Rothko Chapel's 'Obelisk' returns to its rightful place

By Molly Glentzer Published 3:14 pm CST, Thursday, December 8, 2016

Workers give instructions to a crane operator as they move Barnett Newman's monumental sculpture "Broken Obelisk"back to its home in the reflection pool at the Rothko Chapel on Tuesday, Dec. 8. Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Staff / © 2016 Houston Chronicle

Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Staff Image 1 of 8

Workers give instructions to a crane operator as they move Barnett Newman's monumental sculpture "Broken Obelisk"back to its home in the reflection pool at the Rothko Chapel on Tuesday, Dec. 8.

Gerry Moohr's heart leapt Thursday morning when she saw a crane on the Rothko Chapel lawn hoisting the pyramidal base of Barnett Newman's "Broken Obelisk" back toward the reflection pool where it has stood since 1971.

Moohr, a retired law professor, walks her dog Chris past the chapel twice a day and has missed seeing the 25-foot tall sculpture since it was removed earlier this year for interior re-engineering and repairs.

"It's a very arresting piece, somehow sad and hopeful at the same time," Moohr said. "It looks like tragedy struck, but it's balanced."

"Broken Obelisk" spent most of this year at Lippincott LLC, the Connecticut foundry that fabricated it for the artist in 1966. Re-installing the three-ton sculpture was a day-long project requiring a crew of about a half-dozen people.

Viewers will have to look close to discern any difference: Near the tip of the pyramid, a freshly welded patch of Cor-Ten material reveals some of the work done. That spot will eventually age to the same patina as the rest of the piece.

Inside that base, a new rain barrel contraption will gather condensation, so the sculpture will no longer rust from the inside-out. Lippincott also re-engineered the pin that connects the sculpture's two parts, to reduce drips; re-coated the hollow interior; and recreated Newman's signature plaque, which went missing years ago.

Overseeing Thursday's re-installation, Menil Collection conservator Kari Dodson also pointed out the now good-as-new "flame-cut" edge along the pyramid's base, which had deteriorated from exposure to the pool's chemically-treated water.

Newman had the idea to install the piece above a pool, but that brilliant stroke has also presented conservation challenges, exacerbated by Houston's humidity. "Broken Obelisk" has been de-installed twice previously for repairs, in 1985 and 2004.

This conservation was rolled into a larger, $850,000 project that Rothko Chapel executive director David Leslie described as "Phase I" of a push to reinvigorate the chapel by 2021, its 50th anniversary.

Some of those funds have been applied to hiring "a full complement of consultants" who will present the first steps of a master plan by early next summer, "to help us understand what is feasible, fits well within the neighborhood and complements the chapel," Leslie said.

The New York firm Architecture Research Office is examining where and how a visitors center and a retreat space could be added. Nelson Byrd Woltz, which is also designing Memorial Park's master plan, will recommend improvements for the Rothko's landscape, which sits between the University of St. Thomas and the Menil Collection campuses.

George Sexton & Associates is designing upgrades to the interior and exterior lighting - including the ceiling, baffle and skylight that affect how Mark Rothko's monumental paintings inside the chapel are seen. The first phase work also includes upgrades to audio-visual systems and other operating equipment. And the reflection pool has a new surface and pump.

Leslie described it all as "the getting-ready phase" before the board launches a capital campaign late next year.

He was pleased to see "Broken Obelisk" back in place in time for the chapel's upcoming holiday programs, which include a Dec. 15 conversation between Rabbi Samuel Karff, Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza and Rev. William Lawson; a crystal bowl meditation on Jan. 1; and annual Martin Luther King Day celebrations Jan. 15-16.