Thanks to donations of both money and distinguished art collections from a gusher of oil-money philanthropists, Houston's art scene is among the USA's richest.
When you’re looking for a destination that’s loaded with cultural attractions, consider Houston. It’s one of the five U. S. cities that have the full complement of permanent ballet, opera, symphony and theater companies.
The Museum Scene
Highlights at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFAH)., sixth largest in the United States, are the Straus Collection of Renaissance and 18th – Century art and the Beck Collection of Impressionist and Post Impressionist works, both world-class. Museum buildings include, Bayou Bend, the gracious colonnaded residence and gardens that contains one of the foremost collections of American fine and decorative arts Rienzi, the Georgian/ Palladian mansion which showcases elegant 18th century English furniture, paintings by English masters and one of the finest collections of Worcester porcelain in the world.
The Menil Collection (1515 Sul Ross), housed in a structure designed by Renzo Piano, is best known for two collections; one of Byzantine and medieval art and the other of tribal arts of the Pacific and Africa. Close by, the ecumenical Rothko Chapel came about when Philip Johnson was commissioned by the Menils to create the chapel as a setting for 14 large abstract expressionist paintings by Mark Rothko. Centerpiece of the courtyard’s reflecting pool is a Barnett Newman sculpture dedicated to Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Contemporary Arts Museum (526 Montrose), its exterior sheathed with corrugated metal, was best known during the 1970s for its outrageous exhibits – caged rats and cockroaches among them. Today, its changing exhibits – the museum has no permanent collections – focus on more traditional works by contemporary artists.
Among the most unlikely treasures in Houston’s cultural collection are two 13th - Century frescoes, which are owned by the Church of Cypress. They’re housed in the $4 million Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum (Branard and Yupon Streets; 713-622-8724) built specifically for them, and are the only frescoes of this size and quality in the Western Hemisphere.
Opera on the Grand Scale
The Houston Grand Opera (713-227-ARTS), one of the nation’s five largest opera companies, has established a reputation for mounting productions of ground-breaking operas such as Nixon in China and The Making of the Representative for Planet 8. Opera performances take place at the Wortham Theater Center.
Symphony and Ballet
Houston Symphony (713-227-ARTS), whose founding patron in 1915 was Miss Ima Hogg, performs at Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing arts at the Houston Civic Center during its fall and winter season. In summer, the orchestra presents free concerts at Miller Outdoor Theater and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Productions from a widely diverse cultural menu – from the Boys Choir of Harlem to the Ukranian National Song & Dance Ensemble -- sponsored by the Society for the Performing Arts also are presented at Jones Hall.
On Stage
The most important of the venues for performing arts are located downtown in the Theater District. The Houston Ballet (713-523-6300), founded as an academy in 1955, has grown to become the nation’s fourth-largest company and now tours the world. When it’s at home, the company performs both classical and avant garde ballets at the monumental Wortham Theater Center (Texas avenue and Smith street).
Of the dozens of theater companies in the city, the Alley Theatre is acknowledged to be its foremost. Largest non-profit producer of outdoor theater in the country, Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) will be the resident company of the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.
Add to the above, exhibits and performances put on by the 25 groups of higher learning (including Rice University and Texas Southern University) and more than 50 different ethnic groups – many of which sponsor festivals showcasing their cultures – in the Houston orbit and you'll have a Texas-size array of choices.
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