Press Release

Rothko Chapel’s “Broken Obelisk” Temporarily Removed for Conservation

February 03, 2016

HOUSTON – Feb. 3, 2016 – One of Houston’s most recognizable landmarks is now absent from the landscape. 

The Rothko Chapel’s "Broken Obelisk" has been temporarily removed for conservation.

The sculpture, an inverted obelisk balanced on the point of a pyramid, is made of cor-ten steel, measures 26 ft. tall and weighs three tons. The piece was designed by artist Barnett Newman between 1963 and 1967 and dedicated at the Rothko Chapel to Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1971.

Because the sculpture is located outdoors and stands over a reflecting pool, water and humidity have caused moisture to build up inside the structure. Deterioration of the metal, as well as corrosion around the edge of the base of the pyramid, resulted.

This will be the third time the piece has undergone conservation treatment. The first was in 1987 and the second in 2005.

The Broken Obelisk was dismantled during the last week of January, then returned to the original fabricator, Lippincott, LLC in North Haven, Conn. where restoration will be completed during the next 10 months. 

Beginnings

Barnett Newman was best known as a painter when he came up with his concept for the Broken Obelisk.

In 1967 Newman had two sculptures made – identical twins- one which ended up at the Rothko Chapel, and the other at the University of Washington in Seattle. In 1969 a third edition was made which went to the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

In 2006, with the permission of the Barnett Newman Foundation, a fourth sculpture was made and installed at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin and then later acquired by Storm King Art Center in New York.

The sculpture had a controversial introduction to Houston, arriving amidst the tumultuous late 1960s, according to the Rothko Chapel’s executive director David Leslie.

“In 1967, as part of a government grant, Houston was selected along with three other cities to receive funds to place monumental works of contemporary art in public places,” he said.

The Rothko Chapel founders, John and Dominique de Menil, offered to match the grant in order to purchase the "Broken Obelisk" and bring it to Houston.

“Their gift came with the condition that the sculpture had to be placed near City Hall and dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr.,” Leslie said. “The City of Houston accepted the choice of sculpture and location -- but rejected the dedication. The de Menils withdrew their offer, purchasing the sculpture outright and siting it opposite the future site of the Rothko Chapel.”

Newman helped identify the exact location, and the artist had the idea to place it over a reflecting pool.  Both the chapel and the sculpture were dedicated in 1971, and the two are inextricably linked, representing the dual vocations of the Rothko Chapel: contemplation and action.

“The 'Broken Obelisk' represents the Rothko Chapel's commitment to human rights and social justice,” operations director Alison Pruitt said. “And the sculpture honors a great man whose life and ministry embodied the values of this sacred institution.”

Conservation and restoration

The decision to ship the piece back to the fabricator came after the conservators found retaining water in the obelisk point, as well as internal corrosion advancing within the structure. The plan is to address the deteriorated portions of original material – and to redesign and replace portions of the sculpture to enable water drainage and slow the rate of corrosion.

The Rothko Chapel, while an independent non-profit institution, works closely with its neighbor, the Menil Collection Museum, to steward its artwork.

The conservation department at the Menil, headed by chief conservator Brad Epley and objects conservator Kari Dodson, is overseeing the treatment program.

While the sculpture is away, the chapel will take the opportunity to make needed modifications to the reflecting pool, which was originally designed by Barnett Newman and the Chapel’s architect, Phillip Johnson.

Pruitt said that the sculpture should be reinstalled by 2017, in time for Rothko Chapel's annual birthday celebration of Martin Luther King Jr., which will include a rededication ceremony.

“The celebration will honor both the life of a great spiritual leader and activist, and the restoration of a monumental treasure that represents the tragic grandeur of life,” she said.

For more information about the Rothko Chapel and the full calendar of upcoming programs, workshops and events, visit rothkochapel.org or call 713-524-9839.

 

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About the Rothko Chapel

The Rothko Chapel is open to the public every day of the year at no charge from 10am-6pm. Founded by Houston philanthropists Dominique and John de Menil, the Chapel was dedicated in 1971 as an intimate sanctuary open to all people. Today it stands as a monument to the transformative power of art and sacred spaces. As an independent, non-profit institution, the Chapel depends on contributions from individuals and foundations to support its mission to provide a space for contemplation and dialogue on universal human issues. 

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