The Unerring Eye of Art World Avatars Dominique and John de Menil
December 4, 2017
Journalist Middleton’s first book is an authoritative account of the lives and patronage of 20th-century art-world power-couple Dominique and John de Menil. Both were born in France, and they married in 1931 before moving, during WWII, to Houston, Tex., where Dominique’s father, Conrad Schlumberger, had made a fortune in oil. By the 1960s, the couple had amassed a muscular collection of Western and non-Western art, which, in 1987, became the holdings of the Menil Collection, housed in a museum designed by Renzo Piano. As Middleton dutifully shows, the couple’s commitment to art and philanthropy defined their lives. In addition to sponsoring projects that included the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Rothko Chapel and exhibition spaces on university campuses in Houston, they supported innumerable postwar artists. They were also keenly interested in human rights abroad and civil rights at home, and used their wealth to amplify minority voices by funding initiatives and exhibitions celebrating African-American art. In their travels, the couple consorted with Pope Paul VI and the Dalai Lama, among other world leaders, but Middleton emphasizes their disarming humility and humanity throughout. This exhaustively researched, satisfying slab of a book offers a thorough look into the lives and influence of an extraordinary couple. Photos.
January 1, 2018
A massive dual biography of Dominique and John de Menil, who did not strive for the limelight but still helped to lead the modern art movement in the United States.Veteran journalist and editor Middleton spares no details in this history of the French couple who made Houston their home and converted it to a center of the arts. John (1904-1973) and Dominique (1908-1997) collected modern artists such as Magritte and Picasso as well as art from Africa and South America, Byzantine art, and antiquities. The art in their Houston museum is presented simply and with little historical explanation, allowing visitors to become a great part of the experience. Throughout their collecting careers, the de Menils were not afraid to spend their money; in fact, they felt a moral imperative to give back of their fortune. A significant figure in the couple's maturation was Father Marie-Alaine Couturier, a Dominican priest committed to modern art who was largely responsible for educating the de Menils on the joy of art. In addition to collecting, they built, favoring architect Philip Johnson for their house in Houston, which became a frequent stop for art lovers. Also in Houston is the Rothko Chapel, which contains 14 murals commissioned by the de Menils and Barnett Newman's Broken Obelisk out front. They were also leaders in African-American shows, including the 1971 De Luxe Show in an old theater. Dominique also headed the exhibitions at the Institute for the Arts at Rice University. Dominique's style may have been simplicity itself, but she detested small talk and was imperious, authoritarian, and demanding--though also inarguably articulate and deeply committed to her work. John, too, dedicated himself to his work and was often separated from family. As Middleton amply shows, they were devoted to each other and to art, an exclusive partnership. For lovers of modern art, this book will be a treat, while general readers may find themselves skimming some of the 800 pages.A well-written, highly informative book for devotees of the modern art world.
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March 15, 2018
The gifted artists are the great benefactors of the world, Dominque de Menil announced to the crowd gathered at the opening of the Menil, the museum she commissioned in the 1980s to house her and her deceased husband's trove of ancient artifacts and modern art. In this fastidiously researched and amply illustrated double biography of the European-born, Texas-based collectors, fashion editor Middleton traces the couple's inimitable aesthetic vision back to their eighteenth-century Enlightenment and industrialist ancestors, mavericks in their own right. Though sometimes weighed down by the sheer quantity of detail as well as an unbridled admiration for the pair's achievements in collection and institution building, this authoritative biography correctly argues for the crucial role that patrons continue to play in shaping the art world and relays and supports the Menils' inspiring belief in the essential necessity of art for the common good. The Rothko Chapel, which they funded, is but one example of the Menils' far-reaching influence and commitment: Rothko's immense, contemplative abstract paintings are mounted inside a serene modernist glass-and-steel structure which is open to all free of charge.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)