March 21 - August 10, 2025
From the Menil Collection:
“The Menil Collection is pleased to announce What drawing can be: four responses, on view at the Menil Drawing Institute March 21–August 10, 2025. The exhibition will feature site-specific installations by four artists: Jillian Conrad, Teresita Fernández, Tony Lewis, and Constantin Luser. Each artist will have an individual gallery space to respond to the prompt “What drawing can be,” while exploring the conceptual potential of the medium, its boundaries, and its connections with other art forms, such as sculpture and architecture.
Drawings that expand beyond a sheet of paper have a rich history within the 20th century. Examples include Alexander Calder and his wire sculptures from the 1930s and artists of the 1960s, like Dorothea Rockburne and Sol LeWitt, who pushed the parameters of the medium to include text, folded papers, and wall drawings. Eluding labels and limitations, whether they be in terms of material, scale, or ephemerality, the artists in this exhibition will reveal the continuing relevance, agility, and vitality of drawing.
The show will include existing pieces alongside new, site-specific works. The artists will approach the medium with personal perspectives on how they characterize drawings.
Edouard Kopp, John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation Chief Curator, Menil Drawing Institute, said, “We are thrilled to welcome these talented artists to the Menil Drawing Institute for an exciting exhibition highlighting the expansive ways in which artists think about drawing. Aligning with the Drawing Institute’s mission, this presentation recognizes the centrality of drawing to artists today, as well as the experimental ways in which they work.”
What drawing can be: four responses is curated by Edouard Kopp, John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation Chief Curator, Menil Drawing Institute, and Kelly Montana, Associate Curator, Menil Drawing Institute.”
On View: March 21, 2025 | 12–5 pm
1412 W Main St
Houston, 77006 Texas
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