Houston is a metropolitan city in Texas and in the Southern United States. Houston has a rich cultural and social heritage with various places worth visiting for a curious, creative, and art-loving person.
This article contains all the information that one wants to know about the best art gallery and museums in Houston City. As an explorer of art and culture, one will get all the essential information one wants to know before visiting these places.
Here is the list of the best art gallery in Houston city, along with some other popular galleries you must visit!
1. Famous Art Gallery in Houston
1.1. Lawndale Art Center, Houston (The Best Art Gallery in Houston)
Lawndale Art Center in Houston was founded in the year 1979. Initially, this studio is a space for graduates to paint and practice various art forms. Today, it is a non-profit organization that supports various local artists. Moreover, this art museum displays the work of about 100 artists per year.
Further, it collaborates with many other museums and art galleries on special occasions to promote various other literary forms, film works, etc.
Some of the special works of the museum are
• Good Day, Bad Day
• Inheritance
• Sounds from the Swamp
• Symbiosis
• Solo presentation of New watercolors
• Gulf Coast Reading
• Art Encounter with the Museum of Fine Arts
• Sunday Brunch with Lawndale
The address of the art center is 4912 Main Station Houston. Moreover, this place has the METRO Rail Wheeler station and B Cycle station nearby, making it very convenient for people to reach there.
1.2. Contemporary Art Museum, Houston
Contemporary Art Museum in Houston was founded in 1948. It is a non-profitable and non-collecting organization. It works to promote the contemporary art form. The museum displays many works that represent contemporary art, including works from the present and past and the visual arts.
Not only this, but the museum also organizes various programs like lectures, film sessions, reading sessions, and musical performances that everyone can enjoy, from children to adults to old people. This place also hosts auctions and fundraising events for the welfare of the people.
Some of the popular work and events of the museum are
• Wild Life: Elizabeth Murray and Jessi Reaves
• The Art of Cruelty
• Landscape Confection
• Slowed and Threw: Records of the City through Mutated Scenes
• Outbound: Passages from the ’90s
• Workshop: Art and Voice
• Mindful Observation
• Panel discussion: Art and civic action
The address of the museum is 5216 Montrose Blv, Houston. This place is closed on Monday and other special days like Christmas, New Year’s Day, and Thanksgiving Eve. Further, the place opens at 10 a.m. on all weekdays except Sunday, when it opens at 12 a.m.
1.3. The Menil Collection, Houston
Menil Collection was opened in the year 1987 in Houston. It was designed by Renzo Piano. The Menil Collection in Houston serves as both a private art gallery as well as a museum that displays various great artworks, photographs, and related books. The Menil Bookstore offers a great variety of books on Museum exhibitions, art and architecture, and children’s books.
This place displays the great artworks of many great personalities like Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, Pop, Andy Warhol, Mark Rothko, and Jackson Pollock. The museum also contains antiques of Medieval, Byzantine, and tribal art.
This museum hosts both types of exhibitions, private as well as traveling exhibitions, displaying a wide range of artworks from different periods.
Some of the recognized words and exhibitions of the museum are
• Allora and Calzadilla: Specters of Noon
• Virginia Jaramillo: The Curvilinear Paintings
• Think of them as Spaces: Brice Marden’s Drawings
• Photography and the Surreal image displays
The address of the Menil Collection is 1533 Sul Ross St, Houston. This place is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Wednesday to Sunday. It is closed on Monday and Tuesday and on special occasions like New Year, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter Sunday, and Independence Day.
1.4. Czech Center Museum, Houston
The Czech Center Museum was opened in the year 1995. This museum is dedicated to the awareness and preservation of Czech and Slovakian art, their history, and culture.
This museum is spread over an area of about 20000 square feet. Further, the museum is in a three-story building that is inspired by a 19th-century Czech Villa. This museum displays a large variety of work, including many dolls, paintings, books, Bohemian Glasses, krone, and pottery. The crystal chandelier from the Bohemian period and scented glasses are the main attractions of this place.
Czech Center Museum has hosted many exhibitions, workshops, and cultural events. Some of these popular events and works are
• The Time of Days series: Evening Contemplation
• Paintings of Prague Castle and River
• Hand painted Ceramic plate with Floral Design
• Green Crystal Perfume Atomizer and Gilted
• Amethyst “Sovereign” Facet-Cut Pedestal Vase
• Surviving through Art: How children existed during WWII
• Easter Folk Art Classes
• Easter Egg Hunt
• By the Grace- Rock Co. cert
The address of the Czech Center Museum is 4920 San Jacinto Street, Houston. This place is generally open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and is closed on Sunday. Further, some admission charges exist for children who want to learn from the Czech Center Museum of Arts.
1.5. Houston Center for Photography, Houston
The Houston Center for Photography was opened in the year 1981. This organization mainly focuses on photography, but apart from this, the organization promotes fine art.
Further, the organization hosts various workshops, exhibitions, publications, presentations, and educational programs to teach Photography. Some of the exhibitions and events of the Photography Center are
• Togethering
• Keeper of the Hearth
• Tools of Revolution: Fashion, Photography and Activism
• Hue and Saturate
Moreover, the center promotes various educational programs with zero admission fees that help many individuals build their careers. Some of such programs are
• Youth programs
• Portfolio Reviews and private lessons
• Master Classes
• Scholarship programs
• Certificate programs
The Houston Center for Photography’s address is 1441 West Alabama Street, Houston. The center opens at 11 a.m. from Wednesday to Sunday and closes at 7 p.m. except for Friday, when it closes at 5 p.m. This place is usually closed on Monday and Tuesday and other special occasions such as Christmas, New Year, and Thanksgiving.
1.6. Museum of Fine Arts
The Museum of Fine Arts was established in the year 1900. It is one of the oldest art museums in the city. The museum has a collection of over 70000 art pieces that come from six continents of the world. This collection includes artwork and pieces from the present and past and some antique work.
Further, this collection includes
• Italian Renaissance paintings
• Latin American Art
• Decorative Art from America and Europe
• African-American art
• Paintings from Texas
Bayou Bend Collection and Garden and Rienzi are popular museums that are associated with the Museum of Fine Arts. Apart from these, some of the main attractions of the Museum of Fine Arts are the MFA Cafe, MFA Shop, and Glassell School of Art.
The Museum of Fine Art’s address is 1001 Bissonnet Street, Houston. This place opens at 11 a.m. from Wednesday to Saturday. It opens at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. It is usually closed on Monday and Tuesday.
Some of the popular artworks and exhibitions of the Museum of Fine Arts are
• Peaceable Kingdom by Edward Hick
• Water Lilies by Claude Monet
• Madame Cezanne in Blue by Paul Cezanne
• The Bonaventure Pine by Paul Signac
• Inaugural Installations: Kinder Building
• Glory of Spain: Treasures from the Hispanic Society Museum and Library
• Radical: Italian Design 1965-1985
• The Dennis Freedman Collection
• Art of Islamic Lands: Selection from the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait
1.6.1 Bayou Bend Collection and Garden
The Bayou Bend Collection and Garden is located in River Oaks Community in Houston, Texas. It is a facility of the Museum of Fine Arts. This place displays a collection of various decorative art pieces, paintings, and furniture.
This place, spread over 14 acres of land, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The place is closed on Monday.
1.6.2 Rienzi
The Rienzi is situated on an area of about four acres of land in River Oak. This place was opened for public in the year in 1999. The place is well known for its European paintings, decorative art pieces, and furniture collection.
This place is about 5 miles from the Museum of Fine Arts Campus and about 2 miles from the Bayou Bend Collection and Garden. Rienzi Museum is temporarily unavailable for tourists and visitors to visit.
1.7. Station Museum of Contemporary Art, Houston
The Station Museum of Contemporary Art was opened in the year 2001. This museum displays the various art forms of Contemporary art and Fine arts that are the works of various local as well as artists from various countries like India, Peru, Russia, Congo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Austria, and Columbia.
Not only this, the museum also organizes various lectures, fundraising events, film screenings, and music events that promote various social, cultural, and political causes.
Some of the notable works of the Station Museum of Contemporary Art are
• No Man’s Land
• Democracia: Order
• Degrees of Separation
• Collective Art
• Because We Are
• Pride divide
• No matter what sign you are
• Station Museum Summer Sound Series
Some of the artists that were featured in the museum are
• Mel Chin
• James Drake
• Dick Wray
• Jesse Lott
• George Smith
The Station Museum of Contemporary Art’s address is 1502 Alabama St., Houston. The place is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Wednesday to Sunday and is closed on Monday and Tuesday.
1.8. Blaffer Art Museum, Houston
Blaffer Art Museum was established in the year 1973. Originally known as Sarah Campbell Blaffer Gallery, the Blaffer Art Museum is a contemporary art museum. It is situated in the University of Houston.
The Blaffer Art Museum is known for various exhibitions that it hosts every year that display the works of various local, international, and national artists. It also supports various university students by displaying their artworks in their exhibitions. The museum hosts around 6 to 8 exhibitions annually, giving visitors and people new experiences and exposure to the art.
Some of the famous artworks and exhibitions of the Blaffer Art Museum are
• Simon Fujiwara: Hope and House
• Stephanie Syjuco: The Invisible Visible
• Mally Zuckerberg: Hartung
• Comic Relief
• Caroline Mesquita
• Philip Phile II
Not only this, the museum sponsored many educational programs like the UH Reach Young Artist Apprenticeship Program (YAAP) to support and promote young talents in art. There is no admission fee for learning in the Blaffer Art Museum.
The address of Blaffer Art Museum is 4713 Elgin Street, Houston. The museum is open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. from Wednesday to Sunday and is generally closed on Monday and Tuesday.
1.9. Houston Museum of African American Culture, Houston
Houston Museum of African-American Culture was opened to promote African-American Culture through art. It displays a large number of works created by community members that showcase their life and culture in various exhibitions and events.
Some of such exhibitions and events are
• Souls of Black Folks
• Metamorphosis
• Curator Corner
• 2020 Bert Long Jr. Gallery
Further, the Museum of African American Culture also arranges various movie screenings and guest lectures to reduce the difference between black and white communities. Some of these movie screenings are
• The 24th
• Do the right things
• The Five Heartbeats
• Cocoa Love
• A Night at the Table
Not only this, the museum also sponsors many educational programs to create awareness about the black community and racism. Some of these educational programs by the Museum of African-American Culture are
• HMAAC Lectures
• Does it Feel Like We Have Been Here Before
• What White People Can Do
The Houston Museum of African American Culture’s address is 4807 Caroline Street, Houston. This museum is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Thursday to Saturday and is generally closed on other weekdays.
1.10. McClain Gallery, Houston
The McClain Gallery in Houston City was established in the year 1980. This art gallery mainly promotes American and European contemporary and modern art through the artworks of many Texas-based local artists and national and international artists.
Some of the artists whose work is the main attraction of the art gallery in Houston are
• Karin Broker
• Donald Baechler
• John Alexander
• Gisela Colon
• Stephen Dean
• Kent Dorn
• Sharon Englisten
The art gallery is famous for its exhibition programs and various published catalogs that helped many new learners explore and learn more about contemporary art.
Some of these exhibitions are
• Look into the Future
• Paintings
• Miami Beach
• Between the Needle and the Book
• Particles of Light
• Trialectics
• New Ceramics
• High Violet
Some of the scholarly published catalogs are of personalities like
• Pablo Picasso
• Donald Baechler
• Peter Halley
• Andy Warhol
• The Bruce High-Quality Foundation
• Robert’s Mother well
The address of McClain Gallery is 2242 Richmond Ave Houston. This gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday and from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. It is closed on Sunday and Monday.
2. Other Famous Art Galleries That Supports Local Artist And Painters
2.1 McMurtrey Gallery, Houston
The McMurtrey art gallery was established in the year 1983. This art gallery represents several artists from Texas who specialize in contemporary art. Some of the international artists that were featured in this art gallery are Robert Jessup, Troy Dugas, Michael Guidry, Lance Letscher, Katie Maratta, and Keith Carter.
This gallery selects various international groups of photographers and allows new artists to showcase their works internationally for the first time in their exhibitions and events.
2.2 Moody Gallery, Houston
The Moody Gallery was established in the year 1975 by Betty Moody. This gallery promotes and supports various local American-based artists who are experts in contemporary art forms.
The art gallery works to establish this artist by connecting them with several other galleries. Some of the recognized artists from Moody Gallery are Dabera Barrera, Michael Bise, Lamar Briggs, and David Carpenter
2.3 Redbud Gallery, Houston
The Redbud Gallery in Houston was established in the year 1999. The art gallery promotes local contemporary art forms. This art Gallery supports various local Texas-based artists by bringing them to work with many experienced master artists. The Redbud Gallery showcases many ceramic, hand paintings, photos, drawings, sculptures, and glass paintings.
It also promotes local Texan art abroad by connecting with countries like Peru, China, Cuba, Greece, Mexico, and Germany.
Some of the famous artists that are part of the Redbud Gallery are Lucas Johnson, Anglebert Metoyer, and AL Souza
2.4 Inman Gallery, Houston
The Inman Art Gallery was established in the year 1990 by Kerry Inman. The main objective behind establishing this art gallery was to promote the artworks of various young and new artists who are exceptional in contemporary art.
Further, the Inman Art Gallery shows the solo artwork of these artists, hence, promoting art that is solely based on one’s creativity and imagination.
Not only this, the exhibitions are framed in such a way in Inman Art Gallery that besides the promotion of art forms. There are various discussions that promote the exchange of various new ideas. Thus, it also acts as an educational venue for the artist.
2.5 Archway Gallery, Houston
The Archway Gallery was established in the year 1976 by a group of 11 people whose main idea was to promote art. Like most of the other art galleries in Houston, the Archway Gallery also supports and promotes contemporary art.
Currently, this art gallery is being run by a group of 30 people. The Archway Gallery aims to promote the new emerging talented artists and painters through a community that shares and supports the ideal and aesthetic value of the Contemporary art form. This art gallery mainly shows creative work forms like sculptures, pottery, and mixed-media paintings.
2.6 Wade Wilson Art, Houston
The Wade Wilson Art is an art institution that was established in 2006 by gallerist, art space director, and art critic Wade Wilson. It also promotes contemporary art.
Till now, the Wade Wilson Art Gallery has supported many artists and young talents. Of all the artists, around 20 of them have been recognized nationally and internationally. Contemporary art is promoted in the form of paintings, sculptures, and photographs.
The art gallery is dedicated to art education. To do so, it organizes various exhibitions to promote art and by interacting with many non-profit art institutions and organizations.
2.7 Art Car Museum, Houston
The Art Car Museum in Houston was opened in the year 1998. The museum was originally founded by the supporters of the Art Car Movement. It was a sign to showcase their victory in their artistic movement.
The Art Car Museum has a unique concept that displays various rotated exhibitions of decorated cars. Many of these decorated art cars are the recreation of various famous artworks.
The Art Museum organizes various exhibitions, including decorated cars, paintings, and photographs. The address of the Car Museum is 140 Heights Blvd, Houston.
3. Conclusion
In summary, we can conclude that the city of Houston is very passionate about art and art. An art gallery in Houston is unique and part of the city for fun recreational and educational purposes.
Moreover, each Art gallery present in the City symbolizes the culture and history of the various communities that are part of the city and the United States.
Not only this, the art museums and galleries are the source of livelihood for many artists and painters. Thus, the art museums and galleries are important in Houston City as the cultural, economic, and historical significance of the city of Houston.
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Last Updated on August 27, 2023 by SushmitaBiswas