Rothko Chapel / Philip Johnson, Howard Barnstone, Eugene Aubry

Architects: Philip Johnson, Howard Barnstone, Eugene Aubry
Year: 1971
Photographs: Philip Johnson, Howard Barnstone, Eugene Aubry, Chad Kleitsch, Adelaide de Menil Carpenter, Romano Cagnoni
City: Houston
Country: United States

The Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas, designed by Philip Johnson, Howard Barnstone, and Eugene Aubry, is a non-denominational space envisioned by Mark Rothko and commissioned in 1964 by John and Dominique de Menil. Intended as a meditative environment housing 14 site-specific Rothko paintings, the Chapel underwent several architectural revisions due to Rothko’s disputes with Johnson over the monumentality of the original design. The project, which consumed six years of Rothko’s life, remained incomplete upon his death in 1970 but was finished in 1971. The octagonal brick structure features seven black and seven plum-colored canvases carefully arranged to surround visitors with monumental and contemplative works. The simple architecture, with its baffled skylight, recessed floor, and surrounding live oak trees, contrasts with Rothko’s deeply spiritual paintings, offering a transformative experience of transcendence. Situated near the Menil Collection, the Chapel’s exterior includes a reflecting pool and Barnett Newman’s Broken Obelisk. The project symbolizes Rothko’s exploration of the finite and infinite, combining architecture and art into a space that challenges the boundary between the physical and the spiritual while reflecting Rothko’s personal struggles and artistic legacy.

In 1964, Mark Rothko was commissioned by John and Dominique de Menil, founders of the nearby Menil Collection housed in the Renzo Piano-designed Menil Museum and Cy Twombly Gallery, to create a meditative space featuring his site-specific paintings. The original architect assigned to collaborate with Rothko was Philip Johnson; however, the two clashed over their differing visions for the building. Rothko opposed the monumentality of Johnson’s design, considering it a distraction from the artwork it was meant to showcase. As a result, the Chapel underwent several design revisions and changes in architects. Rothko subsequently worked with Howard Barnstone and later Eugene Aubry, though he did not live to see the chapel completed in 1971. Following a prolonged struggle with depression, Rothko died by suicide in his New York studio on February 25, 1970.

Rothko chapel / philip johnson, howard barnstone, eugene aubry | classics on architecture lab

John and Dominique de Menil, Houston philanthropists known for their promotion of modern art, commissioned Mark Rothko to create a series of transcendental and meditative artworks. These works were intended to be housed in a non-denominational place of worship, designed by Rothko in collaboration with architect Philip Johnson.

The Rothko Chapel was planned to be situated in Houston, Texas, adjacent to the Menil Collection and the University of St. Thomas, within a neighborhood characterized by 1920s bungalow-style homes.

Following the conflict between Mark Rothko and Philip Johnson, architectural responsibilities were transferred to Howard Barnstone, who had previously supervised other Johnson projects in Texas. Barnstone, along with his partner Eugene Aubry, revised the design to align with Rothko’s vision. After Rothko’s death in 1970, Barnstone withdrew from the project due to illness, prompting Aubry to bring Johnson back as a consultant to help complete the design.

“I have long believed that a piece of art must be wholly viable within the bounds of its own medium. For example, a piece of music must satisfy and stimulate by means of its own musical structure and not produce its effects simply in relation to whatever words it may set or whatever extra musical program it may reference. Similarly, a work of visual art must speak to the mind and indeed the soul of the viewer not through suggestive titles or embedded texts, but by engaging the eye and the imagination through its own imagery. A work of art must ultimately be a thing in and of itself and not simply a representation of something from the world around it”.

– Christopher Rothko, Mark Rothko’s Son

Mark Rothko sought to merge perceptual immediacy with spiritual significance through his work. Reflecting on the completion of the Chapel paintings, Rothko stated, “I wanted to paint both the finite and the infinite.”

For Mark Rothko, the Chapel was envisioned as a destination and a pilgrimage site, far removed from New York, the center of the art world, where individuals could journey to engage with his deeply spiritual work. The project spanned six years of Rothko’s life, during which both he and his art evolved into an exploration and devotion to the concept of transcendence.

Experiencing Rothko’s work in the Chapel is to embrace a profound spiritual journey that transcends the boundaries of subject matter, drawing viewers closer to a heightened consciousness. The experience invites individuals to approach the limits of perception, fostering an awareness of existence. Rothko’s fourteen large paintings, with their dark, nearly impenetrable surfaces, evoke contemplation and a sense of the void—a necessary space for exploring deeper meanings and addressing the essential questions of life.

The paintings in the Chapel include a central monochrome triptych in soft brown, composed of three 5-by-15-foot panels, flanked by two triptychs on the left and right walls, each featuring opaque black rectangles. Between these triptychs are four individual paintings, each measuring 11 by 15 feet, with an additional painting directly facing the central triptych on the opposite wall. Together, these works create an immersive environment, enveloping the viewer in massive, imposing visions of darkness.

The Chapel, designed in accordance with Rothko’s wishes, features a simple brick exterior, a flat roof, and a one-story structure, contrasting sharply with Philip Johnson’s initial design of a white stucco building topped with a monumental pyramid. Surrounded by live oak trees, the Chapel sits adjacent to a reflecting pool and Barnett Newman’s Cor-Ten steel sculpture Broken Obelisk. The building has an irregular octagonal plan, with four wider principal walls alternating with four narrower secondary walls, a rectangular apse, a recessed floor, and a baffled skylight. Rothko meticulously arranged seven black canvases and seven plum-colored canvases: triptychs are displayed on the north, east, and west walls, a single painting is placed on the south wall, and one painting is positioned on each of the diagonal walls.

The Chapel holds significance not only as an example of modernist architecture but also as a profound work of modern art, enriched by Rothko’s paintings. It serves as a reflection of the struggles that shaped Rothko’s life, blurring the boundaries between architecture, art, and the emotional turmoil of existence. The Chapel challenges these distinctions through its aesthetic, its impact, and its capacity to transcend the human experience.