page_title: John de Menil
section_title: Civil rights
hierarchical_section_title: John de Menil / Civil rights
caption_attribution_description: English: The outdoor sculpture, "Broken Obelisk" by Barnett Newman, is permanently installed in the reflecting pool on the grounds of Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas, USA.
context_page_description: John de Ménil was a Franco-American businessman, philanthropist, and art patron. He was the founding president of the International Foundation for Art Research in New York. With his wife, Dominique de Menil, he established the Menil Collection, a free museum designed by Renzo Piano and built in 1986 to preserve and protect their world-class contemporary art collection.
context_section_description: In addition to becoming known as collectors and patrons of art, John and Dominique de Menil were vocal champions of human rights worldwide. Their actions in Houston focused on the Civil Rights Movement in particular. In 1960 they launched the ambitious scholarly research project "The Image of the Black in Western Art," directed by art historian Ladislas Bugner. An ongoing project that seeks to catalogue and study the depiction of individuals of African descent in Western art, it is now under the aegis of Harvard University. De Menil also provided funding for Houston non-profit organizations such as SHAPE (Self-Help for African People Through Education).
  The de Menils also organized exhibitions that promoted human and civil rights, including "The De Luxe Show," a 1971 exhibition of contemporary art held in Houston's Fifth Ward, a historically African-American neighborhood. Coordinated by civil rights activist and later U.S. Congressman Mickey Leland, it was one of the first racially-integrated art shows in the United States.
  Their most controversial action on behalf of civil rights was their offer of Barnett Newman's Broken Obelisk as a partial gift to the city of Houston in 1969, on the condition that it be dedicated to the recently assassinated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The city refused the gift, sparking a controversial debate that involved de Menil proposing that the sculpture be inscribed with the Biblical quote "Forgive them for they know not what they do." Ultimately the de Menils purchased the sculpture themselves and decided to place it in front of the newly completed Rothko Chapel.
  The de Menils had originally made plans to build the Rothko Chapel in 1964, when Mark Rothko was commissioned to produce a suite of meditative paintings for a chapel intended as a space of dialogue and reflection between faiths. After undergoing revisions by several architects, including Philip Johnson, Howard Barnstone, and Eugene Aubry, the non-denominational Rothko Chapel was dedicated on Menil Foundation property in 1971 in a ceremony that included members of various religions. It was established as an autonomous organization the next year and began hosting colloquia, beginning with "Traditional Modes of Contemplation and Action," which brought together religious leaders, scholars, and musicians from four continents. It continues to host events focusing on inter-faith dialogue and human rights.
caption: Barnett Newman's Broken Obelisk in front of the Rothko Chapel, Houston
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