The Menil Collection Review

Great collection. Houstonians should visit annually at a minimum.

Omg just come already! There is constant rotating collections and permanent collections here. They have Picasso and Max Ernst in rotation now! It is FREE!!!

I really enjoy The Menil Collection! It's a great museum to go to. Did I mention that it's free!

Exceptional concentration of works of art and ancient and ethnic finds.

Great art from all sorts of collections ranging from all different eras, a very interesting place to go

Love the Menil and surrounding area. Great low key Houston spot to relax and see some great art and culture

Whether you're a novice or a seasoned art lover this museum has something for everyone. I think my favorite was the Freedom fighters exhibit. It is huge and can be interpreted multiple ways. Admission is free, but a small donation is appreciated.

I didn't realize that viewing Menil Collection was always free until we arrived! It's absolutely amazing to have a place of art and culture that's accessible to everyone. Be sure to read the little pamphlets and ask questions about the weird or "ugly"pieces it makes the experience more interesting.

Thank you DeMenil for this amazing collection that is free to all! Best museum in Houston!

Free admission to see some interesting pieces, including some big names! There is nothing to lose by visiting this collection.

Absolutely beautiful artistic collections and exhibits! Great place to peruse and then discuss after with the family. To be honest it s really just one of those places that you just need to go there and see for yourself! Trust me you will not be disappointed! #themenilcollection #houston #art #paintings #sculptures #collections

Love everything about The Menil. The environment is second-to-none, truly extraordinary.

A favorite place for inspiration and reflection, with a world-renowned collection of surreal and tribal art work. The well-designed environment makes art feel more "familiar" and relatable.

Superb Museum.. internationally renowned. Houston should be enormously proud to have had this bequeathed to the city by the de Menil family.

Great pieces in this collection. I thoroughly enjoyed the diversity of it. It was like stepping into a different time in history.
Great place to spend some time and appreciate a great collection of history.

A great place to see some outstanding art, primitives, oils, even a Warhol or two

A Houston gem. Free entry.
Great collection that varies, visit often.
Small size museum.

So giant plan to spend a couple trips! I promise you that you will not be able to speed walk it. Amazing works of art right in our backyard. Variety for blocks and blocks. Such a treasure to have this INSANE amount of art and time and dedication for FREE!! THANKS MENIL FAMILY!

The exhibits were guite wonderful. I am spoiled since I have been to MoMA in New York City and the Louvre in Paris. But for Houston this is a worthy outing. My my only negative is the attendants, who followed me so closely I felt as though I were a department store shopper with distrusting security tailing me closely. One actually got in my personal space admonishing me to use my finger, not my fedora to point at objects, while I was 4 to5 feet from the piece.

It is such a beautiful place, neat white, surrounded by beautiful nature, within the staff so friendly, professional dedicated, great artists, the exhibitions are a beauty, with a subtlety of the setting in each room, truly exceptional. Visit them, you will love them

Out of all of the galleries here in Houston, the Menil is an all-time favorite. With an extensive African and historical collection as well as surrealist section, the gallery offers art which you can realize something new every time you visit.

It's revolving space offers wonderful contemporary works as well.

In many ways it's the New Menil. Went last night. Contemporary and local artist collection fin.

Amazing surrealist collection. Gorgeous facility. Free! Great museum but can be done in under and hour (maybe 30 minutes)

Great exhibits. However, I don't really like being stared down while looking at a painting. It felt like they were waiting for me to smear my face on a painting.

Menil security staff is disruptive of quiet, contemplative atmosphere. They harass you about leaving 20 minutes before closing -- and I don't mean just informing -- really harassing. Like you'll need to leave over and over. To the point where you want to ask "Is something wrong?" It's 20 minutes away and I'm not hard of hearing. Guess what, I heard you the 1st time, the 2nd time, the third time. Is there something wrong with your short-term memory? -- seriously.

Also, if you come back later to take a snap when no one is around, with no flash mind you, they yell at you and act as if you've defaced the piece all protected by glass of course. And you're taking a snap because the security person was distracting you beforehand by staring at you as if they recognize you from yesterday's FBI lineup of art criminals.

Menil has gone down in terms of being a classy place. Just another tourist stop, now, where yelling is required to communicate a cautionary message. Is this what happens when the principal benefactor passes away. The place goes to rot. Menil once had it all. They need to get their act together. Read the other reviews. People love the art. They're not there to deface it or disrespect it. Please be reasonable. (Deference to Mrs. Menil -- she was a true patron of arts we all dream of).

Great place, so many interesting pieces to look at, and no admission fee! :) Defo check it out next time you're in Houston!

Ver interesting modern art, good parking eith nice labscaping. Very good coffee bar and cafe.

As a native Houstonian, the Menil Collection area, buildings and neighborhood is the serene, contemplative, artistic center of the city.

Nice way to spend the evening: free entrance museums, with varied collections

Main gallery closed until September for renovations

I love visiting the Menil. Great architecture and amazing artwork by renound international artists

By far one of the greatest art collections in the Houston area you can actually visit any day of the week for absolutely free which is unbelievable and not only is there one house know there are five different buildings filled to the brim with art and history and amazing talent. The exhibits change periodically so you can go more than one time a year and check out amazing things from some of the great artists of our time. Amazing collection amazing free things to do in Houston

Love this place! Beautiful area to walk in whatever the season, and the exhibits are interesting - a varied collection of indigenous, contemporary, and classical art. Great place to bring visitors and best of all it's free.

There seems to be at least three-to-four collections of art present, some rotating every few months or so. It is always free admissions, and every-time I see and learn something new about the Surrealist genre that I didn't know before. I am glad that this extensive collection is housed in Houston.

Overall complete with the displays they have to offer.

I love the art, but I will not be going back. And I do not recommend anyone of color to go to this museum. The environment is extremely uncomfortable. You will be constantly followed and watched by the staff.

World class collection displayed with thought. From surrealism to contemporary, from small to practically gigantic, the viewer is in for a treat. Whether you come for a half hour or stay for hours, you will not be disappointed.

I'm from the suburbs and came here on a beautiful Saturday morning. By the time I left I felt like I had gone on vacation and seen not only beautifully curated collections, but also charmingly landscaped greenery everywhere. After buzzing around the museum and soaking it all in, I walked outside and took pictures of the beautiful trees outside. Those trees are what tree house dreams are made of.

Spent the rest of my day ogling strangers at the park across the street and then made my way to Rothko Chapel. Pretty awesome day if you ask me.

This is a wonderful (and free!) Museum in the city. They have several main galleries focused on ancient Mesopotamiam and African art, as well as a wonderful collection of cubism & surrealism by notable artists. Their modern art collection is also very robust, and tends to rotate though different curated gallery experiences.
The grounds of the museum and surrounding area are also lovely and many people enjoy sunbathing, yoga, hula hooping and picnicking nearby if the weather is nice. The Menil also partners with other non-profits to bring different events to the space, from BYOB (bring your own beamer, a light show by the public) to music events and more.

They have an amazingly curated collection. Always worth a visit.

So cool. Lots of surrealists on display when we arrived. Max Ernst, Magritte, my first Miro sighting, a Warhol, and many more greats. The Surrealist exhibit of masks, statues, etc., was amazing

I remember going here when I was dating a girl around the corner and it brings back memories

Nice art collection. be it mordern or contemporary or lights. everything they have. Nice place to get relaxed.

The fact that admission is free is a real plus because the collection makes art accessible to all. The museum is actually a complex spread out across several streets with different exhibits is each (see my photo of map). The main building which is a large concrete structure (not the cottage pictured on the page, houses some permanent pieces like Andy Warhol's iconic Campbell Soup can, as well as temporary exhibitions. The Cy Twombly building is dedicated solely to the namesake's work. The Menil drawing institute houses classrooms but also has an exhibit hall. The Richmond Hall building has a very interesting fluorescent lighting installation. Two other buildings- the Rothko Chapel and the Byzantine Fresco Chapel were not open today. Rothko is undergoing renovation and the Byzantine is switching out its exhibit. There are many outdoor sculptures throughout the property and lots of green-spaces where picnicking and relaxing is encouraged. There is also a bookstore and a Bistro on the premises. The range of art is quite broad, but most people will find some things they like. I especially enjoyed "Witnesses to a Surrealist Vision" which is an eclectic collection that has been on display since 1999. There is street parking galore as well as a dedicated parking lot with entry from West Alabama. Plan to spend 1.5 to 3 hours depending on how many buildings you want to visit. The museum is closed on Monday and Tuesdays, open Wednesday through Sunday 11 am to 7 pm.

A long standing home for an astounding surrealism collection and a place of pride for Houstonians. The Menil is considered one of the most important privately assembled collections of the twentieth century. John de Menil and Dominique de Menil created a home for approximately 17,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs, and rare books. This city is rich with touching stories of people who have either worked with the collection or with the Menils themselves. Come close to a Dorothea Tanning, Max Ernst, Man Ray, Cindy Sherman, Robert Rauschenberg the list goes on.

While I'm not a huge fan of art collections, it was difficult to pass up a free exhibit (particularly when other people in the group want to go). There are two main wings with varying exhibits, with both more modern art and older pieces. There wasn't anything about this particular collection that stood out to me, but the grounds were well kept and the front desk staff were very cheerful.

hear about it on npr. i went to see the collection. it was nice but parkins was inconvinient, and the some of the staff was rude and offputting.

One of the most beautiful art collections I have seen. The museum mas a restaurant outside with an amazing menu!

A long standing home for an astounding surrealism collection and a place of pride for Houstonians. The Menil is considered one of the most important privately assembled collections of the twentieth century. John de Menil and Dominique de Menil created a home for approximately 17,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs, and rare books. This city is rich with touching stories of people who have either worked with the collection or with the Menils themselves. Come close to a Dorothea Tanning, Max Ernst, Man Ray, Cindy Sherman, Robert Rauschenberg the list goes on.

An amazing gallery. Free admissions and friendly staff

Great and Free museum! nice surroundings and there always parking available

I went with my African Art class yesterday and happened to go to the museum during the opening of the brand new Drawing Building. The art galleries were extremely beautiful and well organized. There is a large collection of Modern art which is incredible, and the Cy Twombly gallery was a pleasant surprise! For a first time visit, it was overwhelmingly beautiful. Only negative comment is the strict staff and no photography rule inside the galleries.

Fantastic collection. I love the grounds and that if you want to, you can see everything in an hour. Take more time with the things that speak to you!

Ugly building. Passable collection. I got the feeling the collectors found 5 artists they felt comfortable with and that's where all of their investments went. The worst part were the art "guards". You cannot take a step without 2 of them breathing down your neck. They outnumbered the guests 2 to 1. I couldn't wait to get out if there. Houston Museum of Fine Art was much better. MUCH.

Although the security watches you like a hawk, it's a nice place to spend the day around, even if the art is lacking. Entry is free. I'd recommend walking over to Rothko Chapel or the Photography Center across the street. Their Bookstore is more interesting than the museum itself, in my opinion.

We had a very disappointing expeience. If some one even pay me..i am not going back to that place to embarace myself. I did not want to focus my review to let you guys know " how Nazi police" rude their staff is. For sure you can not enjoy any exhibition while their staff rudely keep telling you what you can not do.
My review is infact dedeicated to gallery owner or trust or whoever make decision ..on how to operate their gallery. Please stop insulting your gallery visitor. By this time and after so many review ...i m pretty sure you are the one who passing instruction to your staff.
If you really feel scared that the visitor will ruin your collection so either made it highly paid exclusive gallery as a private showing or simply close it.
Also please be candid to your customer and if you did not want kids under 14 years old in your gallery so put it on website. At least parents did not have to drive all the way to get insulted.
It is very hard to put all of my experience in one review..so more to come...

The artwork at this time is some of the best visual to view. I enjoyed the Cy Twombly Gallery was my favorite.

Best place to kill a day and see some amazing art. Also this beautiful tree sits just outside that touches the grass on one side. Just a beautiful welcoming space.

When people visit me, my # 1 plan is to take them to brunch and then to the Menil Collection. Incredible the quantity, quality, and variety of the collection.

Love the beautiful space, architectural wonder, as much as the collection, particularly South Pacific works.

Amazing artwork and this gallery is donation only to visit!

Kind of boring. Little to no close parking available.