Letter from the Director

Photo: Daniel Ortiz We are pleased to share this annual report highlighting the notable events that took place across the Menil Collection’s neighborhood of art during Fiscal Year 2020 (July 1, 2019–June 30, 2020).

With the refurbishment of the main museum building and the inauguration of the Menil Drawing Institute accomplished in Fiscal Year 2019, the Menil Collection devoted much of Fiscal Year 2020 (July 1, 2019–June 30, 2020) to showcasing these beautiful spaces, expanding programming, and improving visitor experience. In September 2019, the Menil presented Mapa Wiya (Your Map’s Not Needed): Australian Aboriginal Art from the Fondation Opale, Houston’s first major exhibition of indigenous art from the continent. We are grateful to Bérengère Primat, the founder of the Fondation Opale in Lens, Switzerland, for sharing artwork from her exemplary collection with our visitors and to the Australian artists and cultural leaders who joined us for this special presentation. Meanwhile, the Menil Drawing Institute partnered with the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Morgan Library & Museum, New York, on a display of drawings by the little-known eighteenthcentury architect Jean-Jacques Lequeu. His artwork had last been exhibited in Houston more than fifty years earlier, when Dominique de Menil brought a show titled Visionary Architects: Boullée, Ledoux, Lequeu to the United States. Several of the drawings from the 1967 exhibition were included in our 2019–20 presentation of Jean-Jacques Lequeu: Visionary Architect, Drawings from the Bibliothèque nationale de France providing new generations with the opportunity to discover the wildly imaginative work of one of France’s most inventive draftsmen. Visionaries themselves, John and Dominique de Menil were deeply interested in the artists of their time. They were early champions of Brice Marden, who returned to Houston for the February 2020 opening of his exhibition at the Drawing Institute. Think of Them as Spaces: Brice Marden’s Drawings included six bodies of work spanning 1975 to 2019 that highlighted the central role that drawing has played throughout his oeuvre. The majority of the artwork on view was loaned directly from the artist and had never before been publicly displayed. In this report, you will find more information about these and other exhibitions as well as scholarship and programming highlights. The Menil continues to prioritize the five pillars of our 2018 strategic plan: art and archives, visitor experience, stewardship of the museum campus and neighborhood, financial growth and resilience, and organizational success. One of our ongoing goals is to conduct more research on the artwork in the permanent collection. Two publications from the

2020 fiscal year directly address this objective: Drawing Is Everything: Founding Gifts of the Menil Drawing Institute and Cy Twombly, Treatise on the Veil 1970. Our popular Artist Talks series is another important opportunity for staff and the public to hear directly from artists who are represented in our collection. Speakers during Fiscal Year 2020 included Glenn Ligon, Brice Marden, Robyn O’Neil, and Jorinde Voigt, whose monumental and ephemeral wall drawing Vertical was installed in the entry space of the Menil Drawing Institute. As we began grappling with some of the challenges of success—our public programs as well as membership events often reached capacity—concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic grew. On March 18, 2020, the Menil, along with the majority of local museums, temporarily closed to the public. The Executive Team consulted with medical professionals on the creation of a five-phase pandemic plan that was subsequently adopted by scores of museums and schools across the country. The Menil’s protocols respond to changes in local COVID-19 hospitalization rates. When the numbers increase, we tighten our safety procedures; when the numbers improve, we relax some of our restrictions. Much of the administrative staff transitioned to working from home, while security, facilities, and other personnel remained to care for the museum buildings and grounds. Director of Human Resources Suzanne Maloch communicated with all employees on a daily basis, and a weekly newsletter was created to keep staff informed and connected. The finance department worked with staff to adjust Fiscal Year 2020 spending and create a flexible budget for Fiscal Year 2021. Our thoughtful planning helped us avoid furloughs and lay-offs. I am extremely proud of our team for their creativity and resilience in the face of so many unforeseen challenges. During the pandemic, visitorship to our green spaces soared. Our grounds have always been an essential part of the Menil experience, and we are delighted that our parks have provided a place of beauty, relaxation, and refuge for our community. We are grateful to our facilities staff for their increased attention to maintaining and cleaning these areas, and to our security staff, who have kept everyone safe and encouraged dog owners to keep their pets on leashes. Given all of the unknowns that we faced, it is heartening to flip through the following pages and see the names of the many members, patrons, and sponsors who sustain the Menil. We are especially grateful for the talented and dedicated trustees of Board of the Menil Foundation, Inc., led by President Doug Lawing, Chair Janet Hobby, and Chair Emerita Louisa Stude Sarofim. As we reflect on the Fiscal Year 2020, I hope that you share my great sense of achievement for all that we have accomplished together.

Sincerely,