The free museum tucked away in a Houston park showcases masterpieces by Picasso, Warhol, and Magritte
The Menil Collection in Houston, Texas, is a free museum located on a 30-acre park-like campus in the Montrose neighborhood. Founded by French philanthropists John and Dominique de Menil and opened in 1987, it houses over 25,000 works spanning surrealist, contemporary, and modern art, including pieces by Picasso, Magritte, Ernst, and Warhol. The main building, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, features galleries dedicated to African, Ancient, Pacific Islands, Medieval, and Byzantine art, alongside temporary exhibitions such as John Akomfrah's "The Hour of the Dog" and Cy Twombly's "The Gift of Drawing." The campus also includes the Cy Twombly Gallery, the Menil Drawing Institute, Dan Flavin's Richmond Hall installation, and the Rothko Chapel, which displays 14 Mark Rothko murals.