Uploaded June 2018 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Joint biographies are notoriously tricky to balance, but once in a blue moon a book arrives that does so with a vengeance. Enter William Middleton's chef d'oeuvre, "Double Vision", a 700-page whopper, but a study of equals if ever there were one.
By the time Monsieur le Baron Jean Menu de Menil finally Americanised his name in 1949, having exchanged a life of both wealth and privilege in France for Houston, running the oil services colossus, Schlumberger, he had used a banking background and a brilliant marriage to consolidate both a stranglehold on the drilling industry and a lifelong love of art.
His equally remarkable wife, Dominique, a Schlumberger herself, shared his cultural vision entirely. Opinionated and sometimes imperious, but focussed and determined, she and her husband together amassed one of the most important private collections of art in the 20th century, ranging from Paleolithic bone carvings to works by Picasso, Braque, Magritte, Calder and Johns.
Their masterstroke, however, was to commission their own museum, which opened in 1987. Designed by the distinguished Italian architect, Renzo Piano, to house over 10,000 hand-picked pieces, this noble achievement has since become a Houston landmark, setting the tone for many an elegant building since.
The tale of this power couple and their astonishing French background is remarkable in itself. Their biographer, however, has performed a miracle of his own. The prodigious research that went into this book is staggering; and despite a somewhat wooden style, has metamorphosed into a riveting blend of business, social and cultural history that fills an enormous gap.
For all its length, a fascinating read.
More art biographies at
bookreviewsandvideos.com/category/art-book-reviews
Joint biographies are notoriously tricky to balance, but once in a blue moon a book arrives that does so with a vengeance. Enter William Middleton's chef d'oeuvre, "Double Vision", a 700-page whopper, but a study of equals if ever there were one.
By the time Monsieur le Baron Jean Menu de Menil finally Americanised his name in 1949, having exchanged a life of both wealth and privilege in France for Houston, running the oil services colossus, Schlumberger, he had used a banking background and a brilliant marriage to consolidate both a stranglehold on the drilling industry and a lifelong love of art.
His equally remarkable wife, Dominique, a Schlumberger herself, shared his cultural vision entirely. Opinionated and sometimes imperious, but focussed and determined, she and her husband together amassed one of the most important private collections of art in the 20th century, ranging from Paleolithic bone carvings to works by Picasso, Braque, Magritte, Calder and Johns.
Their masterstroke, however, was to commission their own museum, which opened in 1987. Designed by the distinguished Italian architect, Renzo Piano, to house over 10,000 hand-picked pieces, this noble achievement has since become a Houston landmark, setting the tone for many an elegant building since.
The tale of this power couple and their astonishing French background is remarkable in itself. Their biographer, however, has performed a miracle of his own. The prodigious research that went into this book is staggering; and despite a somewhat wooden style, has metamorphosed into a riveting blend of business, social and cultural history that fills an enormous gap.
For all its length, a fascinating read.
More art biographies at
bookreviewsandvideos.com/category/art-book-reviews
