Glimpses, flavors and echoes of Houston

BY GEORGE M. GOODWIN

OVER A HALF-CENTURY, I’ve visited Texas several times, primarily to enjoy its splendid art museums. I’m particularly fond of the Kimbell, in Fort Worth. In addition to having a magnificent collection, the museum’s original building, which opened in 1972, was designed by the great American-Jewish architect Louis Kahn. As much as I enjoy both of his splendid art museums at Yale, I’ve been back to Fort Worth three times to savor what he accomplished.

I’ve also visited art museums in Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas and Houston. But there isn’t one in Van, Texas. This is where the late Adrian Hall, the founding artistic director of Trinity Rep, grew up and retired. In 1992, as the theater com pany’s archivist, I journeyed there to complete a lengthy series of oral history interviews with him.

Betsey and I were recently in Houston, America’s fourth-largest city, primarily to visit our son,

Michael, who has lived there for two years.

It was wonderful seeing Michael and his new home, and there was also time to explore many cultural sites. Metropolitan Houston’s Jewish population is around 65,000, making it the 17th largest in the country. So there are numerous places of Jewish interest, though not necessarily in Jewish institutions.

The Rothko Chapel, a veritable art museum, was established in 1971 by leading Gentile benefactors John and Dominique de Menil. (They were also instrumental in recommending Andy Warhol for curating “Raid the Icebox,” a 1970 exhibition at the RISD Museum.)

A small, nondenominational shrine, designed for prayer and contemplation, the Rothko Chapel is adorned with 14 abstract paintings, which were created by perhaps America’s greatest Jewish visual artist, Mark Rothko, shortly before his untimely death.

When entering the chapel from the bright out-of-doors, the paintings appear almost monochromatic. Upon close examination, however, this haunting cycle displays subtle variations. But if the canvases convey a religious meaning, it is far from uplifting. In my opinion, only the skylight atop the hexagonal structure provides a hopeful message.

By the way, another major American-Jewish abstractionist, Barnett Newman, created the chapel’s nearby steel sculpture, which adorns a reflecting pool. A broken obelisk, placed upside down, it perhaps illustrates the precariousness of human existence. Also commissioned by the de Menils, it was intended to commemorate improved race relations, but city officials rejected it.

The same couple built the nearby and extraordinary Menil Collection, which opened in 1987. The Italian architect, Renzo Piano, whose work I much admire, designed the original building and a smaller satellite gallery. An amazing synthesis of ancient, tribal and modern art, the

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