30 Places to Go Deep in the Art of Texas

There’s a time-tested saying that “everything’s bigger in Texas”—and it certainly holds true for the state’s art scene. Contrary to the belief of many who reside outside the Lone Star State, Texas has plenty of art options outside of the famously hip state capital of Austin. No small wonder, either. The state is so large that if you were to drive the width of Texas due west from New York City, you’d overshoot Chicago by about 40 miles. And in that vast expanse are artistic testaments big and small, but mostly big, to the state’s oddest characters and stories. 

From a giant Sam Houston statue north of the city that bears his name to the sprawling sculptures outside of Marfa to the west, the art scene in Texas defies any one label. Like the state, it is big, it is diverse, and it simply has to be visited in person. There’s a cowpoke Jesus in a (relatively) northern one-horse town, a giant eyeball in Dallas, and more than one replica Stonehenge. To see it all, all you need is a thirst for adventure—though a car certainly helps.