changing teams

Friendly art heist: Menil Collection snags CAMH curator Toby Kamps

Toby Kamps, The Menil Collection's new Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art
Photo by Anton Henning
Barnaby Furnas, "John Brown," 2005 (from award-winning exhibition, "Old, WeirdAmerica")
Bruce Nauman, "The True Artist Helps the World by Revealing Mystic Truths(Window or Wall Sign), 1967
Bruce Nauman, "Self Portrait as a Fountain," 1966

Is Houston art world incest on the rise? After an extensive search (that involved national and international candidates), The Menil Collection has named Toby Kamps, currently senior curator at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, as the museum's new curator of modern and contemporary art.

Kamps is coming off of a three-and-a-half year stint at the CAMH, to which he brought national acclaim with such exhibitions as 2008's The Old, Weird America, a study of folk themes in contemporary art, winning a "Best Thematic Show Nationally" award from the U.S. chapter of the International Association of Art Critics. At the CAMH, Kamps cultivated a reputation for curating exhibition programs that travelled to other museums, accompanied by critically praised catalogues.

The art arena's merry-go-round of curatorial posts makes for an interesting study: For example, Kamps will be replacing Franklin Sirmans, who moved to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art earlier this year. Sirmans was recruited by LACMA director Michael Govan, who previously collaborated with the curator when the two worked at New York's Dia Art Foundation — an organization founded in part by Philippa de Menil, daughter of Dominique de Menil.

"Following Toby's expression of interest in coming to the Menil and our thorough interview process, I am most pleased that we found our ideal candidate right here in Houston," Josef Helfenstein, director of The Menil Collection, said. "He brings impressive credentials, national and international experience and a real enthusiasm to the Menil as we move forward, building upon the legacy of its founders."

Kamps' rise as seasoned purveyor of modern and contemporary art began with his earning a bachelor's degree in German from Bowdoin College, after which he studied art history at Kunsthistorisches Institut at the Free University in Berlin, eventually returning to the U.S. to earn a master's degree from Williams College. Working at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, he co-edited the comprehensive catalogue raisonné of conceptual artist Bruce Nauman.

Other accolades include serving as curator and department head at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, where he led the collections committee and was active in identifying and presenting works of art for acquisition. Leaving the CAMH, a decidedly non-collecting institution, Kamps will reenter a realm of museum work where he can draw upon a potent permanent collection.

"The Menil has been a model and inspiration to me since I first visited the museum in 1991," Kamps said. "I am tremendously excited about organizing exhibitions in the Menil's beautiful spaces and working with — and building — its extraordinary collection. The institution's emphasis on spirituality, diversity and social justice resonates with my own interests, and its amazing holdings provide a unique and thrilling context for aesthetic and life-engaged thinking."

Once Kamps assumes his post, we can expect future exhibitions with a broad range of modern-and-contemporary subjects, including major surveys of internationally known artists, provocative thematic shows, and intimate project-style endeavors — geared to engage general and academic audiences alike. To date, Kamps' projects have been characteristic simply for their breadth of media, spotlighting painting, sculpture, photography, installation and sound.

"We look forward to Toby's arrival," Helfenstein said. "At the Menil, he will continue to expand his range as a curator with eye-opening exhibitions, scholarly publications and exciting programs."

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Movie Review

Daniel Craig shines in Queer, an unapologetic tale of love and loss

Photo courtesy of A24

Drew Starkey and Daniel Craig in Queer.

As recently as the late 2010s, if a movie was made about an LGBTQ+ character, it was more than likely about their coming out experience. Romance, if it existed, was typically chaste, and actual sex was almost completely out of the question. Things have changed dramatically in the 2020s, to the point that a major movie star has no issue starring in a film called Queer.

Based on the 1985 novella by William S. Burroughs, the film features William Lee (Daniel Craig), whom everyone calls just Lee, a writer living in 1950s-era Mexico City who spends most of his time haunting local bars with friends like fellow writer Joe Guidry (Jason Schwartzman) and hitting on younger men. His early interactions in the film seem to indicate that Lee has a bad reputation within the local gay community, as multiple people avoid him or give him odd looks.

Lee senses an opportunity when he encounters a newcomer, Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey). Despite some awkward interactions, the two of them start spending time together, although Lee has much more invested in the relationship than Eugene does. Their hit-and-miss bond continues until Lee, who’s starting to get into drugs in addition to the booze, convinces Eugene to accompany him on a trip to South America.

Directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes (making their second straight film together after Challengers), early on the film seems to be mostly about the divide between an older person who’s grown comfortable in his ways and a younger person who’s living a relatively carefree life. The introduction of drugs into the plot changes things, though, with Lee searching out more ways to open his eyes to what the world has to offer.

Guadagnino and his team use some interesting visual storytelling techniques to introduce ideas that may not be present in the actual script. The most successful, demonstrated in multiple scenes, is the superimposition of movements by Lee over what’s actually taking place in the scene. The subtle overlay gives the audience insight into Lee’s true feelings, showing what he can’t or won’t say out loud.

Music also plays a big part in how the plot is perceived, with the use of anachronistic songs from Nirvana and Prince serving to heighten certain moments. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is not as in-your-face as the one they did for Challengers, but it complements the film well, especially when the plot starts to get trippy in its final half hour.

Craig, who appears sweaty and disheveled for much of the film, is about as far from the suaveness of James Bond as you can get in this role. He takes multiple risks with his performance and almost all of them pay off. Starkey’s character is subdued by comparison, but still comes off well. Schwartzman and Lesley Manville are given showy roles, with both using altered appearances that make them nearly unrecognizable to deliver memorable performances.

Queer is not as accessible as Challengers was storytelling-wise, but the fact that it tells a story about gay men living their lives as they see fit with no interference or questions shows how far the film world has come in a short period of time. It also continues Guadagnino’s streak of making audacious films in a way that few other filmmakers are willing or able to approach.

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Queer is now playing in theaters.

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