New Year, Brand New Exhibits in the Houston Museum District

HOUSTON –– The new year is bringing several never-before-seen exhibitions to the Museum District.

“This is one reason why it’s so great to live in and near Houston,” Laurette Cañizares, executive director of the Houston Museum District Association, said. “We’re a destination -- not just for businesses and tourists but also for exclusive exhibits that have very limited travel.”

Cañizares said that one of the new installations making a first appearance in Houston in 2014 will be hosted by the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

An original first edition of the Magna Carta will be coupled with the only known example of the “King’s Writ,” a letter from King John to the Sheriff of Gloucester dated June 20, 1215, announcing the signing of the Magna Carta. The two historic documents will be on view from Feb. 14 though Aug. 17.

In June, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, will unveil “Houghton Hall: Portrait of an English Country House,” the first time the renowned collection of the Marquess of Cholmondeley will travel outside of England.

Houghton Hall and much of its extensive collection were built in the early 1700s by Sir Robert Walpole, England’s first prime minister.

The Menil Collection will host several first-time exhibits in 2014, including:

“Lee Bontecou: Drawn Worlds” – On view from Jan. 31 to May 11, this exhibit of Bontecou’s drawings are a uniquely powerful expression of her artistic vision as an artist who perpetually challenged the modernist division of form and content.
“Memories of a Voyage: The Late Work of René Magritte”—Oil paintings and seldom-seen preparatory drawings dating from 1941 to 1967 will be on view from Feb. 14 to July 13. The exhibit will be presented simultaneously with “Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary: 1926-1938.”
“A Thin Wall of Air: Charles James” – From May 31 to Sept. 7, a selection of Charles James garments from Dominique de Menil’s personal collection will be displayed on specially designed mannequins that evoke James’ dress forms. As a couturier, James was known for his virtuosic design and construction, and his clothes fuse Victorian design approaches with forms derived from nature.
The site-specific “Dario Robleto: The Boundary of Life is Quietly Crossed,” on display from Aug. 16 to Jan. 11, 2015, will revolve around Robleto’s sculptural work on the history of the human heartbeat. The installation and series of public talks will link together the earliest attempts to record and visualize the human pulse and heartbeat, the female brain wave and heartbeat recordings onboard a NASA probe at the edge of the solar system, and recent developments in artificial heart research that suggest a “beat-less” heart may hold the answers for this life-saving technology to progress.

Cañizares said these debuts promise to make 2014 a spectacular year for the Museum District.

“Houstonians will have many opportunities to see some truly awe-inspiring exhibitions this year,” Cañizares added. “With these installations -- and so many more throughout the 20 museums -- 2014 is already shaping up as one of the finest in the Museum District’s history.”

The Houston Museum District Association is a one-stop shop for all information about happenings at its 20 member organizations. Visit www.houstonmuseumdistrict.org for more information.