Houston's Must-Visit Museums

Image: Museum of Fine Arts Entrance Hall, courtesy of Visit Houston

There's lots of time to explore the vibrant Texan city of Houston on our tour to the International Quilt Festival and its Museum District is one of America’s cultural highlights. There are 19 different institutions to choose from, all of which are worth visiting, but here are our top three:  

Museum of Fine Arts

Home to over 65,000 works dating from antiquity to the present day, this is a real gem. Look out for the collection of modern and contemporary arts, which focuses on the major decorative arts movements and the Textiles and Costume department. This collection includes iconic American designers popular with Houston’s fashionistas such as Bill Blass and Oscar de la Renta, as well as important examples of English and French haute-couture. Think Liberty, Vivienne Westwood, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, and Madame Grès.

Image: Museum of Fine Arts Gallery courtesy of Visit Houston

Houston Centre for Contemporary Craft

This is one of the few venues dedicated exclusively to craft at the highest level in America, highlighting art made of glass, fiber, clay, metal, wood or found/re-purposed materials. The museum’s shop, the Asher Gallery, is worth a visit too.  A retail showcase for the work of internationally acclaimed and emerging craft artists, it provides an opportunity to own a unique piece of jewellery, pottery or clothing made by many of the artists featured in the museum’s exhibitions.

Image: Houston Center for Contemporary Craft Craft Garden, courtesy of Visit Houston

The Menil Collection

Consisting of more than 16,000 works dating from the Paleolithic era to the present day, John and Dominique de Menil’s art collection is widely considered to be one of the greatest of the twentieth century. And this is where you can see it. Grouped into four areas, Antiquity, Byzantine & Medieval, Tribal, and Twentieth-Century Art (with a concentration in Surrealism), it is a selective and wonderfully eccentric approach to collecting and displaying art.  The annex, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, features a permanent installation of Cy Twombly’s work.

Discover Houston and the International Quilt Festival 2023 holiday here