The Menil Collection by Renzo Piano

2009 February 4

tags: Architecture, Houston, Menil, Renzo Piano

by Stephen

I’ve been bad about keeping this blog updated, so here I am completing a draft that’s been waiting to be finished for weeks.

Over the winter break, right after New Years, I visited the Menil Collection for the first time. I first learned about this building during a mid review last spring. I had designed a series of fins for the roof of my art gallery and had done so rather clumsily. One of my reviewers suggested that I look at how Renzo Piano had designed the fins in the Menil. I never actually got around to looking at the building, as other concerns took precedence, but I told myself that the next time I was in Houston I would visit.

Well, I kind of forgot during the summer, but in a way this was good since I learned a lot more about Renzo Piano and how he works over the next semester. When I finally visited with my cousin, I was surprised by how hidden it was. A rather modest parking lot was connected by a short path to the main entrance. It really didn’t feel like I was about to enter a rather prominent museum both architecturally and artistically.

The entrance to the Menil complex from the parking lot.

When I finally saw the building, I felt mixed. For one, it quietly sat within the residential neighborhood that surrounds the building. Yes, it was far larger than anything nearby, but it didn’t seem to impose itself in the way other large building do. I also liked that it not only complemented but enhanced the quaint character of the neighborhood. But, at the same time, it was ungracefully boxy and disappointingly introverted. By respecting its context, it turned inwards to avoid disturbing anything outside.

The main entrance to the Menil.

Inside, the building was more impressive. Most of the galleries were naturally lit using Renzo Piano’s now famous roof louvers. By themselves, the louvers were extremely elegant and sensuous. Their curved form gave them a sense of movement and lightness that really helped to make the galleries feel larger than they actually were. However, since I went on an overcast day late in the afternoon, I could not witness the full power of the louvers to diffuse the sun. Still, I could see how sunlight bounced between the louvers, though at a more subtle level.

The louvers covering the outdoor porch.

Furthermore, the indoor atriums were beautiful. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take pictures inside, so I only have photographs of the exterior.

Afterwards, my cousin and I decided to explore the other museums in the area. First we visited the Rothko Chapel, a dark meditative space that really required us to sit and adjust to the light and to really look hard at the art. At first we just saw a series of black paintings. But after about ten minutes, colors started to pop out at us. It was kind of amazing.

Then we visited the Byzantine Fresco Chapel. Architecturally, this was my favorite building. In a way, it was a glass chapel housed inside a blocky, textured building. The use of light and materials surprised me. I felt like I had entered another world.

We also visited the Cy Twombly gallery, a somewhat bland attempt to recreate the lighting of the Menil but also the home of impressively large artworks. In terms of the art itself, this was the best museum.

Finally, we ended on the Dan Flavin Installation at Richmond Hall, a strangely conventionally commercial building. What was great about the installation, a series of colored fluorescent lights, was that my cousin and I were the only visitors there in a humongous room. Seeing the installation alone made it much more fun.