Reade

Isla and Thomas Reckling

Kristen Castellanos Ridgway and David Ridgway

Beverly and Howard Robinson

Leslie and Russ Robinson

Frank Rynd

Neda Scanlan

Bryan Scrivner

María Inés Sicardi

Ellen Simmons

Douglas H. Smith

Josephine and Richard Smith

Janet and John Springer

Eliza and Stuart Stedman

Jane and Gary Swanson

John Anderson and Alfredo Tijerina

Sandra Tirey and Jan van Lohuizen

Emily Todd

Susie and Payson Tucker

Adrienne and Timothy Unger

Pavlina Vagioni and Matthew Hughes

Lauren Walstad Hardy

Heather and Robert Westendarp

Waverly White Gage

Marie and William Wise

Skyler Wyatt

* Deceased
Winnie Scheuer; Joe Cavanaugh; David Ruiz. Photo: Jenny Antill Menil Society Conservators Choice. Photo: Caroline Philippone
Menil Society Unframed. Photo: Caroline Philippone
Julia and John Stallcup. Photo: Jenny Antill

Charmstone Circle Corporate Support

The Menil Collection’s Charmstone Circle recognizes individuals who make annual financial gifts to the museum of $25,000 or more. Menil Society memberships, exhibition support, and unrestricted giving all count toward Charmstone Circle recognition. Charmstone Circle donors enjoy unparalleled access to the museum and the collection and are celebrated at an unforgettable annual dining and art event with Rebecca Rabinow, Director.

Nancy and Mark Abendshein

Nora and Bob Ackerley

Eddie and Chinhui Allen

Jim Avant

Jacquelyn Barish

Suzanne Deal Booth

Kathy and George Britton, Jr.

Diane and Michael Cannon

Clare Casademont and Michael Metz

Stephanie and Ernest Cockrell

Hilda and Greg Curran

Sheila Noeth and Ted Dohmen

Cece and Mack Fowler

Barbara and Michael Gamson

Agnes Gund *

Janet and Paul Hobby

Cecily E. Horton

Caroline Huber

Ann and John Johnson

Linda and George Kelly

Dillon Kyle and Sam Lasseter

Doug Lawing and Guy Hagstette

Isabel and Ransom Lummis

Nancy McGregor Manne and Neal Manne

Susan and Francois de Menil

Franci Neely

Carol and David Neuberger

Scott and Judy Nyquist

Bérengère Primat

Susanne and William E. Pritchard III

Monica and Bradley Radoff

Leslie and Shannon Sasser

Bill Stewart and Johanna Brassert

Judy and Charles Tate

Mark Wawro and Melanie Gray

Morris Weiner and Leslie Field

Lea Weingarten

Mary and Greg Whalley

Elizabeth and Barry Young

Nina and Michael Zilkha

* Deceased

The Menil Collection is pleased to recognize gifts from corporations in Fiscal Year 2025.

$ 100,000+

Bloomberg Philanthropies

$35,000–$99,999

Frost Bank

$25,000–$34,999

$10,000–$24,999

Houston

Glass Key Society

Named after a beloved painting by René Magritte, the Glass Key Society honors individuals who have included the Menil Collection in their wills, personal trusts, or other planned giving arrangements. Through their thoughtful contributions members of the Glass Key Society help to ensure a vital future for the museum. For information about making a legacy gift, please contact Judy Waters, Director of Advancement, at 713–525–9425 or jwaters@menil.org.

Jeff Beauchamp

Collection of Mollie R. and William T. Cannady

Tripp Carter

Bettie Cartwright

Julie and John Cogan, Jr.

Helen and Benjamin Cohen

Christy and Louis Cushman

Diane Arnold and Bill Frazier

Mark Fehrs Haukohl

Alex Heylen and Monika Lybeer

Greg Ingram

Paige and Todd Johnson

Vladimir Khaoustov

Douglas L. Lawing

Terry Mahaffey

Mary Hale Lovett McLean

Marc Melcher

Franci Neely

Laurie Newendorp

Susanne and William E. Pritchard III

Cynthia Toles

Morris Weiner

John L. Zipprich II

Anonymous (4)
Installation view of René Magritte, The Glass Key 1959. The Menil Collection, Houston. © 2021 C. Herscovici / Artists Right Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Sara Beck
Lea Weingarten; Judy Nyquist; Heidi Gerger. Photo: Rob Greer

Patron

William K. Adam

Anaceli Aldaz

Phyllis Panenka and David Archer

Marilyn Archer and Jack Eby

Robert Blocker

Nancy and Scott Bolduc

Pauline Bolton

Marjorie and J. Walker Cain

Cathryn Chapman

Sarah and Joseph Cheavens

Steven Cowart

Robert and Michael Dale

Jimmy Dunne

Thomas Edens

Clayton Erikson

Jordan Faires

Britt Jung and Joseph Fischer

Kathleen and John Fitzgerald

Donna and Gary Freedman

Kerry Anne Galvin

Mary Laura Gibbs

Irma and Kirk Girouard

Lenja and Lance Gould

Margaret Griffith

Laura Groppe

Paul Grossbard

Richard Gruen

Paige and George Hagle

Joshua Hansel

Allan James Heindel

Carola Herrin and David Ivie

Olive Hershey and Arvin Conrad

Holly Holmes

Patricia Hunt and Joseph Milton

David K. Johnson

Tayyba Kanwal and Rashed Haq

Ann and Thomas Kelsey

Peaches and Harris Kempner

Elizabeth and Albert Kidd

Eric J. Kirkpatrick

Rajiv Kohli

Ritsuko Komaki

Frank R. Larkey

Benigna and Ernst Leiss

Carol and Paul Liffman

Juan Mangini

Misty and Surena Matin

Michelle and Bill Matthews

Jean and Henry May

Beth McCracken

Jean S. Mintz

Margaret and Duane Montana

Janet Moore

Matthew Morgan

Brian and Jennifer Moss

Lee Ann and Douglas Murphy

Renae and Prashant Murti

Richard C. Nebel, Jr.

Mark H. Onak

Mariela Poleo

Carol and Daniel Price

Macey and Harry Reasoner

Jo Reid

George Fred Rhodes

Ana Nino-Rodriguez and Jorge Rodriguez

Melanie L. Rogers

Cory Rogge and Kevin MacKenzie

Ellen Safier

Marna and Frederick Schacknies

Sara Shackleton and Michael McKeogh

Karen Shouse

Anita and Gerald Smith

Brooksy Smith

Ann and John Smither

Ellen and Leonard Sobel

Alana Spiwak and Sam Stolbun

John S. Steele

Brian Stephens

Michael Stewart

Esther and Shawn Tell

Karen Tell

Nanette and David Toy

Patricia Troncoso and William Pugh

Kathy Welch and John Unger

Sally Vernon

Lara Landmesser and Frederic Warner

Wendy Watriss

Janna Webber

Donald J. Weissman

Tangerine Summer and Michael Weller

James Calvin Williams

Nancy and Mark Wozny

Joy Yeager

Steve Nall and Tom Young

Sponsor

Gayle Goodman and Kenneth Adam

Ann and James Allison

Claire and Wayne Douglas Ankenman

Steven Hooker and Rick Ankrom

Susie and David Askanase

Claudia Baba

Jerry Baiamonte

Beverly Barrett

William Bartlett

Jan and David Bean

Nancy Glass and John Belmont

Rita Bergers and Joel Abramowitz

Shirley and Stanley Beyer

Carolyn Bloomer

Jane and Roger Boak

Minnette and Peter Boesel

Kathleen and Randy Bolton

Linda and Philip Boyko

Andrew Brickell

Marilyn and Terry Brooks

Heather L. Brown

Lisa Ineson and Ian Bryant

Jan Burandt

G.R. Burtner III

Kathleen and Robert Butts

Nancy Caminiti and Brian Michna

Darleen Carstarphen

Andrea Chiappe

Rhoda and Allen Clamen

Julie Cohn and John Connor

Deborah and William Colton

Dorothy and Samuel Crocker

Peilin Cui

Rochelle Cyprus

N. P. and Thomas Daly

Anne and Steven Davee

Diana Davis

Robbin and Alice Dawson

Barbara and Jonathan Day

Raxa Desai

Amy and Larry Dooley

Martha and Daniel Dupêcher

Jane Eifler

David R. Eisenbeiss

Annette and John Eldridge

Kathleen and Keith Ellison

Katy Emde

Linn Swartz and Milton Erickson

Pamela Fazzone

Robert Feldman

Milton J. Finegold

Ann Fisher

Rodi and Robert Franco

Penny Milbouer and Shep Glass

Julia and Daniel Goldman

Cheryl and Stephen Golub

Michael B. Good

Samuel Gorman

Caroline and M. P. Graham

Nonya and Jonathan Grenader

Maureen and Gary Hall

Allison Heinen

Toshiko and Burton Hering

Ann Derryberry and Paul Herrera

Tiffany and Adam Hill

Mark Hodges

Alan Hoffman

Alan Hurwitz

Raymond Hylenski

Clifford Helmcamp and Jerry Jeanmard

Kris and Mark Jodon

George H. Johnson, Jr.

Edwin Johnstone

Karen and Kenneth Jones

Donna Kacmar

Jennie Karotkin

Ann and Stephen Kaufman

Kim Pashko and David Kelley

Harvey and Anne Klein

Sheryl Kolasinski

Victoria and Alex Lazar

Laura and Barry Leavitt

Eve Leonard

Christina and Winton Lindsay

Barbara and Larry Lipshultz

Chris Lockwood

Andrea R. Logans

Mary Lynn

Amy Madsen

Nitza and Moshe Maor

Shelley and Mark Marmon

Charles S. Martens

Maria and Alexandre Matuszczak

Philip and Anna Mavromatis

Jacklyn and Malcolm Mazow

Robert McBee

Mary C. McConnell

Wilmer McCorquodale

Jacki and Frank McCreary

Louise McCullough

Georgia and Joel McGlasson

Mary McIntire and James Pomerantz

David S. McKee

Roni McMurtrey

Karen McRae

Maria Merrill

Nancy and Robert Mollers

Jill and B. J. Mulloy

Barbara and William Myerson

Stephen Naber

Michael E. Newmark

Sandra Nugent

Steve Nussbaum

Morgan Dunn O’Connor

Carla O’Dell

Betty and Duncan Osborne

Frances and Walter Pagel

Barbara and Mark Paull

Susan Pepper

Joan and José Pérez

Linda W. Petersen

Jan-Claire Phillips and Jerome Kendall

Lynn and Mark Pickett

Esther and Gary Polland

Kathrin Brunner and Albert Pope

Lara and James Powers

Katherine and Michael Putnam

Eamonn M. Quigley

Adele and Martin Raber

Jennifer and Peter Ragauss

Antonio Castro and Thomas Raguse

Maura and Walter Ritchie

Margot and Richard Rodriguez

Daisy Lee and Bradley Roe

Nathalie and Charles Roff

Jane S. Root

Lynn and Alex Rosas

Janet Ross

Casey and Kevin Rowe

Linda and Jerry Rubenstein

Barbara Volkmer and Pablo Ruiz-Berlanga

Diane and Ron Sandberg

Franca B. Sant’Ambrogio

Gemma and Luis de Santo

William Schleuse*

Walter Schneider

Jennifer Segal

Caoimhin Shirey

Christine and Michael Sigman

Renie and Louis Silver

Barbara and Louis Sklar

Patricia and Fielding Smith

Kathryn and Craig Smyser

Clarice Snokhous

Michael Stavinoha

Katherine and Robert Steely

Karen Sumner

Mary Lou Swift

Willard and Mary Tarpey

Ann-Marie Tcholakian

Michael and Roberto Tejada

Richard Bebermeyer and Randolph Tibbits

Phillip and Edda Tinis

Eleanor and Jon Totz

Anne Tucker and Robert Morris

Jane and Eric Twombly

Patricia and Steven Uchytil

Allen W. Ueckert

Aysha Kassim-Voronoff and Chester Urban

Katherine Osborne Valdez and Pablo Valdez

Monica S. White

Kara R. Williams

Nancy Williams and N. L. Stevens

Natalie and Clint Wilson

Carolyn N. Wolfe

Michele Wood

Lauri and Robert Wray

* Deceased
Jackson Smith and Stephanie Wong Smith; Anita Smith; Heidi Smith; Gerald Smith. Photo: Daniel Ortiz
Orel Shoham; Victoria Salem; Katie McNearney; Peilin Cui and Michael Ouyang. Photo: Jenny Antill

Menil Contemporaries

The Menil Contemporaries is a membership group for emerging patrons, collectors, and art enthusiasts who share a common passion for the Menil Collection. Menil Contemporaries are the next generation of leaders and advocates of the Menil.

Member Noontime Talks

Partner

Sarah Abare and Chris Carlberg

Benjamin Ackerley

Saber and Samee Ahmed

Stephanie Aleixo

Kathryn Austin

Azie Aziz

Melanie and Mitchell Baldridge

Leyla Ballantyne

Alkesta and Curtis Belknap

Anne and Jack Bellows

Libba and Geer Blalock

Elizabeth and C. Walker Brierre

Jessica and Taylor Chapman

Emily and Jeffrey Church

Kelli Comiskey

Emma and Ryan Cordill

Cindy and Peter Cortez

Peilin Cui

Vipul Devluk

Laura Donnelly

Rob Eichenlaub

Margo Fendrich and Tommy Nguyen

Sarah Foltz

Catherine and Patrick Gillespie

Rachel and Wesley Haines

Terri and Troy Hamm

Haley and John Hawkins

Jessica Hays and Patrick Ryan

Haley and Adam Karren

Madeline Kelly

Lauren Klotzman

Kiki and Taylor Landry

Megan Light

Amy Liles and Kevin Liles

Patrick F. Mauel

Jack McBride and Thain Allen

Morgan and Charles McGee

Sara and Michael McGinnis

Katie F. McNearney

Jimmy R. Moffett

Reyad Nasser

Phil Nevlud

Tracy and William Northington

Eliza H. Ozden

Guillermo Peralta

Rebecca Proler

Sara Maxey and Fernando Ramos

Valery Piedra and Daniel Salahuddin

Lea Salamoun and Marouen Dimassi

Karlsson and Brian Salek

Orel Shoham

Andrea Siso

Margaret and Thomas Smith

Connor Stacy

Linley Stroud

Vicky and Gordon Wight

Ana and Philippe Wulfers

Held on two Fridays each month, Member Noontime Talks are a way for Menil members to learn about the art on view and projects in progress across our 30-acre neighborhood. Talks are led by Menil sta ff from a variety of departments, including Archives, Conservation, Curatorial, Facilities, and Publishing. The Menil presented twenty-three Noontime Talks in FY25.

Photo: Caroline Philippone
Menil Contemporaries On Display. Photo: Caroline Philippone

The Menil’s Collection Management department consists of Registration, Art Services, and Collection Database Administration. Registration oversees all documentation related to the acquisition, exhibition, and storage of artworks in the permanent collection. The Collection Management department coordinates all exhibitions and gallery rotations, as well as incoming and outgoing loans. Registrars manage contract negotiations, fi ne art insurance, packing and crating, shipping, couriers, and electronic and physical fi le management for all projects. In FY25, Registration arranged 190 shipments containing 921 objects.

The most complex of the loans coordinated by Collection Management during FY25 was the four-month loan of thirty of the Menil’s most prized artworks by René Magritte to the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, from October 2024 to February 2025. Requiring eight shipments (four to Australia and four returning to Houston) and fourteen specially designed and built crates, each shipment was accompanied by a courier from the Menil’s Collection Management or Conservation staff. Thanks to the team’s exceptional logistical skills, all of the artworks traveled safely.

The Art Services team is responsible for packing and crating incoming and outgoing loans, installing exhibitions, monitoring storage areas, tracking location moves, and couriering outgoing loans with complex installation requirements. In FY25, Art Services installed six exhibitions and twenty-two rotations and made 4,773 object moves.

The Collection Database team continually uploads data on artworks from the permanent collection to the Menil’s internal database and website. Approximately 2,200 entries are currently available to the public, 200 of which were added in FY25.

Outgoing Loans

During FY25, the Menil Collection loaned sixty objects to thirteen institutions in four countries:

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

Blaffer Art Museum, Houston, TX

Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, TX

Fondation Opale, Lens, Switzerland

J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA

The Jewish Museum, New York, NY

Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX

Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY

The National Gallery, London, United Kingdom

Attendance

In FY25, the Menil Collection welcomed 209,146 guests to the museum. This number represents visitors to the main museum building, Cy Twombly Gallery, Menil Drawing Institute, Dan Flavin Installation at Richmond Hall, and Menil Bookstore.

Installation view of What drawing can be: four responses Photo: Rob Greer
Installation of A Surrealist Wunderkammer.
Photo: Caroline Philippone

Director’s Office

Rebecca Rabinow, Director

Mariana Kessler, Assistant to the Director, Internal Affairs

Maryhelen Murray, Senior Assistant to the Director and Board of Trustees

Administration

Matthew Assiff, Chief Financial Officer

Xuguang (Toby) Zhao, Controller

Nida Fatima, Assistant to the Chief Financial Officer

William (Bill) Jukes, Financial and Budget Manager

Shiow-Chyn (Susie) Liao, Assistant Controller

Daniel Matthews, Accounts Payable and Payroll Specialist

Makinsey Nehib, Senior Accountant

Advancement

Judy Waters, Director of Advancement

Madeline Kelly, Director of Individual Giving

Qasim Ali, Membership Associate

Debra Barrera, Manager of Membership and Visitor Services

Carolina Borja, Corporate Giving Officer

Samuel Ferrigno, Manager of Individual Giving

Seneca Garcia, Visitor/Membership Assistant, Menil Drawing Institute

Monique Harris, Visitor/Membership Assistant

Dayanara Hernandez, Visitor/Membership Assistant

Andrew Kozma, Monday/Tuesday Branard Street Receptionist

Hannah Lange, Manager of Patron Programs

Kelly Moore, Visitor/Membership Assistant

Alyssa Reese, Assistant to the Director of Advancement

Enelra Joyce (EJ) Rizalde, Visitor/Membership Assistant

Virgilio Ruiz, Visitor/Membership Assistant

Jennifer Sanders, Development Services Associate

Martin Schleuse, Manager of Foundation Relations

Lili (Kaneem) Smith, Visitor/Membership Assistant, Cy Twombly Gallery

Lilly Smith, Member Events Coordinator

Annie Stafford, Director of Special Events

Breanna Word, Special Events Coordinator

Bookstore

Paul Forsythe, Bookstore Manager

Hannah Cohen, Bookstore Associate

Collection Management

Catherine Fitzgerald Eckels, Interim Associate Director of Collection Management

Stephanie Harris Akin, Interim Registrar, Menil Drawing Institute

Nadia Al-Khalifah, Assistant Registrar, Collections and Exhibitions

David Aylsworth, Collections Registrar

Anna Foret, Associate Registrar, Loans and Exhibitions

Brandon Galvan, Collection Management Coordinator

Jonathan Groom, Associate Art Preparator, Crating and Storage

Michelle Gude, Assistant TMS Administrator

Christopher Henry, Art Preparator

Sirena LaBurn, Assistant Registrar, MDI

Robert (Ole) Petersen, Art Preparator

Tony Rubio, Chief Preparator

Charles (Patrick) Yarrington, Art Preparator, Menil Drawing Institute

Conservation

Corina (Cory) Rogge, Director of Conservation

Joy Bloser, Associate Objects Conservator

Dominic Clay, Conservation Studio Technician, Menil Drawing Institute

Chloe Cook, Conservation Department Manager

James Craven, Conservation Imaging Specialist

Annie Daubert, Conservation Records Administrator

Jeremy Davet, Project Archivist, Artist Documentation Program

Desirae (Desi) Dijkema, Associate Paintings Conservator

Kari Dodson, Objects Conservator

Mina Gaber, Associate Matter/Framer

Alexis Kho, Andrew W. Mellon Advanced Training FellowObjects Conservation

Sara Kornhauser, Assistant Paintings Conservator

Curatorial

Edouard Kopp, John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation Chief Curator, Menil Drawing Institute

Paul R. Davis, Curator of Collections

Michelle White, Senior Curator

Sophie Asakura, Curatorial Assistant, Modern and Contemporary Art

Constance Champagne, Administrative Associate, Menil Drawing Institute

Natalie Dupêcher, Associate Curator of Modern Art

Clare Elliott, Associate Research Curator

Kirsten Marples, Assistant Curator, Menil Drawing Institute

Kelly Montana, Associate Curator, Menil Drawing Institute

Victoria Nerey, Collections Research Assistant

Jaqueline Siegel, Research Assistant, Modern and Contemporary Art

Blanca Wilson, Administrative Assistant, Curatorial Department

Sarah Beth Wilson, Senior Exhibitions Manager

Exhibition Design

Kent Dorn, Exhibition Designer

Alejandro (Alex) Rosas, Exhibition Design Assistant

Vincent Krough, Exhibition Design Technician

Human Resources

Suzanne Maloch, Director of Human Resources

Perla Mancillas, Senior Human Resources Generalist

Information Technology

Christopher (Chris) Dague, Director of Information Technology

Albert Diaz III, Network Support Specialist

Marketing and Communications

Sarah Hobson, Director of Marketing and Communications

Jennifer Greene, Senior Communications Manager

Amanda Thomas, Senior Graphic Designer

Sarah Wuenscher, Marketing Manager

Museum Facilities

Wesley Haines, Director of Facilities

Chris Akin, Administrative Assistant, Facilities Department

Juan Buenrostro, Custodian

Nick Cedillo, Lead Custodian

Bridget Eldredge, Security Technical Lead

Ernest Flores, Maintenance Assistant

Roberto Gonzalez, Grounds and Custodial Supervisor

Jack Patterson, Facilities Coordinator

Alvin Ramirez, Groundskeeper

Marco Ramirez, Groundskeeper

Rubidia Rivas, Custodian

Shivnaraine (Shiv) Sewnauth, Facilities Engineering Manager

Philip Soto, Maintenance Assistant

Javier Verduzco, Custodian

Project Development

Justin Doak, Senior Project Manager

Mary Hohlt, Capital Project Coordinator

Brooke Stroud, Design Advisor

Public Programs

Mary Magsamen, Manager of Public Programs

Anthony (Tony) Martinez, Programs Coordinator

Publishing

Joseph N. Newland, Director of Publishing

Eileen Owens, Associate Editor

Research Resources

Margaret C. McKee, Director of Research Resources

Lisa Barkley, Archives Manager

Krista M. Hollis, Assistant Archivist

Philip Karjeker, Imaging Services Specialist

Caroline Philippone, Photographer

Donna Török-Oberholtzer, Associate Librarian

Safety and Security

Sonny Smith, Director of Safety and Security

Latisha Gilbert, Gallery Attendant Supervisor

Mirzama Sisic, Gallery Attendant Supervisor

Arceli Arcilla, Gallery Attendant Trainer

Vera Hadzic, Assistant Gallery Attendant Supervisor

Cynthia Ballard, Gallery Attendant

Charles Bradley, Gallery Attendant

Delana Bunch, Gallery Attendant

Carl Chaney, Control Room Monitor

William Cuevas, Control Room Monitor

Franklin Collantes, Gallery Attendant

Paulita Del Gallego, Gallery Attendant

Virginia Dolormente, Gallery Attendant

Aailyah Fields, Gallery Attendant

Aurelia Gallegos, Gallery Attendant

Sadiri Gallegos, Gallery Attendant

Jamarcus (Jay) Gilmore, Gallery Attendant

Jorge González, Gallery Attendant

Nydia Gutierrez, Gallery Attendant

Earl Harris, Control Room Monitor

Halley Heckman, Gallery Attendant

Heilen Hernandez, Gallery Attendant

Shawnie Hunt, Control Room Monitor

Bordin Keplar, Gallery Attendant

Reynaldo Legaspi, Gallery Attendant

Jesper Panessah, Gallery Attendant

Ched Pelayo, Gallery Attendant

Meichelle Robinson, Gallery Attendant

Carlos Rodriguez, Gallery Attendant

Nicholas Rodriguez, Gallery Attendant

Kenneth Sherman, Gallery Attendant

Carlos Silva, Gallery Attendant

Jacqueline Yagao, Gallery Attendant

Macario Yagao, Gallery Attendant

Tatena (Judy) Young, Gallery Attendant

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