The Menil Collection The Menil Collection

Independent curator and critic Lilly Wei joins Kelly Montana, Assistant Curator at the Menil Drawing Institute, for a conversation on the arc of Brice Marden’s drawing practice and the critical influence site has played in his work.

Gaining distinction in the late 1960s, Brice Marden’s work continues to investigate color, abstraction, intuitive gestures, and the studied imprecision of the calligraphic line. In addition to numerous exhibitions around the world, Marden has previously had three important shows in Houston: Brice Marden: Drawings, 1963–73 at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston in 1974; Marden, Novros, Rothko: Painting in the Age of Actuality at the Rice Institute for the Arts in 1975; and Brice Marden: Cold Mountain at the Menil Collection in 1992–93. The artist’s work is currently displayed in the exhibition Think of Them as Spaces: Brice Marden’s Drawings, on view at the Menil Drawing Institute. To purchase the catalogue that accompanies this exhibition, please visit the Menil’s online bookstore.

The live event will stream directly on this page and on the Menil’s YouTube channel on Wednesday, September 16, at 6 p.m. CDT. No login or RSVP is required.

You are invited to submit your questions for the speakers in advance and during the program to programs@menil.org.

Lilly Wei is a New York-based independent curator, writer, journalist, and critic whose area of interest is global contemporary art and, in particular, the work of emerging artists. Her writing has appeared in dozens of publications worldwide, and she is a longtime contributor to Art in America, a contributing editor at ARTnews, and a former contributing editor at Art Asia Pacific in the United States. The author of numerous catalogues and monographs, she has curated exhibitions in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Kelly Montana is Assistant Curator at the Menil Drawing Institute and organized the exhibition Think of Them as Spaces: Brice Marden’s Drawings.

In Dialogue is the Menil Collection’s series of live, online conversations. Menil curators are joined by notable scholars, artists, and art professionals for engaging discussions about the museum’s collection, current exhibitions, and ideas shaping contemporary discourses about art. All programs are free and open to everyone.