It is difficult to visit Marfa no matter how you decide to get there… it is in the middle of nowhere and 12 miles from the Mexican border.
We choose to stay at the Cibolo Creek Ranch and Resort, which is quite rustic, but a wonderful place to relax and take in the extraordinary scenery. The breakfast is especially delicious and the staff is sweet and helpful. Cibolo is in the mountains, and staying there allows you to experience a very special part of Texas, even the 40-minute drive back to Marfa is visually fabulous!
Within a five-minute drive from Marfa, you will find the Chinati Foundation; a contemporary museum which highlights Donald Judd and other minimal artists such as Dan Flavin, Ronni Horn, and Carl Andrea among others. Allow plenty of time to visit this Mecca of minimalism, situated on 340 acres. It was a former military base from WWII and has many, many buildings to explore.
The Judd Foundation is in the town of Marfa proper. In this walled compound, one can visit the artist’s private living and working spaces, including two libraries and other structures dedicated to the minimalist movement. Scattered throughout the town are other buildings that Judd purchased: a museum that shows John Chamberlain’s works; a charming renovated bank used as a gallery and offices; and Judd’s studio, which was formerly a Safeway market.
My favorite viewing experience was seeing the famed Prada Marfa, which is a 20-minute drive from the town. Artists Elmgren and Dragset designed a delightfully ironic replica of a Prada store, a permanent sculpture in the middle of sagebrush and dirt.
Everywhere we went, the Marfa residents spoke about food—and they should because even though there are few restaurants, the food is delicious! Be sure to eat at Cochineal, a celebrated New York transplant with a Michelin star. For a quick and satisfying bite, The Pizza Foundation has the thinnest pizza crust imaginable.
Dallas radiates Texas hospitality and philanthropy like no other city… There we visited the Rachofsky House—the private home and contemporary art collection of Cindy and Howard Rachofsky. The Richard Meier designed house offers the unique experience of seeing contemporary art and site-specific sculpture in a private domestic setting.
On the grounds, they have also recently opened The Warehouse, a gallery and storage space co-acquired by the Rachofskys and fellow collectors Amy and Vernon Faulconer. In approximately 18,000 feet of exhibition space the Warehouse features highlights from their private art collections and dazzles visitors with works by Robert Ryman, Agnes Martin, Marlene Dumas, and Matthew Barney.
At dinner in one of the galleries, we learned a lesson in great philanthropy. Three Dallas couples got together—Cindy and Howard Rachofsky, Deedie and Rusty Rose, and Robert and Marguerite Hoffman—and pledged their art collections to the Dallas Museum of Art after their death. In 30 years, the Dallas Museum of Art will have one of the greatest collections of contemporary art in the world. What a spectacular legacy for these generous families! The brilliant Director of the Dallas Museum of Art, Maxwell Anderson, discussed privately innovative ways of how to increase membership to his museum.
The Nasher Sculpture Center is one of the few institutions devoted solely to sculpture. Conceived by Patsy and Raymond Nasher, their collection is housed in a Renzo Piano designed building with a sculpture garden in the back by landscape architect Peter Walker. The playful Eva Rothschild exhibition takes over the first floor entrance and is not to be missed!
Chinati Foundation
Hours, Wednesday to Sunday: 10am–4pm (Full Collection Tour), 11am–1pm (Selections Tour), 3:45–4:15pm (Donald Judd’s 100 works in Mill Aluminum). Reservations Recommended.
The Rachofsky House
Hours, Tuesday and Friday: 10am–5pm. Open House Afternoons and Friday Public Visits are a great time for individuals or small groups to see the house and view the current installation.
The Warehouse
Hours, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays: 10am–5pm.
The Nasher Sculpture Center
Hours, Tuesday to Sunday: 11am–5pm. Closed Monday.
Featured Image: Photograph by Marshall Astor via Flickr.
