Contemporary Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Ongoing
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Member and ALL ACCESS tickets include same-day admission to this gallery, all Special Exhibitions, and the MFAH Permanent Collections. On Thursday, entry to this gallery is included with a ticket to the Permanent Collections.
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Installation view of Line into Space.
Installation view of Love Languages.
Josef Albers, Homage to the Square, 1956–62, oil on Masonite, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, gift of Anni Albers and the Josef Albers Foundation, Inc. © The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Michael Armitage, Dead Soldiers, 2022, oil on Lubugo bark cloth, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase funded by Christen Sveaas, photograph by David Westwood, courtesy of White Cube, London. © Michael Armitage.
Ruth Asawa, Untitled (S. 562, Double Cone Form with Central Sphere), c. 1954, galvanized steel wire and brass wire, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase funded by the Caroline Wiess Law Accessions Endowment Fund. © Ruth Asawa
Fred Eversley, Untitled (Parabolic Lens), 1974/2018, cast polyester, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase funded by the Caroline Wiess Law Accessions Endowment Fund. © Fred Eversley
Ron Nagle, The Puddle of Love, from the series Snuff Bottles, 2003, porcelain, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Garth Clark and Mark Del Vecchio Collection, Museum purchase funded by the Schissler Foundation. © Ron Nagle
The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building is dedicated to the Museum’s international collections of modern and contemporary art. The soaring spaces feature displays that span media encompassing painting and sculpture, craft and design, video, and immersive installations.
The third-floor galleries are devoted to thematic exhibitions, with installations of art from the 1960s onward.
Color into Light showcases work by artists celebrated for their study of color dynamics, including Josef Albers, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Sam Gilliam, Hans Hofmann, Ellsworth Kelly, Hélio Oiticica, Fanny Sanín, and Ettore Sottsass. Additional works on view include neon reliefs by Gyula Kosice and Keith Sonnier; investigations of transparency by Marta Chilindron, Fred Eversley, and Shiro Kuramata; and photographs by John Mark Hall and Gerhard Richter.
Hidden Histories explores the idea of anti-monuments through the work of artists who memorialize ordinary citizens or places that have been ignored, sidelined, or deliberately obscured. Unconventional means and strategies encourage viewers to think critically about the past and its relevance for the present and future. Featured artists—from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States—include Alice Leora Briggs, Paul Briggs, Adriana Corral, James Drake, Zhang Huan, Rashid Johnson, Kahlil Joseph, William Kentridge, Anselm Kiefer, James Luna, Julie Mehretu, Héctor Dionicio Mendoza, Oscar Muñoz, Yinka Shonibare, John Valadez, and Vincent Valdez.
Line into Space examines how artists explore line in multiple dimensions and media, from works on paper to jewelry, three-dimensional constructions, and furniture. This installation features works by Gego, including drawings, sculptures, and watercolor, presented with selections by artists including Ruth Asawa, Georg Dobler, Naum Gabo, Joris Laarman, Agnes Martin, and Tone Vigeland.
Love Languages considers how the making of art is a type of love language all in itself. The installation offers insights into the question, “How do we prioritize tenderness against debilitating social conditions?” The works of artists including Bisa Butler, Francesco Clemente, Francesca Fuchs, Roland L. Freeman, Louis Fratino, Robert Frank, Alex Katz, Evita Tezeno, and Caroline Walker engage the necessity of intimacy in interpersonal and collective relationships.
Ready to Visit?
Member and ALL ACCESS tickets include same-day admission to this gallery, all Special Exhibitions, and the MFAH Permanent Collections. On Thursday, entry to this gallery is included with a ticket to the Permanent Collections.
Get Your Ticket