About

The Blaffer Art Museum is the contemporary art museum of the University of Houston.

Founded in 1973, the Blaffer endeavors to further the understanding of contemporary art through exhibitions, publications, and public programs. As the gateway between the University of Houston’s Central campus and the City of Houston, Blaffer Art Museum is a catalyst for creative innovation, experimentation, and scholarship. Its exhibitions and programs are FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, create community through dialogue and participation, and inspire an appreciation for the visual arts as a vital force in shaping contemporary culture.

History

Blaffer Art Museum was named in honor of the late Sarah Campbell Blaffer, a noted Houston art patron and collector. On the occasion of the building of a new $5.3 million Fine Arts Center at the University of Houston, Blaffer, the daughter of William Thomas Campbell, founder of Texaco, and wife of Robert E. Lee Blaffer, founder of Humble Oil (later Exxon), promised major works of art in her collection toward the building of a teaching collection housed at the University.

Dedicated on March 13, 1973, the new museum immediately became a vital force in the presentation and promotion of the visual arts in Houston. Read more.

University of Houston Public Art Collection

On September 6, 1966, the University of Houston Board of Regents and then President Philip Hoffman established a policy which dedicated 1% of the construction costs of all future building projects to the acquisition of works of art. The University of Houston was undergoing an unprecedented building boom, and they believed a public art program would greatly enhance the campus as well as the prestige of the University. The University was the first state institution to establish a percent-for-art program. Read more.