Inside the MFAH Archive for 2016


“Inside the MFAH” provides perspectives, conversations, and opinions from insiders at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.


  • visitors in beck gallery
    Must-See Art This Fall, Handpicked by MFAH Curatorial Staff September 20, 2016

    The days are shorter and the shadows are longer, but fall doesn’t just mean a change in season. Discover the multitude of meanings that autumn holds across time and cultures with these curatorial staff picks of works from the MFAH collections. Read the curators’ notes, then find the autumn-inspired art on view in our permanent collection galleries!

  • Journey through the Egyptian Afterlife with Matthew Barney’s “River of Fundament” September 1, 2016

    I was thrilled when MFAH film curator Marian Luntz e-mailed me about working with the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston to share Matthew Barney’s River of Fundament with Houston audiences. This is a film that must be watched in a theater where one’s attention is controlled, because the two things one hears first about it are that it is very long and very demanding.

  • bayou bend azalea blog - ima hogg
    The Story of Azaleas at Bayou Bend August 29, 2016

    Ima Hogg and Bayou Bend had an important, early role in encouraging the popularity of Houston’s most iconic flower.

  • MFAH Films blog - Ralph Kaethner, 35mm projector
    MFAH Films Keeps the Light Alive August 2, 2016

    Ralph Kaethner has served as a projectionist at the MFAH for more than three decades. The Dying of the Light, a documentary we’re screening August 14 and 18, focuses on the displacement of 35mm by digital cinema. I spoke with Ralph about these changes.

  • Conservation case study - Art of the Islamic Worlds installation
    Invisible Forces: Mounting with Magnets July 28, 2016

    We paper conservators at the MFAH have been experimenting with using rare-earth magnets to help us display works of art. Using strong, rare-earth magnets opens up new possibilities for exhibiting works on paper.

  • coffee blog - espresso machine
    Roots, Roasting, and Robust Coffee July 7, 2016
    The MFA Café is making a boldstatement with high-quality coffee offerings prepared in the high-tech Victoria Arduino. Who, you may be wondering, is that? It’s not a who—it’s a legendary brand of espresso machines created in Italy, and one of these shiny, shimmering devices lives behind the counter at the MFA Café. The café menu presents 17 types of drinks at the full-service coffee bar, and …
  • kusama blog post - carrithers photo of aftermath
    The Art of Kusama Returns to Houston July 3, 2016
    Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama (born 1929) moved to New York in 1957, quickly emerging as one of the foremost artists of her generation. She developed an artistic practice that uniquely spanned painting, drawing, sculpture, performance, installation, poetry, and fashion. An important member of the male-dominated New York avant-garde of the 1960s, Kusama influenced many of her well-known Pop Art and …
  • july 4 bayou bend blog post - ima hogg
    A “Mad Career” to Preserve and Share America’s Past at Bayou Bend June 30, 2016
    March 5, 2016, marked the 50th anniversary of Bayou Bend’s opening to the public. We’re celebrating throughout the year with blog posts offering behind-the-scenes perspectives on this cultural and historical Houston treasure.Each year, on the 4th of July, all of America celebrates the historic events of 1776. As Houston’s home for America’s treasures, Bayou Bend goes all out to commemorate …
  • a+up cullen sculpture garden mural blog post - kids and mural
    The Glassell School of Art Mural Project: It’s Personal June 23, 2016
    Thirty-two students from the A+ Unlimited Potential (A+UP) middle school recently took on the challenge of a colorful, larger-than-life collaboration: a mural for the Museum’s Cullen Sculpture Garden. This public art project is now on display as part of the wall that frames the construction of the new Glassell School of Art. The mural features students’ personalized paintings that are pieced …
  • Aferim!
    Following the Road to “Aferim!” June 1, 2016

    The films we show at the Museum give audiences the opportunity to see movies on the big screen, and we work with many film distributors who share that goal.