Museum of Fine Arts, Houston showcases French great's lost masterpiece

Eugène Delacroix, Women of Algiers in Their Apartment, 1833–34

Eugène Delacroix's Women of Algiers in Their Apartment will go on view at the Museum on October 3

Museum of Fine Arts Courtesy Photo

A lost painting by one of the greats of the 18th century, French romantic period, Eugène Delacroix, has not only been found, but will soon have a new Texas home at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. This masterwork, Women of Algiers in Their Apartment (1833–34) is an early version of Delacroix’s monumental Femmes d’Alger (1834), now part of the Louvre’s collection.

The last known whereabouts of the painting, which sold in 1850, and the story of what happened to the Women of Algiers remained a mystery for more than 150 years. Only in 2018 did the painting reappear when a Paris collector asked Paris gallerist Philippe Mendes to authenticate. The painting was indeed then authenticated by Delacroix expert Virginie Cauchi-Fatiga and then exhibited for the first time this summer at Galerie Philippe Mendes, Paris.

“After months of speculation about the destination of this truly extraordinary painting, I am very pleased to say that Delacroix’s first, long-lost Femmes d’Alger will have a public and permanent home here in Houston,” explained MFAH director Gary Tinterow, in a statement. “Women of Algiers in Their Apartment is a landmark addition to our collections.”

When Delacroix was 32 he joined a diplomatic mission to Algiers led by by the Comte de Mornay after France invaded North Africa in 1830. Invited into the homes of Moroccan Jewish and Muslim families, he sketched and painted scenes of everyday life seldom seen by his fellow French citizens. Comte de Mornay, who led the mission, would purchase Women of Algiers in Their Apartment from Delacroix but then sell it in 1850, when it disappeared from art record, until now.

The painting depicts the private sanctuary of the women and their maidservants who lived in the home of an Algerian official and reveals an intriguing story to be interpreted by the viewer. Both the Louvre painting and a third version of the scene now part of the the collection of the Musée Fabre in Montpellier influenced Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Picasso.

The MFAH has no intention of keeping this phenomenal acquisition private for long, so Women of Algiers in Their Apartment will go on view to the city, and world, at the museum on October 3.

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let's roll

Soccer star and Grammy-winning singer will lead Houston Art Car Parade

Courtesy of the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art

Art Car weekend returns April 9-12.

If you see a lot of unusual-looking automobiles on the streets and freeways next month, it’ll be for one simple reason: the Art Car Parade is back.

The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art announced the return of the Houston Art Car Parade Weekend presented by Team Gillman, taking place Thursday, April 9 through Sunday, April 12. This will culminate in the Houston Art Car Parade – its 39th – on Saturday, April 11, featuring more than 250 one-of-a-kind, rolling works of art.

The four-day celebration transforms the city into a canvas of color, creativity, and community, with the parade serving as the weekend’s crowning spectacle, drawing more than 315,000 spectators annually and making it the largest free cultural event in Houston. Serving as the 2026 Featured Artist is Phillip Pyle II, a visual artist, graphic designer, and photographer whose work engages with issues of race and popular culture through the lens of graphic design.

This year’s grand marshals, former Houston Dynamo player Brian Ching and singer/The Suffers frontwoman Kam Franklin, represent two powerful pillars of Houston’s cultural identity: sports and music. Ching and Franklin join a distinguished list of past marshals, including Bun B, Carl Lewis, Marilyn Oshman, J.J. Watt, Dan Aykroyd and George Clinton.

“This year’s Orange Show Art Car Parade honors Kam Franklin and Brian Ching as Grand Marshals,” said Orange Show executive director Jack Massing. “Selected for their positive contributions as Houstonians, both are dedicated community leaders committed to fostering creativity through music and sports, helping build a happier, healthier city.”

Attendance remains free and open to the public, reinforcing the Orange Show’s mission to make art accessible to all. For those looking to immerse themselves in the parade’s energy while supporting its mission, the VIPit offers a festival-style atmosphere with limited tables and reserved grandstand seating starting at $250. Admission includes complimentary food and beverages from Houston favorites, private restrooms, and premium parade views. Proceeds directly fund year-round Art Car programming at the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, including Art Cars in Schools, a curriculum aligned with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards that brings hands-on creative learning into classrooms across the region.

For more information, visit the Orange Show website.

art car parade brian ching kam franklin houston