In 1970, John de Menil wrote to German classical archeologist Dr. Werner Fuchs (1927–2016) seeking to identify the subject of a Roman male torso in his collection. Forty-nine years later, Francesca Fuchs’s discovery of black-and-white photographs depicting the marble torso in her father’s personal effects in Oxford, England, led the Houston-based painter to find the original letter in the museum archives.
The Space Between Looking and Loving: Francesca Fuchs and the de Menil House is the artist’s response to the unanswered letter and unexpected familial connection. Featuring new work by Fuchs and selections from the museum’s collection and archives, the exhibition explores the affective power and relational histories of objects in domestic settings, especially those of the de Menil house in Houston, Texas.
The Space Between Looking and Loving: Francesca Fuchs and the de Menil House is curated by Paul Davis, Curator of Collections, The Menil Collection.