Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1405904
A s Houston's Rothko Chapel turns 50 this fall, the artist's son, Christopher Rothko, comes to Dallas as part of Texas Design Week, to discuss the legacy of his father, Mark Rothko, and the sensitive restoration — part one of a $30 million transformation — of this hallowed monument to art and activism. A half-century ago, patrons Dominique and John de Menil recognized Mark Rothko's greatness and commissioned a series of paintings for the Rothko Chapel, inaugurating what would become the campus of The Menil Collection. The Chapel today is considered the artist's magnum opus. Catherine D. Anspon queries Christopher Rothko about his role as keeper of his father's flame. Trajectory of your professional life. I worked as a classical music critic for a number of years. I'm a clinical psychologist by training and practiced for several years. Throughout, I've tended my father's legacy, which has been my exclusive work for the last 20 years — organizing exhibitions, writing and lecturing about his work, archiving and editing and publishing his written work, supporting scholars and curators in their research, and occasionally curating myself. Indelible memory of your father. Without question, his voice. It was round and warm and usually singing Mozart. Best art experience with your father. My father and I discussed music constantly but never discussed art. When I would visit him in his studio, however, he would unfurl a seemingly endless roll of brown craft paper and let me paint as much as I wished. Most influential thing you learned through your father's notes and works of art. The power of abstraction. It was the universal language that he used to shape and communicate his personal vision of the world, his philosophies — what he felt were the true essentials of human existence. Why your father's work resonates today. Because of the sincerity with which he speaks through his paintings, and the deep human connection he actively seeks with each viewer through each work. TEXAS DESIGN WEEK DALLAS CHRISTOPHER ROTHKO — KEEPER OF HIS FATHER'S FLAME By Catherine D. Anspon. Portrait Max Burkhalter. Art direction Michelle Aviña. Christopher Rothko at the Rothko Chapel, Houston 102