“Color into Light: Selections from the MFAH Collection”

As the trees drop their leaves and economic doom and gloom sound from every angle, color — pure, vibrant color — is a nice thing to spend an afternoon contemplating. It’s worth a stroll, then, over to the Museum of Fine Arts, which has gathered together the boldest, brightest works from its vast holdings for “Color into Light: Selections from the MFAH Collection.” Welcoming guests will be Henri Matisse’s 1905 work View of Collieure, which heralded a new artistic understanding of color as an abstract force as well as a literal one. From the highly popular (Mark Rothko) to the avant garde (video artist Bill Viola), the artists represented hail from Europe, the U.S. and Latin America — and painting is just the beginning. From Carlos Cruz-Diez’s room-sized installation Cromosaturaciónto Abraham Palatnik’s light boxes to video installations and web-based interactive pieces, the works selected are an impressive trove from a museum anxious to show how its collection has broadened over the past 25 years. Whether you’re into the Color Field artists, the New York School or just plain old reds, blues and yellows, “Color into Light” should brighten your mood. 12:15 to 7 p.m. Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Through March 22. 1001 Bissonnet. For information, call 713-639-7300 or visit www.mfah.org. $7.
Tuesdays-Sundays. Starts: Dec. 13. Continues through March 22, 2008