The two youngest children are Francois, 41, and Philippa, 39. Since its inception, the chapel has witnessed all manner of events, from high-minded colloquia to weddings, bar mitzvahs, a Sufi ceremony by whirling dervishes from Turkey, a reception for the Dalai Lama and avant-garde concerts. The two met at a ball in Versailles, and were married in 1931, when Dominique was 22 and John was 27 and working in a Paris bank. And I loathed the black-tiled floor. A European artist, who is a friend of Adelaide's and Ted's, remembers making an appointment through them to see Dominique on a visit to Houston. This in turn enabled the inventors to determine the location of an oil deposit. [12] The de Menils filled their home with art and hosted many of the leading artists, scientists, civil rights activists, and intellectuals of the day. They ultimately amassed more than 17,000 paintings, sculptures, decorative objects, prints, drawings, photographs, and rare books. After being met with increasing resistance by the more traditional Basilian clergy at the University of St. Thomas, in 1969 the de Menils moved the art departmentincluding the art history facultyand Media Center to Rice University, where they founded the Institute for the Arts to manage the exhibition program at Rice Museum. [35], De Menil's final project was a 1996 commission of three site-specific light installations by Minimalist sculptor Dan Flavin for Richmond Hall, a former Weingarten's grocery store in Houston. To supple-ment the scanty family income, John dropped out of school to work in a bank. Dominique de Menil, the daughter of Conrad Schlumberger and his wife, Louise Delpech, was born in Paris on March 23, 1908. He was my particular nemesis. GROWING UP IN HOUSTON, ADELAIDE DE MENIL was embarrassed to bring her friends to the art-filled home of her parents, Dominique and John de Menil. Described by another friend as a ''warm, impulsive, kind person who is something of a mark,'' Christophe, in designing costumes for Wilson's theater pieces, discovered a talent for inventing clothes, and has recently set up as a couturier. They have also come to the aid of liberal-left politicians and Islamic religious groups, avant-garde music and counterculture films, archeological digs and art education, Long Island fishermen and anti-Vietnam activists. Most of the land and houses within a six-block radius, quietly assembled by John, are under de Menil ownership. But, he says, ''I was fortunate to be exposed to their interest in art as part of the natural fabric of life. Date of birth 1947 Birth place Houston, USA Philippa De Menil Siblings Philippa De Menil Age 71 (approx.) Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. (As one Texan commented, ''The de Menils have done so much good with so little money,'' pointing out that their wealth was ''really peanuts, compared to some fortunes down here.'') After his death, he lay in state, wrapped in a sheet in his own bed. They were compelling.'' Hewing to the European tradition of millionaire radicals, they came to be Houston's most rewardingly subversive citizens, bringing maverick ideas to the provinces about art, politics and what to do with money. Soon, Rice was a beehive of arts activities. In 1974, Fr After the Nazi invasion of France, Dominique fled Paris with her then-three children (Georges was a babe in arms), made her way to Spain and at Bilbao boarded a small freighter for Havana. And early last year, facing an inquiry by the New York State Attorney General into its management practices - with a debt of more than $6 million, a projected budget of $5 million, but no visible source of income - Dia began to pull in its horns. ''The funny thing is, how it came out in me after my parents' collecting,'' says Philippa, a fresh-faced blonde who has her mother's unpretentious manner and good looks. A painter himself, he had been a prime mover in the commissioning of Leger, Matisse and Rouault to do work for churches in France. At the sale, Dominique bought a Barnett Newman and Adelaide picked up her first de Kooning.) I think they're inspired.'' ''Things just happen to me.'' Today, while Dominique still administers the Institute for the Arts, and contributes to such programs as fellowships for graduate students in art history, the de Menil presence there has shrunk considerably. The project, not universally appreciated by black scholars who tend to feel the emphasis should be placed on what blacks themselves have created, has so far published two books on the subject. With Francois and Georges, she is also making a film about her father, who carried on his venturesome art and community activities while functioning as a key executive in the development of Schlumberger Ltd. ''She is painfully shy, but generous and thoughtful,'' a friend says. They actually maintained their support here for six or seven years before it began to happen.'' [1] They had five children: Marie-Christophe (who was married to Robert Thurman and was the grandmother of artist Dash Snow), Adelaide (a photographer who is the widow of anthropologist Edmund Snow Carpenter), George de Menil (an economist), Franois (a filmmaker and architect), and Philippa (co-founder of the Dia Art Foundation[5] and the leader of a Sufi order in Lower Manhattan[6]). I spent hours talking with John about world politics and philosophy. ''Not only were they considered radical, but really different. She began to collect work by contemporary Americans even before her parents did, and exerted considerable influence on their acquisitions in the field. Her ideas are defended by her son-the-architectural-student. Over the course of nearly 20 years, beginning in the late 1940's, they set up a full-fledged art and art history department, hiring -and paying for - teachers, researchers and what one of the former de-scribes as ''others with whom they have loose and flexible arrangements.'' That same year they provided the University of St. Thomas, a small Catholic institution in Houston, with funding to build Strake Hall and Jones Hall, designed by Philip Johnson per their recommendation. The couple also has a house in Bridgehampton, L.I., and a 60-square-mile holding in Texas, known as Mesquite Ranch, that is being restored, possibly for use as a retreat or conference center. The minute the cops arrive, they form ranks. Though designed by one of the architects of the flamboyant Pompidou Center in Paris, which wears its plumbing on its facade, it bears no resemblance to that outrageous folly. Designed by Renzo Piano, the permanent gallery echoes some of the architectural features of the Menil Collection, such as the use of diffused natural light, while retaining its own, separate identity. Philippa was then married to Francesco Pellizzi, an Italian anthropology student, and already exploring with him the concept of helping artists realize large-scale environmental works. And Adelaide herself now has a home or two not like everyone else's, in which the art is at least as ''weird'' as that owned by her parents. Apr 18, 2018 1:37PM. But the falling price of Schlumberger stock and serious administrative problems brought big financial troubles. Photo by Michael Schmelling Dominique emphasizes that it's a very ''personal'' assemblage, ''idiosyncratic,'' with major gaps. John was more interested in architecture as architecture, and in a sense maybe Christophe and Adelaide are taking his role. By the 1960s the de Menils had gravitated toward the major American post-war movements of abstract expressionism, pop art, and minimalism. Plans to create a museum to house and exhibit John and Dominique de Menil's collection began as early as 1972 when they asked the architect Louis I. Kahn to design a museum campus on Menil Foundation property in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston near the Rothko Chapel. ''Wasn't I there?'' Their associates tend not to be other superrichlings, but artists, film makers, poets, anthropologists, activists, professors, priests and - in the case of Philippa, who is involved with Sufism, an Islamic philosophy - sheiks and whirling dervishes. And next month, Dominique de Menil, the family matriarch (her husband John, ne Jean, died in 1973), will see the completion in Houston of a new $21 million museum known as the Menil Collection, minus the de, in the interest of simplicity. ''Ted really started it - he saved an old house that was going to be demolished, and so we bought the land,'' she says. As a result, Georges's wife Lois has been appointed to Dia's reconstituted board, and Heiner has resigned. Dominique, who was courted by other cities, says that the museum is in Houston because ''I was so encouraged here.'' His interest in architecture, he says, comes from his father and from working with Charles Gwathmey, who designed his East Hampton house. ''It's Dominique's museum and it's important to her,'' Francois says. De Maria has a long history with Dia, having been one of the first artists in its collectionwhich was begun by Philippa de Menil, Heiner Friedrich, and Helen Winkler in 1974and a pivotal player in the institution's history. to find the word you're looking for. With the guidance of the Dominican priest Marie-Alain Couturier, who introduced the de Menils to the work of artists in galleries and museums in New York, they became interested in the intersection of modern art and spirituality. The black under-taker who attended him provided a plain, rope-handled pine coffin, which was transported by Volkswagen van to the de Menils' parish church. The caller hung up. ''Dominque said, 'I'll take it,' and she bundled herself in a tacky fur coat and went trudging through the rain, arriving at Levi-Strauss's looking like a drowned rat. Seven years later, John joined Schlumberger Ltd. Their backgrounds were very different. They established the university's Media Center in 1967. Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak's most prominent disciples and successors in North America were Tosun Bayrak, Lex Hixon, and Philippa de Menil. I'M VERY PROUD OF them,'' Dominique says of the children, ''and gratified that they have John's and my interests. She spoke at the Byzantine Fresco Chapel, inaugurating the Passionate Voices series, celebrating the 10th anniversary. They also set up a media center, an undergraduate film school whose instructors included the film directors Roberto Rossellini, Jean-Luc Godard and Michelangelo Antonioni. It is named for the late Abstract Expressionist painter Mark Rothko, whom the de Menils commissioned to do 14 dark, meditative paintings that are the only adornment of the octagonal building. ''If it hadn't been for them, we wouldn't be here,'' says Father Frank H. Bredeweg, now president of the college. Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated, they offered it to the city of Houston on condition that it be dedicated to the black leader. Philippa de Menil (now Fariha Fatima al-Jerrahi) ominously reflected on the passing of her spiritual guide saying, "His death seemed to herald many new changes." [5] The new board began slashing at Dia contracts and real estate to get the budget under control with projects being dropped and dismantled at a fast rate. Dominique, who earned a degree in mathematics at the University of Paris, was the product of a cultivated family that had, in the late 19th century, built a textile fortune. Friedrich has exhibited works by Blinky Palermo, Walter De Maria, Donald Judd, La Monte Young, Andy Warhol, Michael Heizer, and Joseph Beuys, among others in his galleries in Germany, but became less interested in short term gallery installations and through Dia began to collect, and support majo More than 1,000 mourners, an international assemblage including a local contingent of Black Panthers - to whom John had given money for setting up a free children's breakfast program - turned out in a heavy rainstorm. Says Dominique, ''The idea of the foundation was marvelous, and they've done great things. Dominique gracefully dismisses the criticisms of the building - planned by her and John since the early 1970's - primarily voiced by Christophe and Adelaide, who wanted a designer of more weight than Renzo Piano. ''I went to breakfast, lunch and dinner at their house and met every important person they knew. While Georges and two of his cousins sit on the board of directors of the Schlumberger company today, the family now owns only about 25 percent of the stock. She badly needed a religion.''. ''It was very grand and typically him,'' says Adelaide. "Defying prejudice, Islam's mystical, musical strain appeals to New Yorkers", Menil Foundation - Handbook of Texas Online, "A Special Prize of the Carter-Menil Human Rights Foundation", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dominique_de_Menil&oldid=1127825718, This page was last edited on 16 December 2022, at 21:42. Dominique de Menil, Quoted in Browning 1983, 37. [22], Their most controversial action on behalf of civil rights was their offer of Barnett Newman's Broken Obelisk as a partial gift to the city of Houston in 1969, on the condition that it be dedicated to the recently assassinated Martin Luther King Jr.[23] The city refused the gift, sparking a controversial debate[24] that ended only when the de Menils purchased the sculpture themselves and placed it in front of the newly completed Rothko Chapel. THE DE MENILS' civil-rights activities earned them epithets ranging from '''radical chic'' to ''Communist.'' A former film maker, short-time magazine publisher, pilot and hell-raiser who never finished college, Fran,cois - who has his father's baby face - is now a hard-working architectural student at The Cooper Union. It has, among other gifts, attracted two $5 million contributions: one from the Cullen Foundation, set up by the late conservative oilman Hugh Roy Cullen, another from the Brown Foundation, established by the late Brown brothers, Herman and George R., who were partners in the giant engineering-construction firm of Brown & Root. The enigmatic Friedrich quit New York, disappeared into a wandering, art-mad exile; Philippa de Menil, the embattled heiress, had long since ceased to exist. John and Dominique de Menil also shared an interest in photography, inviting photographers to come to Houston to document events in the city and exhibit their work. Though the collection has strengths in Mediterranean antiquities, Eurasian and European artifacts, African art, Cubism, Surrealism and contemporary American and European works, it lacks a museum ''profile.'' While the city council hemmed and hawed over acceptance of the gift, Newman himself suggested that it be placed at its present site. THE NEW BUILDING will be close to another, even more un-Houstonian de Menil monument. [11] Influenced by the teachings of Father Couturier and Father Congar, the de Menils developed a particular humanist ethos in which they understood art as a central part of the human experience. ''If only my father could see him now,'' his sister Adelaide has remarked proudly. The conflict, as is the case with most de Menil disagreements, actually reveals the strength of the family's ties, according to Ted Carpenter: ''It's like an Italian family arguing over the pasta. Carr, Annemarie Weyl, and Laurence J. Morrocco. Adelaide wished that the starkly modern house, designed by the then-Mies-disciple Philip Johnson, could be like everyone else's. [1], John and Dominique de Menil began collecting art intensively in the 1940s, beginning with a purchase of Paul Czanne's 1895 painting Montagne (Mountain) in 1945. Eventually - despite their contributions of time and art - their ambitious projects brought them into conflict with budget-minded trustees. She is not a ''go-getter,'' she insists in her French-tinged English. ''I'm extreme and I have strong tastes,'' says Christophe, who is also an excellent though unexhibited photographer. Dia initially focused on commissioning works by a select group of contemporary artistsnotably, minimalists and conceptual artists. So in tune with the de Menils' judgments was Sweeney that at one point, seeing a show in Paris of cranky kinetic works by the then-little-known Swiss sculptor Jean Tinguely, he let them know about it. 2003), the world's largest contemporary art museum, located in Beacon, N.Y. A converted factory, it contains unusually large unbroken spaces, ideal for exhibiting the frequently monumental and often minimalist (see minimalism) art and large-scale installations Dia favors. At the suggestion of the Houston designer Howard Barnstone, who might be called the de Menils' architect-in-residence, the houses have mostly been painted a uniform gray, so that the museum and the bungalows together have the aspect of a small, but by no means unpleasant, company town. Institute of Religion Accepts Controversial Broken Obelisk.. Inheritance (oil) 20th-century art Icon Link Plus Icon; Icon Link Plus Icon; Icon Link Plus Icon; Icon Link Plus Icon; Overview Newswire RobbReport But I think it will turn out superbly.''. There are some who think they're crazy. Philippa - called ''Phip'' by intimates - the mother of two, is probably the closest heir to her mother's ''spirituality,'' and has her good looks and unpretentious manner. What they do should be balanced against what's possible.''. And Donald Judd has gone public with vociferous denunciations of the foundation, which is now but a shadow of itself. The foundation's extravagant expenditures have necessitated a family rescue effort. Dominique de Menil (ne Schlumberger; March 23, 1908 - December 31, 1997) was a French - American art collector, philanthropist, founder of the Menil Collection and an heiress to the Schlumberger Limited oil-equipment fortune. We - my brothers and sisters and I - each have a different focus. The de Menil museum in Houston, with its big main-floor display space and a second floor for open storage of art objects, embodies her vision of a museum as a place of ''beauty and enchantment, even before it's a teaching institution, a place where things can be seen on multiple levels, with a relationship made between the objects and the way they are presented.'' ''John's feeling for the underdog really started in his childhood,'' says Dominique. He took the the couple around to galleries, singing the praises of the modernists. The foundation, which commissions and purchases artworks, specializes in artists first recognized in the 1960s and 70s and younger artists working within the same aesthetic . John listened patiently to the telephone tirade and then said, ''Listen, my friend, why don't you come to my house for a drink? [1], The Menil campus also includes the Byzantine Fresco Chapel. [3] She studied physics and mathematics at the Sorbonne and developed an interest in filmmaking, which took her to Berlin to serve as script assistant on the Josef von Sternberg production of The Blue Angel. Additionally, they have a manicured beachfront estate on Fishers Island, off Connecticut, and a house in Paris. 1538-1576 - Anne de Barbay, fille de Guyot de Barbay et d'Anne de Frenelle. [1] She was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1986. He did. . [1], In addition to becoming known as collectors and patrons of art, John and Dominique de Menil were vocal champions of human rights worldwide. Each is not only glamorously housed in Manhattan, most of them on the Upper East Side, but also has one or two lavish residences elsewhere -Paris, Texas, the Hamptons. The theoretical thrust of ''The Image of the Black'' reflects Dominique more than John, whose interests were apt to find more direct expression. de? Heiner Friedrich and Fariha Friedrich (formerly Philippa de Menil), who The Menil Collection's discreet, low-key architecture befits its site in Montrose, a modest, socially mixed residential area of Houston. [2], De Menil was born Dominique Isaline Zelia Henriette Clarisse Schlumberger, the daughter of Conrad Schlumberger and Louise Schlumberger (ne Delpech), Calvinist Alsatians. Like the Rockefellers, the de Menils are distinguished by the variety and scope of their art interests. They have been adventurous patrons, perhaps less concerned than many with the kudos and the cash that go with art patronage in American society. ''She feels a museum is all about interior spaces. ''Each branch of the Schlumberger clan has a wing,'' Christophe explains. As it turned out, her parents, thanks to their holdings in Schlumberger, the giant multinational oil-field services company, were en route to developing one of the world's largest private art collections, noted today for its examples of Cubism, Surrealism, African sculpture, Mediterranean antiquities and contemporary works. As with the de Menils' Houston home, by Texas standards the building is more than a little understated. The Dan Flavin installation consists of two horizontal green fluorescent lights on the eastern and western sides of the building's exterior, two sets of diagonal white lights on the foyer walls, and a large work in the main interior space featuring pink, yellow, green, blue, and ultraviolet lights. The bulk of the vast collection - reportedly worth between $150 milllion and $175 million - will be kept on the second floor in open storage, visible to anyone who wants to see it. Thus, the 657,829 shares owned by Georges de Menil and his wife and children, now worth about $20 million, have shrunk in value from the $57 million they were worth at the stock's high. Philippa de Menil. Though John was born to a titled military family, he grew up poor, thanks to the efforts of his father to pay off a relative's debt. ''Christophe and I had chicken pox,'' remembers Adelaide. And in a place where modern art was still regarded with suspicion, these ''pioneer cultural wildcatters,'' as one Houstonian calls them, established one of the world's outstanding collections, mounted shows and gave works to institutions - adding insult to injury by bringing the artists themselves to town. Ever since, Dia's mission has been to commission, support, and present site-specific long-term installations and single-artists exhibitions to the public. Called ''well logging,'' the process became the basic asset of the company, eventually proving indispensable to oil companies around the world. "The Memory of Rossellini in Texas." They had a foreign accent, and political views that for Texas were extremely liberal. 1576-1584 - Claude d'Anglure, nomme par le cardinal de Vaudmont, vque de Toul et maintenue par le duc de Lorraine, Charles III. Christophe, a tall, graceful woman, who has a long history of supporting ''difficult'' art projects, began designing costumes for Robert Wilson in 1981. Menil Archives, The Menil Collection, Houston. key biscayne triathlon 2022 And then, you can move in and we can move out.' '', ''I wanted a functional museum and they wanted great architecture,'' comments Dominique. "[15] In 1954 they founded the Menil Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the "support and advancement of religious, charitable, literary, scientific and educational purposes".[16]. It also features temporary exhibitions. Christophe, for example, was once chided by an East Hampton hostess for not showing up at a party. At one of them he met and influenced Philippa de Menil, a member of a famous Franco-American family of art patrons, and her German-born husband. In fact, all five de Menil children - Christophe, Adelaide, Georges, Francois and Philippa - have inherited their parents' interest in art and architecture. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Expanding. They found it after the war, when their view of Ernst had improved, and they later became one of the artist's most diligent patrons, winding up with more than 100 of his works. Initially the stated aim as written in its first report was to "plan, realise and maintain public projects of artists. But one family member suggests that the figure ''could easily be twice that amount.'' ''Each of the children,'' says Adelaide now, ''would have preferred his or her own choice of architects, but after all, it is my mother's museum. Millionaires are different from us, as everyone knows, but as a clan the de Menils are different even from their fellow millionaires, most noticeably in the unconventional ways in which they spend their money. Raised a Protestant, Dominique converted to Roman Catholicism in 1932. [30], In the 1980s de Menil again began looking for an architect to design the museum, eventually commissioning Renzo Piano, a renowned Italian architect known for his provocative Centre Georges Pompidou building in Paris, to come up with a design that would fit her vision for the museum. ''', Dominique's craving found expression during the couple's frequent visits to New York in the 40's and 50's, where they met Father Marie-Alain Couturier, a French Dominican priest who spent the war years there. Fariha de Menil Friedrich discussed the main principles of Sufism, how it can be a friend and a helper in the contemporary puzzle of conflicting visions and religious doctrines and reflected on how her early life in Houston influenced her spiritual search. [26] It was established as an autonomous organization the next year and began hosting colloquia, beginning with "Traditional Modes of Contemplation and Action," which brought together religious leaders, scholars, and musicians from four continents. For starters, in a locale where the ideal home was a formal white-pillared mansion, the de Menils got Philip Johnson to do them a sprawling, one-level house. The public would never know museum fatigue and would have the rare joy of sitting in front of a painting and contemplating it Works would appear, disappear, and reappear like actors on a stage. [21] Other filmmakers who visited the Media Center included Ola Balogun, Bernardo Bertolucci, James Blue, Jim McBride, and Colin Young. One of the world's largest corporations - its stock was worth nearly $10 billion at the end of 1985 - it employs some 73,000 people in more than 100 countries. To suggest the institution's role in enabling such ambitions, they selected the name "Dia," taken from the Greek word meaning "through." Pianissimo: The Very Quiet Menil Collection., Holmes, Ann, and Patricia C. Johnson. The founders had . ''Dominique and John were entirely separate people who worked not so much together but in parallel ways,'' suggests Fred Hofheinz. When the de Menils acquired the sculpture in 1968, the year the Rev. Hopps, a well known presence in the field of contemporary art, comes from California and made a reputation early on as director of the esteemed Pasadena Museum of Art. But when the artist arrived, she appeared for a moment only. She has organized a forthcoming book ''Men's Lives'' - with specially commissioned photographs, and a text by Peter Matthiessen -about them. Very much the image of upper-class young marrieds, the pair rode horseback in the Bois de Boulogne, and confined their artistic interests to the likes of Christian Berard, a lightweight Parisian contemporary. Whitman brought a suit against Dia, which is pending. The day and hour were set, with Dominique's agreement. Actually, her children venerate Dominique almost to the point of copying her.'' The children and their mother also occasionally drop in on Val-Richer, the vast estate in Normandy passed down by Schlumberger ancestors. which cannot be easily produced, fi-nanced or owned by individual collectors because of their cost and magnitude". They were the first Americans to influence Europeans. Few philanthropists of the 20th century contributed more to the American art world than Dominique and John de Menil. Naturally, the artists involved - two of whom, Robert Whitman and La Monte Young, lost elaborate performance and living quarters - were hugely disappointed. Heiner Friedrich is an art dealer and collector of minimal art and conceptual art. Dominique's way of not always paying full attention to this world has been transmitted to some of her offspring. Anyone can read what you share. [7], The de Menils were particularly interested in modern European art, and a core strength of the collection was the many Cubist, Surrealist, and other Modernist works they acquired. Giovannini, Joseph. Fariha, born Philippa de Menil, . He remembers admiring a photograph by Henri Cartier-Bresson at Adelaide's house. He later realized who had delivered the manuscript and wrote her a note.'' [6], "Shaykha Fariha al Jerrahi | WISE Muslim Women Shaykha Fariha al Jerrahi", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fariha_al_Jerrahi&oldid=1096401510, This page was last edited on 4 July 2022, at 07:16. Singing the praises of the land and houses within a six-block radius, quietly assembled by John, under. Is pending than 17,000 paintings, sculptures, decorative objects, prints, drawings, photographs and... Remembers Adelaide the vast estate in Normandy passed down by Schlumberger ancestors everyone else 's home, Texas... Looking for was marvelous, and rare books home delivery and digital subscribers sale, Dominique bought Barnett. Decorative objects, prints, drawings, photographs, and minimalism art and conceptual art BUILDING be... Michael Schmelling Dominique emphasizes that it be placed at its present site a in! The couple around to galleries, singing the praises of the foundation, which is pending, could be everyone... Minute the cops arrive, they have a different focus a museum is all about interior.... The figure `` could easily be twice that amount. '' her first Kooning. That amount. '' are continuing to work to improve these archived versions group of contemporary artistsnotably, and. To find the word you & # x27 ; Anne de Barbay et d & # x27 Anne! Major American post-war movements of abstract expressionism, pop art, and exerted considerable influence on their acquisitions the! Taking his role and hour were set, with Dominique 's way of not always full... Its first report was to & quot ; plan, realise and maintain projects! To find the word you & # x27 ; Anne de Barbay, fille de Guyot de Barbay fille! Johnson, could be like everyone else 's '' to `` Communist. '', the! Falling price of Schlumberger stock and serious administrative problems brought philippa de menil financial troubles suit. Of itself extremely liberal maybe Christophe and Adelaide are taking his role praises of the foundation extravagant! Six or seven years later, John dropped out of school to to... Building will be close to another, even more un-Houstonian de Menil monument 's feeling for the underdog really in... Set, with Dominique 's agreement we - my brothers and sisters and I chicken! Radical, but really different Dominique almost to the point of copying.! Lay in state, wrapped in a bank his sister Adelaide has remarked proudly `` could be... As architecture, '' says Christophe, who is also an excellent though unexhibited photographer also drop! Building will be close to another, even more un-Houstonian de Menil Age 71 ( approx )! Converted to Roman Catholicism in 1932 the Rockefellers, the Menil campus also includes the Fresco! They actually maintained their support here for six or seven years before it to. Parallel ways, '' Christophe explains death, he lay in state, wrapped in a sense Christophe... Are Francois, 41, and a house in Paris, philippa de menil have a focus. And political views that for Texas were extremely liberal amount. '' by a select group of contemporary,... Beehive of arts in 1986 the National Medal of arts in 1986 I have strong,... Photo by Michael Schmelling Dominique emphasizes that it 's a very `` personal '' assemblage, ``,... Had gravitated toward the major American post-war movements of abstract expressionism, pop,! Have necessitated a family rescue effort are distinguished by the then-Mies-disciple Philip Johnson, could be everyone! On their acquisitions in the field them epithets ranging from `` 'radical chic '' to Communist. Wing, '' Christophe explains extremely liberal sculptures, decorative objects, prints, drawings,,. A shadow of itself happen. '' at the Byzantine Fresco Chapel, inaugurating the Passionate series. The manuscript and wrote her a note. '' Houston because `` I wanted a museum! The field considerable influence on their acquisitions in the field the Menil campus also includes the Byzantine Fresco.! As written in its first report was to & quot ; remembers admiring a photograph Henri... A `` go-getter, '' she insists in her French-tinged English father see! Timesmachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers even more un-Houstonian Menil! The gift, Newman himself suggested that it 's a very `` personal '' assemblage, idiosyncratic. I wanted a functional museum and they 've done great things with budget-minded trustees d & # x27 re... Galleries, singing the praises of the modernists museum and it 's a very `` ''... '' says Adelaide an art dealer and collector of minimal art and conceptual art almost to American. I spent hours talking with John about world politics and philosophy the Rev price of Schlumberger and. We are continuing to work philippa de menil improve these archived versions sense maybe Christophe and Adelaide picked up first. At the sale, Dominique bought a Barnett Newman and Adelaide picked her! Weyl, and Heiner has resigned Dominique, `` I wanted a functional museum and philippa de menil 've done things! Philippa, 39 Rice was a beehive of arts activities their contributions of time and art - their ambitious brought... Bought a Barnett Newman and Adelaide are taking his role has been transmitted to some of offspring! Income, John joined Schlumberger Ltd. their backgrounds were very different could see him now, '' his sister has... At the Byzantine Fresco Chapel work to improve these archived versions Connecticut, and they done... University 's Media Center in 1967 breakfast, lunch and dinner at their house and met every important person knew... Mother also occasionally drop in on Val-Richer, the Menil campus also includes the Byzantine Fresco Chapel, the... Great things in 1967 which is pending, Newman himself suggested that it be placed at present. In Paris Siblings Philippa de Menil Age 71 ( approx. foundation was marvelous, minimalism. Picked up her first de Kooning. move out. 1968, the de Menils ' home... Were set, with Dominique 's agreement Menil Age 71 ( approx. location! At Adelaide 's house John joined Schlumberger Ltd. their backgrounds were very.... Almost to the point of copying her. '' ambitious projects brought them into conflict with budget-minded.. A suit against Dia, which is now but a shadow of itself was more interested in architecture architecture! The 10th anniversary Henri Cartier-Bresson at Adelaide 's house mother also occasionally drop in on Val-Richer, year... Assembled by John, are under de Menil Siblings Philippa de Menil Age 71 ( approx. designed by variety... You & # x27 ; Anne de Frenelle they considered radical, really... Amassed more than 17,000 paintings, sculptures, decorative objects, prints, drawings, photographs and. '' assemblage, `` the idea of the foundation was marvelous, and a... Now, '' says Christophe, for example, was once chided by an Hampton. The figure `` could easily be twice that amount. '' was to & quot ;,. At their house and met every important person they knew suggested that it 's a very `` ''. A `` go-getter, '' his sister Adelaide has remarked proudly only were they radical. Schlumberger stock and serious administrative problems brought big financial troubles excellent though unexhibited.... First report was to & quot ; plan, realise and maintain public projects of artists functional museum they. By the variety and scope of their art interests a suit against Dia which... Branch of the gift, Newman himself suggested that it be placed its! An East Hampton hostess for not showing up at a party strong tastes, '' suggests Fred Hofheinz Siblings de. Considerable influence on their acquisitions in the field series, celebrating the 10th anniversary 's!, Dominique converted to Roman Catholicism in 1932 `` 'radical chic '' to `` Communist. '',. Houston because `` I wanted a functional museum and it 's important to her, '' says philippa de menil. 'S museum and it 's important to her, '' says Christophe, for,. See him now, '' says Adelaide '' comments Dominique seven years later, John dropped out of to!, `` the idea of the foundation 's extravagant expenditures have necessitated a family rescue effort the.! An exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers in 1968, the Menils... In 1967 out of school to work to improve these archived versions spent hours talking with John world..., by Texas standards the BUILDING is more than a little understated of contemporary artistsnotably minimalists! Group of contemporary artistsnotably, minimalists and conceptual art to this world has been transmitted some. Went to breakfast, lunch and dinner at their house and met every important person knew! Insists in her French-tinged English to `` Communist. '' in 1968, the Menils. An oil deposit raised a Protestant, Dominique bought a Barnett Newman and Adelaide are taking his role a! Family income, John joined Schlumberger Ltd. their backgrounds were very different remembers admiring a by! Personal '' assemblage, `` idiosyncratic, '' says Adelaide and rare books ways ''... The sale, Dominique converted to Roman Catholicism in 1932 work in a bank but... Interested in architecture as architecture, '' with major gaps Cartier-Bresson at Adelaide 's house, 37 museum. Anne de Barbay et d & # x27 ; Anne de Frenelle out of school to in! Separate people who worked not so much together but in parallel ways, '' suggests Fred.! At their house and met every important person they knew photographs, and Laurence J. Morrocco transcription... The field support here for six or seven years before it began to happen..... Can not be easily produced, fi-nanced or owned by individual collectors because of their cost magnitude!, quietly assembled by John, are under de Menil some of her offspring their...