In Marble Falls, a Texas Hill Country town of about 10,000, a new gallery along Main Street, called Arthouse, offers an unexpected surprise: access to one of America’s great collections of private art.
Arthouse’s owners, Mickey and Jeanne Klein, have been gathering work for close to half a century. Their collection spans many of the most influential figures in contemporary art, from blue-chip names like Olafur Eliasson and James Turrell to emerging voices, across painting, photography, sculpture, large scale installation and more.
They developed their refined eye under the mentorship of legendary Houston patron Dominique de Menil, who toured them around the world in search of art. 'You learn about art by looking at art,' Mickey tells Wallpaper*. He adds: 'When we were with Mrs. de Menil we saw everything. We went to Moscow. We went to Chicago. We saw so much art. And we started seeing it through her eyes.'
The idea of providing that kind of exposure in a place that largely lacks it is a major driving force for the project. 'It will affect everyone,' he adds. 'It will open peoples’ eyes.'
'It will affect everyone. It will open peoples’ eyes.'
Mickey Klein
The project began as an office relocation. After decades in Midland, in west Texas, Mickey sold much of his oil and gas operation, making a permanent presence there unnecessary. Two longtime employees asked to move the business, and Klein agreed. 'Find a place you love,' he told them. They chose Marble Falls. Then the Kleins chose San Antonio-based Lake Flato, which had designed (and later added to) their current house in Austin’s Westlake neighbourhood. After a few conversations, their office project had morphed into something much more ambitious.
Arthouse occupies a narrow infill lot. A front wall of unadorned, locally quarried Leuders limestone anchors it to the region. A perforated metal canopy, complemented by corrugated and meshed metal surfaces throughout, merge local vernacular with a lighter, more contemporary layer.
Lake Flato project architect Grace Boudewyns describes the material approach as 'off-the-shelf' where possible. The building is elegant, but not precious. 'We wanted it to feel like it belongs here,' says. 'But it also has to be a quiet backdrop for the art.'
Third generation Japanese gardener Sada Uchiyama designed a small, minimalist courtyard between the entry wall and the gallery, providing a brief pause and a buffer from the street. Low black mondo grass is punctuated by stone sculptures.
Inside, the 2,000 square foot gallery occupies the ground floor, with 12 foot ceilings and an off centre linear skylight that provides even, diffuse light. An open web metal truss provides exposed structure, and a touch of 'ranch tech,' as Boudewyns puts it, while mechanicals are hidden behind perforated ceiling panels. Other materials are simple but luminous. Polished concrete floors softly reflect light. High white walls carry the art, enveloping portions of the trusses above. A movable central partition allows the layout to change between exhibitions.
The opening exhibition, 'Words Matter,' pulls together text-based work by iconic figures like Ed Ruscha, Jenny Holzer and Faith Ringgold alongside fast-rising talents like Kenturah Davis and Nicolas Galanin, whose Never Forget depicts his full size recreation of the original 'Hollywoodland' sign, made to spell 'Indianland.' Upstairs, the offices are warmer, almost domestic, dominated by wood surfaces and big views. They’re also full of art, from conference rooms to bathrooms.
The Kleins are currently curating Arthouse’s exhibitions themselves, drawing from their sprawling collection. Shows will change every few months, including an upcoming exhibition focused on photography. Works range widely in medium and scale, but installations will be carefully edited, Jeanne says. 'We’re not putting as much around anymore,' she says. 'Just have excellence.'
The project, both rooted in place and elegantly modern, adds a powerful cultural layer in Marble Falls – which has chiefly drawn visitors with its small-town charm and access to several lakes – without changing its character. Reinforcing the Kleins’ focus on promoting looking and exploring, it is easy to read, not intimidating. It allows people to move through at their own pace, in any direction. Already local students have begun arriving, and a preview event for civic leaders drew nearly 100 people, many of whom had never met the Kleins before.
Mickey shares a simple guideline: 'Don’t try to see everything. Pick one work, spend time with it, then move on.' At 90, he says he’s less interested in accumulation than in sharing. Some of his grown children have wondered why he has put so much time and money into this faraway project.
'I’m getting so much pleasure out of it,' he says. 'Why not do it?'
