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Double Vision: The Unerring Eye of Art World Avatars Dominique and John de Menil
**NAMED ONE OF THE BEST ART BOOKS OF THE DECADE BY ARTNEWS**
The first and definitive biography of the celebrated collectors Dominique and John de Menil, who became one of the greatest cultural forces of the twentieth century through groundbreaking exhibits of art, artistic scholarship, the creation of innovative galleries and museums, and work with civil rights.
Dominique and John de Menil created an oasis of culture in their Philip Johnson-designed house with everyone from Marlene Dietrich and René Magritte to Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns. In Houston, they built the Menil Collection, the Rothko Chapel, the Byzantine Fresco Chapel, the Cy Twombly Gallery, and underwrote the Contemporary Arts Museum.
Now, with unprecedented access to family archives, William Middleton has written a sweeping biography of this unique couple. From their ancestors in Normandy and Alsace, to their own early years in France, and their travels in South America before settling in Houston. We see them introduced to the artists in Europe and America whose works they would collect, and we see how, by the 1960s, their collection had grown to include 17,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, rare books, and decorative objects.
And here is, as well, a vivid behind-the-scenes look at the art world of the twentieth century and the enormous influence the de Menils wielded through what they collected and built and through the causes they believed in.
The first and definitive biography of the celebrated collectors Dominique and John de Menil, who became one of the greatest cultural forces of the twentieth century through groundbreaking exhibits of art, artistic scholarship, the creation of innovative galleries and museums, and work with civil rights.
Dominique and John de Menil created an oasis of culture in their Philip Johnson-designed house with everyone from Marlene Dietrich and René Magritte to Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns. In Houston, they built the Menil Collection, the Rothko Chapel, the Byzantine Fresco Chapel, the Cy Twombly Gallery, and underwrote the Contemporary Arts Museum.
Now, with unprecedented access to family archives, William Middleton has written a sweeping biography of this unique couple. From their ancestors in Normandy and Alsace, to their own early years in France, and their travels in South America before settling in Houston. We see them introduced to the artists in Europe and America whose works they would collect, and we see how, by the 1960s, their collection had grown to include 17,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, rare books, and decorative objects.
And here is, as well, a vivid behind-the-scenes look at the art world of the twentieth century and the enormous influence the de Menils wielded through what they collected and built and through the causes they believed in.
784 pages, Hardcover
First published March 27, 2018
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303 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
September 23, 2018
Just finished this remarkable book on the history of social change, art and business. In the late 80s, when I was studying French in Paris, and I would announce to new friends (usually Hermes-ascot-adorned, art-type chaps I met at the tres-BCBG Cafe Beaubourg) that I was 'americain,' I would often hear them suddenly rave about the De Menil collections and patronage - including of the Centre Georges Pompidou, which stood right across from our usual spot at the Costes brothers' etablissement. Reading this book almost 30 years later, I have only now come to understand why the then-unfolding legacy of John (ne Jean) and Dominique was the toast of Paris and discern in reading the arc of their lives how active these Houston-based Franco-American collectors were in developing links of culture, business and goodwill between their two beloved countries over several decades in the 20th century. A must-read for all my globalist friends who understand the powerful dynamic that can arise between passionate advocacy of civil rights and the art market to make a better world for all -- and anyone curious about the eminences grises who laid much of the modern foundation of today's burgeoning contemporary art world.
June 28, 2025
Amazing book, amazing couple. Beautiful lives of joy and love for people and places. As a native Houstonian, I’ll always be grateful for the work the de Menils did to make my city beautiful, both inside and out. I’m absolutely inspired by their lifelong active faith and love. “Everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned from love.” - Dominique de Menil
January 14, 2019
Double Vision is a biography of Dominique and Jean de Menil. If you have read other books about them like Art and Activism, this book is much more expansive and it has a focus on their evolution as art collectors, and participants in the creation of art shows, art schools, and creators of art museums. The first three hundred pages is about the history of their families and their life together until they settle in Houston. The next four hundred pages are about their development as consumers of art and their integration into the art world in the mid twentieth century. The Menils were humble spiritual people who clearly had a sense of noblesse oblige. The first three hundred pages were important to understand why they weren't just frivolous art consumers, but they were old money promoters of the arts and human rights.
If you are interested in architecture, modern art, Houston or if you are just starved to hear about two decent human beings who treat people with respect then this is a good book for you to read. The history of Schlumberger, the drilling company, is integral to the book. I really enjoyed the family histories and their life during World War II in Venezuela.
The book was a bit too long, however. It was not written by a historian, so it was more of a chronicle of their lives rather than an interpretive monograph with a thesis.
It is very informative about the process of buying art, working with dealers, the behind-the-scenes work in curating an exhibit, the creation of museums. If you like Maggrite, Warhol, Rothko or Max Ernst this book contains insights about their life and work as well. There should be a translation of the book in French forthcoming.
If you are interested in architecture, modern art, Houston or if you are just starved to hear about two decent human beings who treat people with respect then this is a good book for you to read. The history of Schlumberger, the drilling company, is integral to the book. I really enjoyed the family histories and their life during World War II in Venezuela.
The book was a bit too long, however. It was not written by a historian, so it was more of a chronicle of their lives rather than an interpretive monograph with a thesis.
It is very informative about the process of buying art, working with dealers, the behind-the-scenes work in curating an exhibit, the creation of museums. If you like Maggrite, Warhol, Rothko or Max Ernst this book contains insights about their life and work as well. There should be a translation of the book in French forthcoming.
December 5, 2021
Even though it's extremely long and covers the lives of the uber-rich for over half a century, still manages to be a page-turner, more or less.
August 29, 2018
This book was a fascinating account of the lives of John and Dominique de Menil. Although the de Menils are legendary figures in the art world of Houston, I didn’t know about their incredible commitment to human rights and racial relations. This is a long book, but was definitely worth reading. If only we could all live lives as full as those of the de Menils...
March 12, 2018
BIOGRAPHY/ART
William Middleton
Double Vision: The Unerring Eye of Art World Avatars Dominique and John de Menil
Alfred A. Knopf
Hardcover, 978-0-3754-1543-2, (also available as an e-book), 784 pgs., $40.00
March 27, 2018
“I’m after the excitement not the object per se—after the light, not the bulbs. I’d like to provide for people plenty of bulbs to switch on.” —Dominique de Menil
Y’all know that old question asking who you’d invite to your dinner party if you could invite anyone you wanted? I’d invite Dominique and John de Menil.
Born in France at the beginning of the twentieth century, they came to Houston, Texas, in the early 1940s with the family oilfield services multinational that would become Schlumberger Limited. John de Menil was a baron; Dominique the heir to Schlumberger, descended from a distinguished line of French intellectuals, important to the governments of kings and emperors. Over the decades, the de Menils built the Menil Collection, the Rothko Chapel, the Byzantine Fresco Chapel, and the Cy Twombly Gallery, and underwrote the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. Their personal collection exceeded 20,000 works of art, including paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, rare books, and decorative objects. They were not only the vanguard of art collectors and advocates, but thought leaders in civil rights, human rights, and ecumenicism, often still a dicey proposition, not to say dangerous, in Texas.
How in heck did these two wash up in Houston, you ask? It’s a fascinating story well told. Dominique and John de Menil come alive again in these pages.
Double Vision: The Unerring Eye of Art World Avatars Dominique and John de Menil is the new biography of the first family of Houston’s arts community by William Middleton. Middleton, a journalist and editor who has worked with Harper’s Bazaar, the New York Times, and Texas Monthly, among other outlets, has written an encyclopedic yet profoundly personal account of not only the extraordinary lives of Dominique and John de Menil, but a history of the flowering of modern art in the United States post–World War II.
Middleton begins in the New World, with the opening in 1987 of the Menil Collection. Part Two takes a deep dive into the Old World, Normandy in the eighteenth century, leisurely making his way back to Houston and the death of Dominique de Menil in 1999. Along the way we get an education—European history, American history, art history, and how to view art with a good eye and proper attitude, tracing their developing aesthetic from Alsace to Paris, then New York to Houston. Obviously a labor of love, Middleton’s book doesn’t shy from more difficult aspects of the de Menils, notably the controversy involving art thieves, cultural appropriation, and those Cypriot Byzantine frescoes. While it’s dense with minute detail and overly long—I suggest sitting with your knees drawn up so as to prop up the book and rest your wrists—it’s impossible to overstate the importance of Middleton’s superb work.
Middleton conducted ten years of research and writing in Paris, New York, and Houston. He had the cooperation of the five de Menil children, as well as extended family, friends, artists, and colleagues. He was granted interviews, provided with candid family photographs, and given use of the family archives. Double Vision is an intimate work that includes not only sixteen pages of photographs, but also 135 illustrations throughout the text, representing an impressive feat of curation itself.
Dominique and John de Menil are household names in Houston, and now, thanks to this supreme effort of research — indeed, immersion —the rest of Texas, and the world, will understand why the de Menils are considered “the Medici of modern art.”
”[Great artists] can be difficult, dissolute, but they are never base and in their quest for perfection they come closer to eternal truths than pious goody-goodies. So we are collectors without remorse.” —John de Menil
Originally published in Lone Star Literary Life.
William Middleton
Double Vision: The Unerring Eye of Art World Avatars Dominique and John de Menil
Alfred A. Knopf
Hardcover, 978-0-3754-1543-2, (also available as an e-book), 784 pgs., $40.00
March 27, 2018
“I’m after the excitement not the object per se—after the light, not the bulbs. I’d like to provide for people plenty of bulbs to switch on.” —Dominique de Menil
Y’all know that old question asking who you’d invite to your dinner party if you could invite anyone you wanted? I’d invite Dominique and John de Menil.
Born in France at the beginning of the twentieth century, they came to Houston, Texas, in the early 1940s with the family oilfield services multinational that would become Schlumberger Limited. John de Menil was a baron; Dominique the heir to Schlumberger, descended from a distinguished line of French intellectuals, important to the governments of kings and emperors. Over the decades, the de Menils built the Menil Collection, the Rothko Chapel, the Byzantine Fresco Chapel, and the Cy Twombly Gallery, and underwrote the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. Their personal collection exceeded 20,000 works of art, including paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, rare books, and decorative objects. They were not only the vanguard of art collectors and advocates, but thought leaders in civil rights, human rights, and ecumenicism, often still a dicey proposition, not to say dangerous, in Texas.
How in heck did these two wash up in Houston, you ask? It’s a fascinating story well told. Dominique and John de Menil come alive again in these pages.
Double Vision: The Unerring Eye of Art World Avatars Dominique and John de Menil is the new biography of the first family of Houston’s arts community by William Middleton. Middleton, a journalist and editor who has worked with Harper’s Bazaar, the New York Times, and Texas Monthly, among other outlets, has written an encyclopedic yet profoundly personal account of not only the extraordinary lives of Dominique and John de Menil, but a history of the flowering of modern art in the United States post–World War II.
Middleton begins in the New World, with the opening in 1987 of the Menil Collection. Part Two takes a deep dive into the Old World, Normandy in the eighteenth century, leisurely making his way back to Houston and the death of Dominique de Menil in 1999. Along the way we get an education—European history, American history, art history, and how to view art with a good eye and proper attitude, tracing their developing aesthetic from Alsace to Paris, then New York to Houston. Obviously a labor of love, Middleton’s book doesn’t shy from more difficult aspects of the de Menils, notably the controversy involving art thieves, cultural appropriation, and those Cypriot Byzantine frescoes. While it’s dense with minute detail and overly long—I suggest sitting with your knees drawn up so as to prop up the book and rest your wrists—it’s impossible to overstate the importance of Middleton’s superb work.
Middleton conducted ten years of research and writing in Paris, New York, and Houston. He had the cooperation of the five de Menil children, as well as extended family, friends, artists, and colleagues. He was granted interviews, provided with candid family photographs, and given use of the family archives. Double Vision is an intimate work that includes not only sixteen pages of photographs, but also 135 illustrations throughout the text, representing an impressive feat of curation itself.
Dominique and John de Menil are household names in Houston, and now, thanks to this supreme effort of research — indeed, immersion —the rest of Texas, and the world, will understand why the de Menils are considered “the Medici of modern art.”
”[Great artists] can be difficult, dissolute, but they are never base and in their quest for perfection they come closer to eternal truths than pious goody-goodies. So we are collectors without remorse.” —John de Menil
Originally published in Lone Star Literary Life.
March 10, 2023
Incredibly researched history of the Menils from their ancestors until the last decade. Maybe the only good rich people ever?
July 30, 2018
I am exhausted. Double Vision: The Unerring Eye of Art World Avatars Dominique and John de Menil by William Middleton is exhaustive and exhausting. It is a remarkable story of a very rich couple, Dominique Schlumberger and her husband Baron Jean Menu de Menil and their devotion over a lifetime to art. They committed vast energies and personal money to this endeavor. Too much detail, especially regarding the genealogies of the two families of which I didn't care. Yet there was something that compelled me to finish the book. Their ardent love for one another and for art fascinated me. It is a slog but I am glad I finished it.
November 18, 2021
După-amiaza înăbușitoare de vară din 4 iunie 1987 a marcat deschiderea oficială a Colecției Menil, iar Dominique de Menil, în vârstă de șaptezeci și nouă de ani, stătea în fața noului ei muzeu. Orașul ei natal, Houston, Texas, a văzut că prețurile petrolului au scăzut la mijlocul anilor 1980, în timp ce restul țării și-a revenit din recesiune. Cu 70 la sută din bogăția orașului legată de industria petrolului, construcțiile din Houston au stagnat, șomajul a crescut, băncile s-au prăbușit. (...) Inaugurarea Colecției Menil în acest moment nu a făcut decât să sublinieze și mai mult contribuțiile artistice, civice și filantropice uluitoare pe care Dominique și soțul ei, John de Menil , le făcuse în oraș de aproape jumătate de secol. Proiectată de Renzo Piano și Richard Fitzgerald & Associates, clădirea era o structură îndrăzneață și grațioasă cu două etaje, din oțel alb, sticlă transparentă și chiparos gri, cu un interior cu pereți albi curați, podele din lemn negru strălucitor și ferestre care se deschid spre grădini tropicale luxuriante. În interior se aflau peste 10.000 de opere de artă, una dintre cele mai mari și mai importante colecții private de artă adunate în secolul al XX-lea: sculpturi în os din paleolitic, idoli cicladici, relicve bizantine, totemuri africane și efigii oceanice, precum și capodopere moderniste de la Cézanne, Picasso, Braque, Magritte, Ernst, Calder, Rothko, Rauschenberg, Warhol și Johns.
March 28, 2020
This was a fabulous book about the lives and importance of John (Jean) and Dominique de Menil. It traces the history of both the Schlumberger and de Menil families in Europe and later onto America. While John de Menil was not a scientist and inventor like the Schlumberger founders, his outstanding leadership saved the company during WWII and he built it into a very successful international company. He supported the employees and made taking care of their comforts and needs a top priority. All the while, Dominique was at his side, even living in South America for more than 2 years. They were truly partners in every sense of the word. The story continued after his passing from prostrate cancer at 69. She outlived him by 25+ years, developed and led art programs at two universities, continued to develop their collection and curated many art exhibitions even internationally. During that time, she became a world humanitarian leader, partnering with President Jimmy Carter on many projects. She successfully navigated through many challenges to ultimately fund, develop and open the Menil Collection, 'free' to Houstonians and art admirers from across the world. They were a remarkable couple and made a real difference in the world, beyond just art.
March 31, 2019
This was a very interesting book, even though it was very long, and at times tedious. The juxtaposition between the story of the Schlumberger family and its important petroleum related history and the art collecting world of the De Menils was fascinating. I enjoyed the stories of the origins of the two French families, and of their involvement in twentieth century world history. I did get bogged down in the many stories of artists, art dealers, etc., and felt that the book could have been more tightly edited. At time the narrative seemed to wonder around aimlessly. In the end, this book is a fitting tribute to a couple that contributed much to their native country of France, to their adopted city of Houston, to the world of modern art, and to humanity. It was well worth the time that I spent reading it.
November 1, 2019
Double Vision is one of the most extraordinary books I’ve ever read. The biography of Dominique and John de Menil is a beautiful story of two people who left an indelible mark on the city of Houston. While I knew the Menil’s had an impact on Houston’s arts community, I pleasantly surprised I had underestimated their contributions.
William Middleton brilliantly chronicles their lives from their beginnings in France and Germany to their final days. Their courtship is an enchanting love story told through letters and anecdotes. Their deaths are so thoughtfully discussed, I was moved to tears.
I have rarely been moved by a books as I was Double Vision. I cannot wait to place it on my bookshelf.
William Middleton brilliantly chronicles their lives from their beginnings in France and Germany to their final days. Their courtship is an enchanting love story told through letters and anecdotes. Their deaths are so thoughtfully discussed, I was moved to tears.
I have rarely been moved by a books as I was Double Vision. I cannot wait to place it on my bookshelf.
November 6, 2022
This behemoth of a book goes into detail of the history of the Schlumberger and deMenil families, with an extremely detailed look into the lives of John and Dominique de Menil. It seems that much of the detail came from Dominique's daily notes, as well as correspondence between the two.
While it is a fascinating look into the many individuals that the de Menils knew and interacted with during their lifetimes, as well as their many accomplishments, there is something a little too perfunctory about the writing.
While it is a fascinating look into the many individuals that the de Menils knew and interacted with during their lifetimes, as well as their many accomplishments, there is something a little too perfunctory about the writing.
September 24, 2023
Fascinating and very well researched
This is a very engaging book about the de Menil origins and their influence on modern art and collecting. I live within a mile of the Menil museum campus and feel very privileged to see the collections and new exhibits so up close and personal. Middleton has done an incredible job with the history of both the Schlumberger and de Menil families. I was really enthralled by it. Highly recommended!
This is a very engaging book about the de Menil origins and their influence on modern art and collecting. I live within a mile of the Menil museum campus and feel very privileged to see the collections and new exhibits so up close and personal. Middleton has done an incredible job with the history of both the Schlumberger and de Menil families. I was really enthralled by it. Highly recommended!
November 1, 2019
Takes a while to get going, as they were not particularly remarkable people in their youth, but once they get to Houston, man did they lead interesting lives. The story about how they managed to pull together a Van Gogh exhibit in Houston in the 1950s would be worth a whole movie, and here it's just couple of pages amongst so many other amazing stories.
October 2, 2018
This book functions better as a history of Schlumberger oil than a story of a celebrated art collection. The de Menils seem like nice people who worked hard, but perhaps were just not that interesting.
September 4, 2021
Living in the same neighborhood as where this family lives in Paris I had to read this unbelievable story of immense art lovers....
Written in great, important detail, this will absolutely take you into a different world and see what drives some powerful pele...
Written in great, important detail, this will absolutely take you into a different world and see what drives some powerful pele...
March 6, 2024
This splendid dual biography of Dominique and John de Menil details their unique position in the art world, their impact on Houston, Texas, and their gifted eye for contemporary art and artists … includes an extensive Bibliography … first-rate …
July 27, 2018
Fascinating! I live in Houston, it is our history. Thanks for writing!
August 14, 2018
Fascinating
October 17, 2018
Long, but fascinating read about the couple who changed Houston—and my neighborhood—for the better. It’s amazing what vision and a lot of money can do.
November 16, 2018
Brilliant historical and biographical information about an important couple in my town - Houston. Thank you!!
April 16, 2019
ok
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2021
Incredibly well researched and written.
February 21, 2022
Astounding.
July 22, 2023
It's not Paris,
Houston, Texas,
But they rendered it sublime
With their art across all time.
Houston, Texas,
But they rendered it sublime
With their art across all time.
November 4, 2023
An extremely well written hagiography with many unanswered questions.
Read
January 6, 20248000898
bibliophile
January 6, 20248000898
October 12, 2022
This is an incredibly comprehensive book, providing details of the ancestry of both Dominique and John de Menil, their eventual foray into the art world, and finally recognition as arbiters of modern art. It could also have used some judicious editing to make for easier reading. At 657 pages, not only do we learn of John and Dominique's innermost thoughts, gathered, no doubt from letters and diaries, but we discover much about their associates and the artists with whom they worked. While it was interesting to read how the de Menils launched many artists' and architects' careers, I wanted to know more about the de Menils. What visionary and humanitarian people! And never any pretentiousness. Dominique flew economy when she easily could have flown business class. The world lost so much when first John died, and 24 years later, Dominique followed. I don't see another couple today who can match their energy, compassion, humility, and generosity. I am in their thrall, and now am prouder to live in Houston, where they decided to make their permanent home. Yeah, even I wonder about that. Houston? Really?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews