The Menil Collection (de Menil art campus and collecting legacy)

The Menil Collection is a non-profit art museum founded by John and Dominique de Menil that opened in its current museum building in 1987 to house their private collection. The Menil campus emphasizes modern, Surrealist, Byzantine, African, and contemporary art and includes the Menil Drawing Institute; the de Menils' collecting and patronage have had lasting effects on Houston's cultural landscape. The Menil Collection operates as a free-admission institution and is widely cited in accounts of Houston's development as an arts city.