Posts
“Inside the MFAH” provides perspectives, conversations, and opinions from insiders at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Virtual Cinema Showcases New German Films May 3, 2021
Discover the latest in German cinema with the film series “KINO! Germany NOW!”
Movie Night with MFAH Films “Sorry We Missed You” March 30, 2020
“A fraught, touching, and galvanizing movie.” —Owen Gleiberman, Variety
Meet the Chef: Marlies Wasterval May 26, 2016
The MFA Café celebrates the art of eating well, with exciting changes to the menu—from the new weekend brunch to added dishes that emphasize local, fresh ingredients—and to the kitchen. New executive chef Marlies Wasterval is hard at work serving up Italian fare with a Texas flair.
A native Houstonian, Wasterval joins the Museum after crafting impeccable dishes all over the world, most recently …
Lightning Strikes: Installing “Albero folgorato” August 24, 2014
What does it take to install a 36-foot-tall, 2-ton sculpture in the heart of the Houston Museum District? Our newly acquired Albero folgorato tells the story.
Operating on Art: Treating Walker Evans’s “Banda Headdress” August 1, 2014
Like medical students completing their residencies in a hospital, graduate conservation students gain practical experience during their final year.
Endangered Animal? Assessing the Light Sensitivity of Walton Ford’s “Oso Dorado” July 2, 2014
Each year the Museum adds masterpieces to the collection through “One Great Night in November,” one of this institution’s largest fundraisers in support of art acquisitions. In 2013, the event acquired Oso Dorado, a monumental watercolor by American artist Walton Ford. Painted only a few months before “One Great Night in November,” the five-foot-wide work of art was in pristine condition, with all …
A Conservation Challenge: The Ceramic Robotics of Clayton Bailey February 19, 2014
California artist Clayton Bailey (born 1939) has devoted his career to comedy, science, and pseudoscience through the medium of ceramics. His 1977 work Monster (“Burping Bowl”), on view in Beyond Craft: Decorative Arts from the Leatrice S. and Melvin B. Eagle Collection, is a cross between a pond-dwelling sci-fi monster and the childhood nightmare of someone living in the toilet bowl. A head …
Diving into “Watson and the Shark” November 14, 2013
One of the centerpieces of American Adversaries: West and Copley in a Transatlantic World is Watson and the Shark, the sensational painting that earned artist John Singleton Copley (1738–1815) election to the Royal Academy of Art in London.Just a few insights into this monumental work:Watson led quite a life, including a stint as the “peg-legged mayor of London.”This painting depicts a …
Assembling “The Light Inside” August 9, 2013
I interviewed the Museum’s own Russ Lane, who served as lead preparator for James Turrell: The Light Inside. We talked about the unique requirements of this special exhibition and Russ’s father’s interest in flying, a shared experience that has created an even deeper appreciation of Turrell’s work.
SS: Hello, Russ! Can you introduce yourself?RL: My name is Russ Lane, and I am a preparator (or …
hang@MFAH: A Place for Teens June 27, 2013
The challenge: create a cool program for teens. The result? hang@MFAH: Houston Art New Generation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston!