Houston has a growing and illustrious art scene characterized by museums, theater, opera and literary arts. I want to introduce you to the three best museums in Houston, along with some of the things that surround them so you can see what the city has in store!
Over 450 fossils and casts can be seen at the Morian Hall of Paleontology| photo courtesy of the Houston Museum of Natural Science
The Houston Museum of Natural Science
Granted, while not an arts Museum, HMNS offers a wide variety of exhibits both permanent and temporary.
On the first floor resides the dinosaurs exhibit, where you will see life from the earliest fossils of trilobites to “Stan” our T. Rex and his fellow carnivores. On the second floor resides an astounding rocks and minerals exhibit and a relatively new Texas wildlife exhibit. On the third floor lies the Hall of Egypt, which features artifacts ranging from pottery and beaded necklaces to strips of papyri, stone stelas and three mummies. Next to the Hall of Egypt is the Hall of the Americas, featuring artifacts from the Aztec, Inca, and Maya and the frigid lands of Northern Inuit cultures.
Special exhibits are also available including a Fabergé and La Virgen de Guadalupe exhibit, the Hall of Chemistry and the Butterfly Center. Mummies of the World featuring mummies from Egypt, Europe, and the Americas is an exhibit on the horizon for the museum as well.
Outside lies Hermann Park, which features a wide variety of outdoor locations including the Japanese gardens, Miller Outdoor Theater, McGovern Centennial Gardens and various monuments sprawled across the park, all great places for an afternoon date.
MFAF is one of the largest museums in the united states with over 6,000 exhibits Photo by Henry Hann CC BY-SA 3.0
The Museum of Fine Arts
Right near HMNS, MFAH has featured everything from ancient art to contemporary experimental installations.
After parking and buying your ticket, go downstairs, on your right is an Italian café. Go upstairs and you will enter a two storied arts complex featuring artwork from Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, the medieval period, renaissance styled artwork and various modern art forms from the 20th Century. My favorite pieces are the Greek pottery, the Mesopotamian man-bird, a bullfight painting, and a painting of Hercules slaying the centaur.
Back downstairs, after going through an instillation, you will see the other half of the museum, featuring exhibits on art from African and Pre-Columbian Americas alongside pieces from Arabia, Indonesia and other Asian countries. This building also features special exhibits including Kusama: At the End of the Universe, an immersive installation that will wow your mind.
The Menil collection recently displayed “the Infinity Machine,” an instillation of floating rotating mirrors set to the sound of space static.|Photo Creative Commons
The Menil Collection
Founded by John and Dominique de Menil, the Menil Collection offers a wide variety of artwork ranging from Ancient and African art to surrealist pieces by Picasso and other surrealists of the time. My favorite pieces here are a Horus Stela and a surrealist painting of a rugged moon against an eerie purple background. The museum is free, so drop by any time.
Outside the Museum lies Rothko Chapel and the Byzantine Fresco Chapel. The Menil Collection also hosts literary events and includes an art bookstore as well as a quaint café. Nearby is the Brazos Bookstore that hosts readings from various authors, so don’t forget to see that.
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