Houston’s art scene is getting its due. The Houston Museum of Fine Arts and the Menil Collection were both highlighted among the best art museums of America and best small museums in America, respectively, in the Washington Post’s recent articles.
The Washington Post recently conducted two lists celebrating the best art museums in America for its annual Museums Issue. Taking exhibitions quality, collections breadth, and public engagement history into consideration, the publication’s art critics named their favorite large, small, and college museums in the country.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston placed at number 6 on the best art museums of America. In the review, WP writers highlight the museum’s impressive campus, history of great directors, dynamic exhibition program, and engagement in the local Houston community.
“Houston’s preeminent art museum has a huge, recently expanded campus (including buildings by Mies van der Rohe and a sculpture garden by Isamu Noguchi), a history of great directors and a dynamic exhibition program,” the article reads.
“With its modern and European Old Master holdings, MFA Houston can reliably draw in lovers of such European luminaries as Rogier van der Weyden, Rembrandt, Matisse and Picasso.”
The publication also put together a list of the 10 best small art museums in America. This list wasn’t ranked, Houston’s beloved Menil Collection made the cut. Here the article highlights its wow-worthy collection, park, and surrounding Cy Twombly Gallery, Richmond Hall, and Menil Drawing Institution.
“The Menil Collection isn’t just a building with a collection strong in (but not limited to) modern and contemporary art and an elegant temporary exhibition space” the article reads.
“Apart from the main, Renzo Piano-designed building, there is the astonishing Cy Twombly Gallery, the Menil Drawing Institute and the Dan Flavin Installation at Richmond Hall. The park itself is beautiful. You go there, fall under a spell and, in my experience, tend to have trouble leaving.”
The Menil Collection is located at 1533 Sul Ross St. and is free to visit.