Houston’s renowned Rothko Chapel, a meditative landmark that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is reopening to the public on Tuesday (17 December) following an extended closure to address damage the building sustained during Hurricane Beryl in July.
Custodians of the pavilion initially announced that the chapel would be closed indefinitely while a team of art conservators and engineers addressed damage to the building and several of the 14 Mark Rothko paintings it houses. The mid-century structure has been restored to its former glory after repairs to the ceiling and walls. Four damaged Rothko panels have been moved off-site for restoration work led by the firm Whitten & Proctor Fine Art Conservation.
“Since the storm, our focus has been on the complete repair of the building, the restoration of the damaged panels and on the reopening of the building so the public once again has access to this beloved space for contemplation and meditation,” the chapel's executive director, David Leslie, said in a statement. “Getting to this point has been a true community effort involving an amazing team of art conservators, scientists, art handlers, volunteers, community partners and Chapel staff, and we are very excited to reopen in time for the holidays”.
Opened in 1971, the Rothko Chapel was commissioned by John and Dominique de Menil, who were known as the “Medici of Modern Art”. Dominique de Menil was an heir to the Schlumberger Limited Oil fortune and received the National Medal of the Arts in 1986. The couple also created the neighboring Menil Collection, one of the foremost museums in Houston.
The Rothko Chapel features 14 enormous, somber canvases by Rothko, the king of colour field abstraction. Outside stands the monumental Broken Obelisk sculpture by Barnett Newman.