Marie-Christophe de Menil, Art Patron and Costume Designer, Dies at 92

Marie-Christophe de Menil, the heiress to the de Menil art collection and the Schlumberger Oil wealth, has passed away. Her parents founded the esteemed de Menil collection in Houston, Texas, and were responsible for the creation of the Rothko Chapel, which features 14 significant paintings by Mark Rothko. Through a trust fund, she received a 50% stake in Schlumberger Oil, which allowed her to curate a private art collection that included works from artists such as René Magritte, Barnett Newman, Willem de Kooning, Max Ernst, and Kenneth Price. From 1980 for 20 years, she worked as a costume designer for theater director Robert Wilson. De Menil was a board member of the De Menil foundation and museum from 1976 until 2009. She was married twice: first to Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman, with whom she had a daughter, Taya, and later to Chilean artist Enrique Castro-Cid for three years. Taya gave birth to her grandson, artist Dash Snow, in 1981, who passed away in 2009.