When it rains in Austin the Blanton is the easy answer from West Campus, because it is on the university’s own campus, a ten-minute walk from our homes without ever crossing a main road. It is the University of Texas art museum, one of the largest university art museums in the country, and it is a calm, well-lit place to spend a wet afternoon.
The collection runs from European old masters through Latin American modern art, which is a particular strength, to contemporary work. It is big enough to fill three hours and small enough that you can see the highlights in one. Ellsworth Kelly’s “Austin”, the pale stone chapel with coloured glass windows on the lawn outside, is the thing people come for, and on a grey day the light inside it is better than in sunshine.
Admission is free on Tuesdays and modest the rest of the week. There is a good cafe on the ground floor for lunch. The museum is closed on Mondays.
If the rain keeps on, the LBJ Presidential Library is a ten-minute walk east across campus, and the Harry Ransom Center, with one of the five complete Gutenberg Bibles in America, is a five-minute walk west. Between the three you can lose a whole wet day without getting in the car.
