The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston (MFAH) is considered the largest art museum in Texas. It is one of the most visited places in the whole country. The main collection includes approximately 63,000 exhibits. Admission is free for children under 12 years old, and there is usually a special offer on Thursdays that allows you to visit exhibitions for free.
History of creation
The Houston Museum of Fine Arts (MFAH) was founded in 1900 on the initiative of artist Cherry Emma Richardson. The collection began to be actively collected since 1917, the institution was opened to visitors only in 1924. The building in the Greek neoclassical style was designed by architect William Ward Watkin. It went down in history as the first art museum to be built in Texas.
So that the society could study art, suffragist Annette Finnigan donated her antiques, philanthropist Ima Hogg donated a collection of avant-garde European prints and drawings. In the 1940s, the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston (MFAH) was replenished with art objects, ranging from African art and pre-Columbian American art, donated by patrons. The collection was gradually replenished, and already in 1970 the number of exhibits exceeded 12,000. By 1989, the collection had almost doubled thanks to donations from local residents and corporations.
Short description
The attraction is one of the 20 most visited museums in the United States. On average, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston (MFAH) is visited by approximately 900,000 people per year. The collections are so extensive that they have been placed in the Audrey Jones Beck Building and the Caroline Wyss Lowe building, connected via an underpass.
The collection covers more than 60 thousand years of history, it contains over 63,000 exhibits. Among them are graphics, paintings, photographs, textiles, sculptures and films. You can get acquainted with:
- paintings by Rembrandt van Rijn, Francisco de Goya and Pablo Picasso.
- works of art created in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Islamic countries.
- Special attention is paid to the collection of the indigenous peoples of North America, which dates back to 2000 BC.
In addition to permanent exhibitions, temporary exhibitions featuring rare specimens are organized for visitors. On a regular basis, the staff of the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston (MFAH) conducts lectures, film screenings and organizes master classes. The museum includes a sculpture garden, an art school, Glassell Elementary School, collections, Bayou Bend Park, and the Rienzi Building.
How to get
You can arrive by public transport: if it is more convenient to travel by metro, you should get off at the Museum District station. There are several bus routes nearby. It is easy to order a taxi from anywhere in the city. Alternatively, you can use carsharing services from the age of 21.
Admission to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston (MFAH) is free for up to 12 years old, children and students receive a discount when buying tickets. There is usually an action on Thursdays, in which admission is free for everyone from 10.00 to 21.00. Tickets can be purchased both online and at the institution itself. It is recommended to check the work schedule before visiting the facility, as the schedule may change.
Gallery
