Dallas and Fort Worth Art Scene
I just returned from a wonderful weekend of viewing art in Dallas and Fort Worth Texas. The trip was arranged by the Auxiliary Board of the Art Institute of Chicago of which I have been a member for almost 15 years. I had not been in Dallas for quite some time and was impressed with the growth of the mid-town area just north of downtown. I liked seeing the Dallas Museum of Art and was so impressed with the generous gifts that three prominent Dallas families, the Roses, Rachofskys and Hoffmans have made to the museum. I was even more impressed with the new Nasher Sculpture Center next door. Raymond Nasher personally guided us through his outstanding new museum which was designed by Renzo Piano. Don’t miss the wonderful works by Matisse!In Ft. Worth, we toured the museum campus which include the Kimball designed by Louis Kahn, the new Modern designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando and the Amon Carter which was designed by Philip Johnson. The Kimball has a wonderful collection of European paintings, and the Amon Carter an equally impressive collection of American paintings, bronzes, prints and drawings and photographs. As far as the Modern goes, I loved the building but was not impressed by the collection.
We also toured four private homes and collections including those of Rusty and Deedie Rose designed by Anton Predoc, the Rachofsky House owned by Cindie and Howard Rachofsky which was designed by Richard Meier and the home of Charles and Jessie Price which was designed by Stephen Holl. The highlight was Raymond Nasher’s private home with outstanding garden and sculpture park. This 1949 home is exquisite in every detail and filled with magnificent art.
When in Dallas, make sure you try Stephen Pyles and Abacus for Dinner. We had two wonderful meals. Both have top ratings according to Texas Monthly Magazine. We stayed at the Crescent Court which was a lovely hotel just north of downtown.
