As one of the largest cities in the country as well as one of the largest metropolitan areas, Dallas has an arts, entertainment and cultural scene to compliment its overall size and significance. There are many landmarks and cultural attractions that are unique and specific to the city and many of its institutions have become icons of the city. The art scene is diverse and there are multiple museums to represent all forms of art. The Nasher Sculpture Center is a great example of this. It is located in the heart of the Dallas Arts District and is directly adjacent to the Dallas Museum of Art. Both establishments provide a full day’s worth of great artistic experience for residents and guests who are staying in one of Dallas’ hotels.
The sculpture museum was established by Raymond and Patsy Nasher who had spent years amassing a large collection of great works and dreaming of a museum that was specifically designed to display sculpture. Some of the artists they had accumulated works of include Joan Miro, Auguste Rodin, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Willem de Kooning and many others. In addition, Raymond had been the original owner of NorthPark Center.
When the Nashers were finally at a point where they could realize their dream they brought in Renzo Piano, a Pritzker Prize winning architect, to design the center, which stands on a 2.4 acre lot. Piano completed the project in collaboration with Peter Walker, a landscape architect who worked on the design of the two acre sculpture garden. The Nasher collection continues to grow and the museum showcases the permanent collection as well as special exhibits from other collections and museums. There are also popular monthly events hosted by the center and they include the Target First Saturday for children and families and the NasherSalon, which hosts distinguished speakers on sculpture, architecture and other cultural elements.