The Museum of Fine Arts (MFAH) in Houston’s museum district offers a variety of exhibits, making the museum perfect to explore during a free day. However, the diversity of the exhibits can be intimidating, especially when choosing which visiting exhibits to visit. So, if you find yourself wondering how to spend only two hours in the museum yet still have a meaningful experience, I have assembled a perfectly curated tour that will take you through all three MFAH buildings with a mix of modern art, interactive experiences, and educational exhibitions, while making time to explore the cafe and outdoor statue garden.
Your journey begins in the central Beck Building; buy tickets at the counter and then weave your way through the impressive entryway — try not to get distracted by the tall ceilings and detailed statues!
Pieces from the ‘Gaugin in the World’ exhibit
The Gaugin exhibit, a temporary exhibit in Houston until February, is a must-see! Located right by the ticket counter, it consists of several connecting rooms exploring different themes in artist Paul Gaugin’s work. Gaugin, a French Post-Impressionist, depicts his life, travels, and relationships through multi-media art pieces. The first few rooms contain collections of paintings reflecting Gaugin’s time in France. While studying there with artist Vincent Van-Gogh, he experimented with an art style known as Synthetism, expressing meaning through rich color and movement. From there, you walk into a gallery showing Gaugin’s printmaking era. Sketches carved onto wooden blocks and stamped onto paper depict ghostly faces and agricultural scenes. In the center of the room are grotesquely shaped jugs and other ceramics. Glazed in natural colors, they evoke a sense of the dominant connections between humanity and nature. From then, you enter the final exhibit and the end of Gaugin’s life. Paintings in rich shades of pink, green, and orange cover the walls, showing scenes of everyday life in Tahiti, where Gaugin lived and worked for his final years. Many paintings are of unidentified women, sparking controversy surrounding his relations with young women. The exhibit attempts to share the role of colonialism in native life while also sharing the importance Gaugin’s work had on contemporary artwork movements.
From the Gaugin exhibit, take the light tunnel to the Law building. The light tunnel is not only a passage between the two buildings but an art exhibit as well. It is an optical illusion, making you feel like you are walking through a rainbow high up in the clouds, instead of a tunnel connecting the buildings.
The Law Building is home to the permanent Judaica exhibit. While it is a small, one room exhibit, it contains a rich collection of artifacts from Jewish history. From elaborately detailed menorahs to authentic scripts, it shares the story of the Jewish people while representing their robust culture.
The Law Building also currently houses a temporary interactive experience. In a long hall, hidden behind dark curtains, are rows of benches. Scenes from the Notre Dame Cathedral are projected on the tall walls surrounding all the benches. While taking a seat, you can travel through the intricate arches of the Cathedral, see the artwork and stained glass windows, and gain a sense of the Cathedral’s size and grandeur.
From the Law Building, you can take the second light tunnel to the Kinder Building. This tunnel, similar to the first, plays with bright colors to create grey-scale lighting, bathing your face in soft shades of grey and muted rainbow.
The Kinder Building’s large cafe has tall glass windows letting in natural light and ample seating, making it the perfect pit stop before exploring the final building. You can grab a cup of coffee, homemade ice-cream, or lunch and either sit down or wander around outside. Outside the cafe is a large statue garden. Modern sculptures are nestled between flower beds, and the miniature Chicago bean installation is the perfect place to take a mirror selfie!
Once energized again, the Kinder Building has two floors dedicated to modern art. While contemporary art doesn’t always appeal to everyone, its bright colors and dynamic shapes are fun to look at. In addition to paintings, there are photography exhibitions — one showing the relationship between Cuba and the United States through the lens of Cuban photographers.
Finish up your journey in the Kinder Building gift shop, where you can find your favorite piece of artwork on postcards, gift bags, or shirts.
While this concludes my two-hour guide to MFAH, the museum offers so much more. From modern art to historical classics and paintings to pottery to sculptures, there is something for every visitor, whether you have two hours or two days.
