MARFA: A Texas Journey

Marfa and Houston

April 2026

It has been on everyone’s art destination list for a long while, so why not finally check it off your dream list in 2026. To arrive in Marfa we will truly travel “deep into the heart of Texas.” Despite the remoteness - and it wil be a journey to get there - we will be greeted with a cultural richness of one of the country's top art destinations.

Optional First Stop– Houston, Texas!

Another “must see” on our list is the Rothko Chapel in Houston as well as the De Menil Collection and the Houston Museum of Arts. Houston is a very significant art destination and we just could not come this far without making a stop for two nights and a day, before heading to Marfa by plane and land transport. If there is interest in this visit, please let us know.

On to Marfa

There are many exciting places in Marfa and we will hit key places as an introduction to Marfa’s legacy and future as well as taking in the magic of the landscape and the desert sky!

Artists have often transformed unknown locations to serve as a blank canvas for their work. In 1971, minimalist artist Donald Judd headed west from New York in search of a place to create and permanently house his increasingly large-form sculptures and settled on the small town of Marfa. Judd found the inspiration and the bleakness of the desert to reflect and enhance his unique sensibility of minimalist art and design.

He settled on a most unlikely place at a decommissioned military base. He created the Chinati Foundation, which has become one of the country's finest exhibition spaces for contemporary installation art and put the town of Marfa on the map.

La Mansana de Chinati/The Block visits provide access to Donald Judd’s residence and studio in Marfa, the site of some of his first large-scale architectural projects.

The Studios visits provide access to a selection of Juddʼs downtown spaces, including the Architecture Office, Architecture Studio, Art Studio, and the Cobb House and Whyte Building. These spaces contain furniture by Judd, his early paintings from the 1950s and 1960s, an extensive collection of modernist and period furniture, and works by other prominent twentieth century artists and designers.

Marfa Continued…

Prada Marfa is a permanent sculptural art installation by artists Elmgreen & Dragset. The installation, in the form of a freestanding building, specifically a Prada storefront. The artists described the work as a "pop architectural land art project."  No shopping here!

Ballroom Marfa is an internationally recognized non-collecting contemporary art museum. Ballroom Marfa also commissioned the large-scale outdoor solar powered stone circle, Flower Moon, from Haroon Mirza in 2018. Inspired by ancient megaliths.

Marfa is known for both its conceptual art scene and cowboy chic vibe. Galleries and working artist studios dot the small, Old West-style town (there's only one traffic light), alongside performance spaces, retro buildings, upscale restaurants and great food. It is also the site for the filming of many famous movies like the 1956 epic Giant, which starred James Dean as a rancher turned oil tycoon, and recently, two Oscar winners, No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood. A meal at Hotel Positano was the  base for the filming of Giant with poster and memorabilia is a must.

Our Hotels in Houston and Marfa

Stay Tuned for additional information and pricing!

info@thealixexperience.com