Inside the MFAH
“Inside the MFAH” provides perspectives, conversations, and opinions from insiders at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Need to Know: 3 Things about “A History of Photography” January 27, 2015
“View of Paris” possesses an entrancing three-dimensionality akin to that of a modern hologram. —Malcolm Daniel, curator in charge, department of photography and special projects Daguerreotype may have evolved to digital, and silver prints to selfies, but ever since the invention of photography, one thing remains the same: Photographs are fascinating. The Museum’s famed photography …
#FutureMFAH January 19, 2015
Rooftop garden? Check. A new restaurant and theater? Check. Public plazas and reflecting pools? A walkable 14-acre campus? A translucent building to display 20th- and 21st-century art? Yes! All of the above, and more, for the future Fayez S. Sarofimcampus of the MFAH. The Museum is about to transform. Over the next five years, the campus is undergoing a dramatic redevelopment, adding three new …
“Monet and the Seine” Brings an Icy Wonderland to Houston January 2, 2015
The Houston climate doesn't offer "winter wonderland" views very often, but this year we can enjoy some extra icy shades of winter in Monet and the Seine: Impressions of a River. Claude Monet painted scenes of his beloved Seine River at every season, including the winter of 1879, one of the coldest France endured during the entire century. Frozen waterways and heavy snowfalls disrupted daily …
A Holiday Look at “The Annunciation to the Shepherds” December 18, 2014
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the …
Lions, Tigers, and . . . Llamas? Exploring the Ancient American Cosmos December 5, 2014
The idea for the exhibition Fangs, Feathers, and Fins: Sacred Creatures in Ancient American Art began when I subscribed to International Wildlife as a teenager. Instead of boy-band posters on my bedroom wall, I had pages torn from this magazine. That’s what drew me to Pre-Columbian studies, to examine the cultures that existed in the Americas before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. For …
Her Starfish Will Lure You In November 26, 2014
Artist María Fernanda Cardoso would like to remind us of something very important about starfish—they are animals, not objects. You may not see eyes when you look at them, but starfish are animals, just as humans are. “I realized that starfish have five limbs,” she says, “and we have five fingers, and I thought, oh my!” When we use our eyes to look at her installation Woven Water: Submarine …
Lightning Strikes: Installing “Albero folgorato” August 24, 2014
What does it take to install a 36-foot-tall, 2-ton sculpture in the heart of the Houston Museum District? Our newly acquired Albero folgorato tells the story.
Operating on Art: Treating Walker Evans’s “Banda Headdress” August 1, 2014
Like medical students completing their residencies in a hospital, graduate conservation students gain practical experience during their final year.
Looking Together July 25, 2014
A year ago, as I was interviewing for my position here at the MFAH, one of the biggest incentives for me was that I would get to oversee the Museum’s wonderful and growing programs for visitors with disabilities.The Museum offers two specialized tours: “Art Beyond Sight,” which serves the blind and visually impaired; and “Looking Together,” which serves adults diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease …
Endangered Animal? Assessing the Light Sensitivity of Walton Ford’s “Oso Dorado” July 2, 2014
Each year the Museum adds masterpieces to the collection through “One Great Night in November,” one of this institution’s largest fundraisers in support of art acquisitions. In 2013, the event acquired Oso Dorado, a monumental watercolor by American artist Walton Ford. Painted only a few months before “One Great Night in November,” the five-foot-wide work of art was in pristine condition, with all …
