The Menil’s Reopening Plan

Covid shut its doors in March, but the Menil reopens with an artful vengeance next weekend.

Paul Hester
Installation view of Helen Frankenthaler, Hybrid Vigor, 1973. Photo by Paul Hester.
Installation view of Helen Frankenthaler, Hybrid Vigor, 1973. Photo by Paul Hester.

After six months of Covid-related closures, The Menil has announced its buildings will reopen on Saturday, Sept. 12.


The refreshed displays will include works by Dan Flavin, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol and others; a 1973 painting by Helen Frankenthaler, which has not been publicly exhibited in more than 40 years, will hang in the main building. An exhibit that opened at the beginning of this year, Photography and the Surreal Imagination, will be continued. And in the Menil Drawing Institute, patrons will find an extension of the exhibit of Think of Them as Spaces: Brice Marden’s Drawings.

At the end of the month, two major exhibitions debut: Allora & Calzadilla: Specters of Noon, with seven newly commissioned pieces by Puerto Rico’s Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla, inspired by the Menil’s collection of Surrealist works; and Virginia Jarmillo: The Curvilinear Paintings, featuring eight canvases from the early 1970s in the artist’s first solo museum show.

The Menil Collection is enforcing the use of face masks and requesting tickets be reserved in advance online.

AT TOP: Installation view of Helen Frankenthaler, Hybrid Vigor, 1973.

Art+Culture
Exclusive Furniture’s Sam Zavary Credits Luck, Hard Work and ‘Mom’s Prayers’ for His Success

How did you get to where you are today? I am a firm believer that hard work and having dreams that you strive to achieve will motivate and inspire people to achieve their potential. Working hard, dreaming, and making sure to take advantage of every opportunity is something I learned at a young age. I credit God and God’s grace firstly, but I know that success is a direct result of hard work. I tell my podcast subscribers and followers to continue setting goals, evolving, improving, and planning, and I practice what I preach. I am proud to have started my business in the fastest growing major city in the United States, and I attribute a lot of the success of Exclusive Furniture to the family culture we create in the best city — Houston’s diversity, philanthropy, and innovation have helped me achieve a lot of the milestones in the furniture business (and the “low prices”) you see today!

Keep Reading Show less

THE CORINTHIAN WAS the scene for a haunted happening benefiting Children’s Museum Houston. The decidedly adult bash was filled with dark allure, gothic glamour, and generosity to the tune of $1.14 million, the second-highest total in the event’s history.

Keep Reading Show less
Parties

Morris Smith, Tilman Fertitta and Toni Smith

THE HOUSTON CHILDREN'S Charity gala is always anticipated, thanks to the big-deal musical acts brought in to entertain; this year it was Chicago. But the headliners this year were the generous donors, who seemed to surprise even event organizer with their largesse, with a total till of $6.2 million, a record.

Keep Reading Show less
Party People