There is poetry in the everyday — and the Menil Collection is celebrating it in the most delicate way. Fragility, a new exhibition at the Menil Drawing Institute, is now on view through January 24, 2027, featuring more than sixty works that turn simple paper into pure magic.
The show explores paper as an artistic material like never before: drawings created by piercing, abrading, stitching and burning, alongside stunning paper sculptures. The lineup reads like a love letter to creativity — Lee Krasner, who tore her own drawings apart only to rebuild them as bold abstract collages; Adriena Šimotová, who pressed tissue paper against her own body to form sculptures; Ann Hamilton, who stitched soft wool between handmade paper sheets; and Zarina, whose needle-pierced compositions are pure meditation.
“Paper is a material susceptible to creases, rips, and other surface blemishes, yet it also demonstrates remarkable strength,” says curator Kelly Montana. That tension — delicate yet resilient — runs through every piece, offering a gentle reflection on the shared vulnerabilities and quiet strength of the human experience.
The Menil Drawing Institute remains the only standalone facility in the United States dedicated to modern and contemporary drawings, so this is a one-of-a-kind stop for art lovers in Houston. The museum is free, and so is this unforgettable visit.
Photo: The Menil Collection
