Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/389461
CATHERINE D. ANSPON RELIVES AN INTERNATIONAL TRIBUTE NIGHT. PHOTOGRAPHY JENNY ANTILL. T o say it was a milestone evening would be a supreme understatement. But because the sacred space for which Dominique and John de Menil commissioned Mark Rothko to create paintings in 1964 — the Philip Johnson-designed Rothko Chapel — rarely throws a party, let alone a gala, its second annual fête was a night edged in the simple and sublime. Best of all, we got to see it through the eyes of three glorious headliners who came in for the occasion: the son of the late American master, incoming board chair Christopher Rothko, who contributed opening remarks; Houston-raised cinematic maverick, indie-to-blockbuster director Wes Anderson, who introduced the recipient of the Visionary Award; and said recipient, Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton, one of the most chameleon- like screen stars of all time who has made a brave habit of stepping outside the predictable and pale. These perfect few hours at the Houston Country Club — chaired by the incomparable Lynn Wyatt, with after-party chairmen Cullen Geiselman, Tatiana and Craig Massey and Laura and Will Robertson — seemed to be just what Mrs. de Menil herself would have ordered. As this enlightened patroness famously eschewed the frivolous and hyperbolic, avoided wall plaques and renounced the verbose, we will err on the side of brevity with this social report. But we are very glad to have been there to celebrate a Mecca that melds human rights, art and spirituality — one which has lured art-world pilgrims and truth seekers since it first opened some 43 years ago. Happy half-century, Rothko Chapel. Peruse this page to see the personages who came from London, Paris, New York and our hometown to commemorate its mission and bow to its meaning. One Remarkable Night: Tilda, Wes + a Painter's Son ROTHKO CHAPEL GALA TOASTS HALF A CENTURY. "50 YEARS AGO, THE DE MENILS COMMISSIONED MY FATHER TO CREATE WHAT HAS BECOME THE ROTHKO CHAPEL. WITH THIS PROJECT, THEY GAVE HIM THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE THE SPACE HE HAD LONGED DREAMED OF MAKING AND SPARKED HIM TO PUSH HIMSELF TO HIS UTMOST TO REALIZE HIS VISION. IT WAS A GIFT TO ROTHKO THAT HAS BECOME A GIFT TO ALL OF US." — Christopher Rothko OCTOBER | PAGE 10 | 2014 Honoree Tilda Swinton Jerry Stafford Lady Amanda Harlech Laura Robertson Rose Hochner James Tiebout Ann Wolf Mark Wawro Melanie Gray John de Menil Susan de Menil Gayle DeGeurin Ed Eubanks Marilyn Oshman Sandro Kopp Michael Keegan Franci Crane Barbara Hines Gerald Hines William Middleton Robert Forrest Terry Wayne Jones Stephen Fox Martha Claire Tompkins Emilee Whitehurst Painterly mise en scène Angela Dotson Joseph Cruz Heather Houston David Houston Mark Hitt Katherine Houston Eric Houston Phoebe Tudor Duyen Huynh Marc Nguyen Bill Arning Mark McCray Laura Fain Jeff Fort Craig Massey Tatiana Massey Mathew Wolf Estela Cockrell Chairman Lynn Wyatt Wes Anderson Wil McCorquodale Christopher Rothko Michael Zilkha