Houston a
Houston might be best known for barbecue and rodeo, but Tracey Davies finds a thriving arts scene too
s the sun glitters in the mirrored façade of Williams Tower, a group of rugged men in Wranglers and Stetsons shout
“howdy” as they swagger past, causing me to buckle at the knees and squeak out an involuntary “yeehaw” by way of reply. Yep, it’s rodeo season in Texas, when the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo – the largest in the world – dominates the city for three weeks in March, attracting herds of cowboys and cowgirls who come from all over to lasso a calf, bust a mutton or show off their oh-so impressive bareback riding skills. While Austin has long held the title of most hip and happening city in Texas, Houston has been nipping at its heels in recent years. The city noodled its way on to the culture map when Forbes magazine declared it “the coolest city in America” back in 2012. Just over a decade later and bringing its world-class art and dining scene to the fore, Houston is very much living up to the prized title.
WHERE THERE’S OIL THERE’S ART Thanks to a tradition of cultural philanthropy, Houston – a key player in the world’s oil industry – has become one of America’s greatest art cities, rivalling New York and LA. As well as being home
to the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Ballet and the Houston Grand Opera, it has more than 70 art galleries and museums, many clutched together in the Museum District. Top of the list is the Menil Collection, set in the
leafy neighbourhood of Montrose. Created by the late John and Dominique de Menil – once described by the New York Times Magazine as ‘the Medici of modern art’ – the 15,000-strong collection is spread across five separate spaces, including an entire building dedicated to the work of American painter Cy Twombly. Also self-contained in isolation is the unmissable Rothko Chapel, an octagonal sanctuary and non-denominational sacred space which displays 14 of the artist’s deepest, darkest works. In the neighbouring Museum District, the super-modern Nancy and Rich Kinder Building, which opened in November 2020 to house the expansive Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s international collections of modern and contemporary art, is equally impressive. Under a luminous canopy designed to replicate the vast Texan sky, I found a staggering array of modern art – from works by Picasso and Matisse to a mesmerising mobile by Alexander Calder in the lobby, and the ²
travelweekly.co.uk 27 APRIL 2023
DESTINATIONS HOUSTON | THE US
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