Cornerstone Award

TSA Cornerstone Award

Created in 1999, the Cornerstone Award is presented in recognition of outstanding contributions that enhance the quality of life by elevating architecture and the arts, promoting the value of community, or preserving the natural environment.

2009 Recipient: John and Dominique de Menil

In 1973, Dominique de Menil directed the architect Renzo Piano to design a museum for Houston that was “small on the outside, but big as possible inside,” where the visitor “would never know museum fatigue.” The result is The Menil Collection, a worldrenowned building and art collection that is a legacy from Dominique and John de Menil’s lifetime of dedication and patronage to architecture and the arts.

For their distinguished commitment to promoting art, architecture, education, and community, the de Menils posthumously received the 2009 Texas Society of Architects Cornerstone Award.

John de Menil (1904 – 1973), a banker, and Dominique Schlumberger (1908 – 1997), a Sorbonne student, married in France in 1931. During World War II, the de Menils moved to Houston and began the transformation of an eclectic Houston neighborhood into an internationally acclaimed arts destination, which now includes the Rothko Chapel (Philip Johson,1971), Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum (Francois de Menil, 1997), Cy Twombly Gallery (Renzo Piano, 1995), Don Flavin installation at Richmond Hall, and The Menil Collection (Renzo Piano, 1987).

In the 1940s, the de Menil’s purchased their first serious work of art, a Cezanne watercolor. They continued to acquire art through the 1970s, including Etruscan art to Cycladic sculptures, Byzantine bronzes, African tribal art, the Surrealist paintings of Max Ernst, and the recent work of American painter Cy Twombly

In 1951, with Philip Johnson as their architect, the de Menils built one of the first International Style houses in Texas, where they raised their five children. Located in the River Oaks area of Houston, the house later became the inspiration for Renzo Piano’s design of The Menil Collection.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the de Menils promoted modern art through the new Contemporary Arts Association and through gifts of art to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. They founded the Art History Department at the University of St. Thomas and the Institute for the Arts at Rice University, in addition to initiating several research and publishing projects, including the catalogues raisonnés of the artists René Magritte and Max Ernst, and the multiple-volume Image of the Black in Western Art.

In addition to promoting art and architecture, the de Menils were advocates for human and civil rights. From 1973 onward, the Rothko Chapel doubled as a center for colloquiums aimed at fostering mutual understanding on issues affecting justice and freedom throughout the world. During the last years of her life, Dominique joined with former President Jimmy Carter to establish the Carter-Menil Human Rights Foundation. She created an award, sponsored by the Rothko Chapel, given to those who struggle against oppression. A third award, the Oscar Romero Prize, was named after the slain El Salvadoran bishop.

In recognition and appreciation of their significant influence and contribution to art, architecture, education, and community, the de Menils were honored during TSA’s 70th Annual Convention in Houston. TSA President Bill Reeves presented the couple’s son, Francois de Menil, AIA, with a specially engraved commemorative gift during the Presidents’ Gala on Friday, Oct. 22. In addition, the Society made a donation to a charitable organization in their name.

Established in 1999, the Cornerstone Award is presented in recognition of outstanding contributions that enhance the quality of life by elevating architecture and the arts, promoting the value of community, or preserving the natural environment.