Final Component of New MFAH Campus Opening Soon

The massive $450 million redevelopment project concludes when the art-filled Nancy and Rich Kinder Building opens Nov. 21.

Final Component of New MFAH Campus Opening Soon

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has announced an official opening date for the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building. The third and final component to open as part of the $450 million campaign to redevelop the Susan and Fayez S. Sarofim Campus, the Kinder Building opens on Nov. 21, following the new Glassell School of Art and the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation Center for Conservation.


The trapezoidal concrete-and-glass building designed by Steven Holl Architects is specifically dedicated to installations from the MFAH collection of 20th- and 21st-century art. It contains several different galleries, beginning with a flexible black-box gallery that will house immersive installations. The inaugural works include a James Turrell piece called Wedgework, and Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Light Room. Photos of these two artists' immersive pieces, many of which have spent time in Houston, frequently go viral on social media. The street level also touts a café space, where Moon Dust (Apollo 17), a 2009 installation of suspended lights by American artist Spencer Finch, will hang.

2_Nancy and Rich Kinder Building from above; Photo by Peter Molick, Thomas Kirk IIINancy and Rich Kinder Building from above; Photo by Peter Molick, Thomas Kirk III

On the second floor of the Kinder Building, various galleries are dedicated to subjects like Latin American Modernism or decorative arts, crafts and design. And upstairs on the third floor, five different thematic galleries present art of varying disciplines from the 1960s to present-day. Inaugural exhibitions include LOL!, with more than 50 works incorporating humor, as well as Border, Mapping, Witness, with pieces incorporating maps and borders, both literal and figurative.

Atrium view of the ceiling of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building; Photo by Peter MolickAtrium view of the ceiling of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building; Photo by Peter Molick

The Museum has announced that general admission to all three gallery buildings, including the Kinder Building, will be free for opening weekend; the Kinder Building will remain free to the public through Nov. 25.

Art + Entertainment
Wellness Pro LeBrina Jackson on Gratitude at the Holidays: It’s a ‘Reset Button for my Mind’

LeBrina Jackson

AS WE GET into the holiday season, we’re reminded of what we have, what we want and what might be lacking. As Sheryl Crow says in her song, Soak up the Sun, “It’s not having what you want, it’s wanting what you've got.” We caught up with LeBrina Jackson, owner of Escape Spa in Cypress, Texas, and learned how she tackles the holiday season with hope, love and most importantly, gratitude.

Keep Reading Show less

Late photographer Jhane Hoang (center) and some of her subjects, including fashion models and musicians

WHEN JHANE HOANG died late last month after a quiet, private battle with cancer, Houston lost one of its most talented and exacting photographers — and my colleagues at CityBook and I lost a beloved contributor and friend.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment

John Bryan, Mary Jon Bryan, Billy Bob Thornton, J.P. Bryan

MORE THAN 500 guests gathered in Galveston for the Bryan Museum Gala, an evening that celebrated both the 10th anniversary of the museum and some of the most influential names in Texas oil and gas. Titled the Wildcatters Gala, the event honored Ernie H. Cockrell, Mary Ralph Lowe, Trevor Rees-Jones and the families of Eddy C. Scurlock and R.E. “Bob” Smith — all recognized for their legacy of leadership and philanthropy in the industry.

Keep Reading Show less
Parties