Explore the art museum’s collections and exhibitions across the Museum’s two main gallery buildings: the Audrey Jones Beck Building and the Caroline Wiess Law Building. Connected by the underground Wilson Tunnel, main gallery buildings also house Café Express and the Museum of Fine Arts Shop. The Museum of Fine Arts’ Cullen Sculpture Garden is an oasis in the city, combining art and nature.
Museum of Fine Arts Collection
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, boasts over 65,000 works of art from around the world. African art spans from ancient times to the present. The Museum’s Asian collection of Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Korean and Southeast Asian art reflects Houston’s diverse communities. Holdings from Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean span from ancient cultures to contemporary artists. Arts from Europe feature artistic styles across the time line of history, from the ancient world to the Middle Ages, and the Early Modern era to the 21st century. North American works of art include objects made by native cultures of the present-day United States and Canada, paintings and decorative arts produced during colonial times, 18th and 19th century masterpieces and the work of contemporary artists and photographers. The Museum’s holdings of art from the islands of the South Pacific Ocean, including New Zealand and Australia, illustrate how the presence of the sea has shaped these peoples and their art.
Highlights from the Museum of Fine Arts Collection
Highlighted in the Arts of Africa collection is the Glassell Collection of African Gold, the world’s most significant collection of gold objects. Arts of Asia include Tiger and Bamboo by Takaku Aigai and Shiro Kuramata’s Glass Chair. Examples of art from Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean include Ballplayer, a ceramic figure from Mexico and Vermelho cortando o branco, a painting by Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica. Within the Museum’s European collection are William Bouguereau’s The Elder Sister and Madonna and Child with Souls in Purgatory by Luca Giordano. Significant works from North America include George Bellow’s A Stag at Sharkey’s and Butterfly Napkin Clips made by Tiffany & Co. Works of art from the islands of the South Pacific include a Burial Mask from the 5th century or earlier; a Necklace made of gold, rubies, sapphires and diamonds from 1890; a Ceremonial Feast Bowl from the late 19th century; and a Male Ancestor Figure made of wood from the 19th to 20th centuries.
The Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden
The Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden, created by sculptor Isamu Noguchi, is a tranquil oasis of art and nature. Stroll through the Museum of Fine Arts’ Sculpture Garden showcasing masterworks of 20th and 21st century sculptures by artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Dan Graham, Henri Matisse, Auguste Rodin, and David Smith.
Enjoy a snack or lunch at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. From the varied cuisine offered by daily food trucks, to the delicious bites at Café Express, the Museum of Fine Arts is the perfect lunch destination. Café Express is located on the lower level of the Audrey Jones Beck Building and serves freshly prepared food with an artistic twist. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. a curated selection of Houston’s finest food trucks can be found adjacent to the Museum’s Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden.
Shopping at the Museum of Fine Arts Shop
Spend time perusing the Museum of Fine Arts Shop. Books and publications, jewelry and accessories, posters and prints and home décor inspired by the Museum’s collections and exhibitions are available to purchase.
Travel Tips
- The Museum of Fine Arts is ADA complaint.
- Still photography for private, noncommercial use is permitted in galleries devoted to the Museum’s permanent collection.