Art
Galleries • Installations
MARFA is a place for creatives. For performers, for painters, for photographers. For filmmakers, musicians, for meditators. For those that make art and for those that appreciate it. MARFA is a quiet destination in the Big Bend region of Texas that gives you the space and a slower pace to contemplate art. MARFA’s internationally-renowned art scene is inextricably linked with this iconic landscape.
In the 1970s, New York minimalist Donald Judd moved to MARFA, drawn by the enchanting terrain beneath a large cerulean sky. He purchased several buildings for art installations, forever solidifying MARFA as a global art community. Today, you can visit Donald Judd’s buildings (at the Chinati Foundation and Judd Foundation) and tour his large-scale architecture projects, paintings, and designed furniture, alongside other artists’ exhibitions.
As you walk through town, you’ll encounter numerous MARFA art galleries inviting you in to discover local, national and international talent. There’s great depth in the type of exhibits you’ll see: textiles, paintings, photographs, performance pieces, mixed media, sound, and light. This is a place to expand your thoughts and appreciation of the arts. Know that some galleries are by appointment, but don’t be shy—call ahead; they want you to visit. The MARFA Gallery Guide will help you plan your tour of the many galleries.
MARFA art museums and spaces like Ballroom Marfa invite you to think big, even in a place that celebrates minimalism. And they provide the perfect place for an art retreat in MARFA. They showcase socially relevant works that present the world from a different angle. Consider planning your visit around the many MARFA art festivals throughout the year.
Art in MARFA won’t tell you what to think, but it might get you thinking.
Galleries
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Anne Marie Nafziger Studio
Ann Marie Nafziger is an abstract painter who lives and works in Marfa. View her work online and schedule an appointment to visit her downtown studio at annmarienafziger.com.
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Art Blocks
Art Blocks is dedicated to bringing compelling works of contemporary generative art to life.
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Art Blackburn
Located in a historic building in downtown Marfa, Art Blackburn is a world-class gallery specializing in fine tribal art, with nearly 40 years of experience curating rare treasures from around the world. Visit artblackburn.com or view the collection by appointment only; please call (808) 517-7154.
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Ballroom Marfa
Ballroom Marfa is a non-profit cultural space dedicated to presenting leading and cutting-edge artists working in the visual arts, performance, film, and music. The Ballroom provides a youthful, festive and colorful balance to the established Marfa art scene, and has emerged as a hub for artistic activity in the region.
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Chinati Foundation
A contemporary exhibition space presenting paintings, drawings, sculptures and installations by noted American artists. The space is characterized by minimalist installation and an atmosphere conducive to quiet reflection and contemplation of the work.
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Exhibitions 2D
A contemporary exhibition space presenting paintings, drawings, sculptures and installations by noted American artists. The space is characterized by minimalist installation and an atmosphere conducive to quiet reflection and contemplation of the work.
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Greasewood Gallery
Located in the historic Hotel Paisano, the gallery features regional artists in varied media. Multiple shows are hosted each year, check the website for details.
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Hacienda del Arcon/Building 98
The headquarters for the International Woman’s Foundation, Hacienda del Arcon is a premier training center for artistic development and healthful aging. The former Officers Club and BOQ of Fort D.A. Russell, building 98 is a venue for artist presentations, showings, and special events. Murals painted by WWII German POWs depict scenes of the Chihuahuan Desert. Make an appointment by calling (432) 202-7601.
Sunday - Tuesday (by appointment)
Wednesday - Thursday (2pm - 6pm)
Friday - Saturday (2pm - 7pm) -
Judd Foundation
Judd Foundation is a non-profit organization that facilitates public access to artist Donald Judd’s permanently installed living and working spaces in downtown Marfa. The Judd Foundation spaces include studios installed with early works by Judd, libraries, and living quarters that reflect the diversity of his life’s work.
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Marfa Open
Marfa Open is a 501(c)3 non-profit arts organization and art space with a goal of contributing to our community and offering resources and opportunities to both local and visiting artists via gallery exhibitions, events, residency opportunities, and our annual art festival.
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Marfa Studio of Arts
The Marfa Studio of arts is a non-profit organization that provides visual art classes and activities to children and teens through the school, afterschool and summer programs. Includes children’s gallery featuring artworks developed in SITES (Studio in the Elementary School).
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Martin Maria Studio
Showing work of Tom Barnes and Uta-Maria Krapf.
Wednesday - Sunday (10am - 2pm) or by appointment. Call (205) 454-9278.
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RULE Gallery
RULE Gallery, founded in 1991, has locations in Denver, CO, and Marfa, TX. RULE represents emerging and mid-career contemporary artists and artist estates, with a focus on fostering investigative art practices while developing artists’ long-term careers.
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Veldt Gallery
Fine art and photography by Donald Judd, Carl Andre, John Chamberlain and other artists associated with Chinati; plus other post ’60’s artists. Photography by Ellen Carey, Nan Goldin and others.
Installations
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Frida Kahlo Mural
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Giant Marfa Mural
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Prada Marfa
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Stone Circle Activation
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Robert Irwin's "untitled": dawn to dusk
Part of the Chinati Foundation, Robert Irwin’s untitled (dawn to dusk) is accessible by guided tour only.
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Donald Judd: 15 untitled works in concrete
Part of the Chinati Foundation, the fifteen concrete works by Donald Judd that run along the border of Chinati’s property were the first works to be installed at the museum and were cast and assembled on the site over a four-year period, from 1980 through 1984.