Contemporary Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Ongoing

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The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building is dedicated to the Museum’s international collections of modern and contemporary art. The soaring spaces feature displays that span media encompassing painting and sculpture, craft and design, video, and immersive installations.

The third-floor galleries are devoted to thematic exhibitions, with installations of art from the 1960s onward.

Color into Light showcases work by artists celebrated for their study of color dynamics, including Josef Albers, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Sam Gilliam, Hans Hofmann, Ellsworth Kelly, Hélio Oiticica, Fanny Sanín, and Ettore Sottsass. Additional works on view include neon reliefs by Gyula Kosice and Keith Sonnier; investigations of transparency by Marta Chilindron, Fred Eversley, and Shiro Kuramata; and photographs by John Mark Hall and Gerhard Richter.

Hidden Histories explores the idea of anti-monuments through the work of artists who memorialize ordinary citizens or places that have been ignored, sidelined, or deliberately obscured. Unconventional means and strategies encourage viewers to think critically about the past and its relevance for the present and future. Featured artists—from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States—include include Michael Armitage, Huma Bhabha, Alice Leora Briggs, Paul Briggs, Adriana Corral, Zhang Huan, Kahlil Joseph, Anselm Kiefer, Sally Mann, Narsiso Martinez, Julie Mehretu, Héctor Dionicio Mendoza, Oscar Muñoz, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Yinka Shonibare, and Vincent Valdez.

Line into Space examines how artists explore line in multiple dimensions and media, from works on paper to jewelry, three-dimensional constructions, and furniture. This installation features works by Gego, including drawings, sculptures, and watercolor, presented with selections by artists including Ruth Asawa, Georg Dobler, Naum Gabo, Joris Laarman, Agnes Martin, and Tone Vigeland.

Love Languages considers how the making of art is a type of love language all in itself. The installation offers insights into the question, “How do we prioritize tenderness against debilitating social conditions?” The works of artists including Bisa Butler, Francesco Clemente, Louis Fratino, Alex Katz, Elizabeth Peyton, Caleb Stein, Evita Tezeno, and Billie Zangewa engage the necessity of intimacy in interpersonal and collective relationships.