Rothko Chapel
Philip Johnson + Howard Barnstone + Eugene Aubry · Houston, United States · 1971
The Rothko Chapel is a small octagonal sanctuary organized around fourteen large paintings by Mark Rothko. Architecture and art were developed together, with the restrained brick exterior leading into an interior where controlled overhead light establishes a meditative atmosphere. Philip Johnson began the design, which was subsequently developed by Howard Barnstone and Eugene Aubry in close dialogue with Rothko. Opened in 1971, the chapel is an influential example of sacred space created through minimal geometry, diffuse light and non-denominational contemplation.