Dates

• Existence: 1971    

Biography

The Rothko Chapel is the realization of a dream held by John and Dominique de Menil. In 1964, John and Dominique de Menil commissioned Mark Rothko, the celebrated 20th century American abstract-expressionist painter, to create a modern sanctuary, a sacred place. Rothko was given the opportunity to shape and control the total space including a group of fourteen paintings that he created especially for the chapel from 1965 to 1966. Rothko proposed an octagonal plan for the Chapel and worked closely with the renowned architect Philip Johnson to realize the design. The final design and construction of the Chapel was entrusted to architects Howard Barnstone and Eugene Aubry in 1970. A year later, on February 27 1971, the Rothko Chapel was formally consecreated for worship and medication. The chapel has been compared to the Chapel of the Rosary in Vence by Henri Matisse and the Chapel in Ronchamp by Le Corusier in terms of its significance as a sacred space that melds modern art and spirituality.

The mission of the chapel involves contemplation and action. The Chapel is not committed to a particular religion and imposes no traditional environment. It is recognized as a place of worship, receptive to the essence and rites of the ceremonies being performed.

The Chapel provides diverse programs to engage audiences intellectually, artisticaly, and spiritually. In 1981, the Awards for Truth and Freedom were established to honor men and women who, at great risk, have placed truth and freedom at the center of their lives. Celebrated human rights activists inlcuding former United States president Jimmy Carter, Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela of South Africa, the Dalai Lama and Jonas Salk have participated in events held the Chapel.

In 1986, the Oscar Romero Award was estatblished. Award recipients have included Bishop Villalba of Ecuador, Cardinal Arns of Brazil, Bishop Soto and Maria Hermandez of El Salvador, Monsenor Toruna of Guatemala, Oslobodjenje (an independent Bosnian newspaper), Salima Ghezali, Abdennour Ali-Yahia, Ishai Menuchin of Israel, and Sister Dianna Ortiz. The Rothko Chapel has become a rallying place for all people concerned with peace, freedom, and social justice throughout the world.

Biography

List of Directors (in progress)

1971 - Ann Meade (Dominique de Menil, Thomas L. Shannon, Anne Meade) xx-xx Nabila Drooby xx - 2003 Suna Umari 2003 - 2005 K.C. Eynatten 2005 - 2008 Mary 2008 - 2011 Emilee Whitehurst 2014-2015 Claudia (interim) 2015-present David Leslie