Visiting Rienzi

About


Welcome to Rienzi, the house museum for European decorative arts at the MFAH. Rienzi is situated on four acres of wooded gardens, about three miles from downtown Houston in the historic River Oaks neighborhood. Formerly the home of philanthropists Carroll Sterling Masterson and Harris Masterson III, Rienzi was designed by prominent Houston architect John Staub in 1952. Opened to the public in 1999, Rienzi now houses a substantial collection of European decorative arts, including paintings, furnishings, porcelain, and extensive holdings of miniatures. Rienzi welcomes some 8,000 visitors a year for tours, family programs, lectures, concerts, and a variety of special events.

Click on the slideshow for a virtual tour of Rienzi.

Hours and Admissions


Rienzi offers tours Wednesday through Saturday at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. Reservations are recommended, drop-ins are welcome. On Sunday, Rienzi offers drop-in tours of the house from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., with the last admission at 4 p.m.

Admission Wednesday through Saturday is $6 for adults, $4 for MFAH Members, senior adults, and students with ID. Sunday admission is $5 for individuals, $10 for groups of 2 to 4, and $15 for groups of 5 or 6.

Rienzi's gardens are open for self-guided visits Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission to the gardens is free.

Rienzi is closed during the month of August.

Tips for Visiting

  • Drop-in visits are welcome, but reservations are recommended (except Sundays). The touring schedule may fill up during group tours or peak visiting months. Calling ahead helps ensure your preferred tour time will be available.
  • Rienzi asks that all purses, bags, and backpacks, as well as coats, cell phones, and cameras be stored in lockers during your tour. Please arrive 10 minutes early so that you can store your belongings and start the tour on time.
  • Children 12 and older are welcome on regular tours and children of all ages are welcome on Sundays. Baby carrier packs must be worn on the front of the adult. Guests of all ages are welcome in the gardens.
  • We recommend that guests wear comfortable shoes; tours last approximately one hour and seating areas are limited. If anyone in your group needs special accommodations, please notify the tour coordinator when making your reservation. A wheelchair is available for use upon request.
  • Rienzi does not allow food inside the house. Although there are no picnic facilities at Rienzi, there are restaurants and picnic spots nearby. For a list of restaurants, please call 713.639.7800.
  • Guests are welcome to visit Rienzi's gardens before and after the tour. Non-professional photography and videotaping are allowed outdoors only. Professional photography is not permitted. Smoking is prohibited on all museum grounds.
  • With advance notice, tours can be led in Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Greek, and Slovenian.

Directions

Click here for a detailed map and directions to Rienzi.

Publications


Rienzi: European Decorative Arts and Paintings
Katherine S. Howe, Edgar Peters Bowron,
Christine Gervais, Cindi Strauss, Stephen Fox,
Suzanne Turner, Marjorie E. Wieseman

This beautiful publication is the first to document Rienzi, its collection, and the collectors. Featuring contributions from seven experts in their fields, the book presents an illustrated biography of the Mastersons and their roles in Houston and as collectors, written by Katherine S. Howe, director of Rienzi since 1993, followed by essays on Rienzi's architectural history and gardens. Entries about highlights of the collection will be of interest to the general reader and scholar-collector alike. Click here to purchase.

Antiquity Revived: Neoclassical Art in the Eighteenth Century
Guillaume Faroult, Christophe Leribault, Guilhem Scherf, et al.

Learn more about the exhibition Antiquity Revived: Neoclassical Art in the Eighteenth Century, organized by the MFAH in association with the Musée du Louvre, Paris. Featuring 150 paintings, sculptures, drawings, and works of decorative art—including objects from Rienzi's collection—Antiquity Revived explores, from various points of view, how the renewal of classical taste found its roots in ancient sources. This exhibition catalogue is available only through the MFAH Shop. Click here to purchase.