republic of art - View this location on map 'houston has a passel of world-class art collections to offer, so start early. at the museum of fine arts ( 713-639-7300), above, you can see excellent temporary exhibitions - a huge basquiat show will continue through mid-february - as well as everything from rembrandt to brancusi, egyptian sarcophagi to monet. a short drive away, the menil collection (1515 sul ross street, 713-525-9400) offers an extraordinary private collection open to the public since 1987. the surrealist installation is particularly good; make sure to check out the room with objects that belonged to the surrealists - just past the three extraordinary joseph cornell boxes - a collection of odd, lovely found art. (if lost, just look for the wildman costume, an alarming-looking leather body-suit covered in wood and metal spikes.) afterward, drive south to take a walk through renovated hermann park (look for the huge fountain at the north tip on hermann drive) and say hello to the monument to sam houston, the first president of what was, from 1836 to 1845, the independent republic of texas.'' New York Times 1001 bissonnet street, Houston, TX Cultural

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