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
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.
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.
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).
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.
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
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.
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
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.
By Michelle White
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.
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