The Nashers did not start off collecting sculpture; rather, as this section shows, they were first interested in the New York art world and American artists of their parents' generation. Through the guidance and friendship of Edith Halpert, one of the first female gallerists in New York, whom they met in 1954, they acquired early American modernist works on paper, paintings and one sculpture, which have adorned their modernist home in Dallas and are publicly exhibited here for the first time.

In 1963, an unexpected passion took hold of the Nashers when they visited Teotihuacán, Chichéén-Itzá, and other ancient American sites in western and central Mexico. Excellent examples of the more than 188 works they acquired in the 1960s are shown along with two other parallel passions, Navajo rugs and early 20th-century Guatemalan textiles. The Nashers' interest in other cultures also led to fine purchases of African and Oceanic art. The formative role of these objects is suggested by juxtapositions made with certain modern sculptures acquired later, which embody similar formalistic or conceptual qualities.

Patsy Nasher's adventurous spirit and intuitive ability to recognize new talent is illustrated by selections from pop and contemporary artists of the 1970s and 80s. On view are commissioned portraits by Andy Warhol of Mrs. Nasher and her three daughters; a painting she purchased directly from Jean-Michel Basquiat; and a series of Jasper Johns prints, the ink barely dry when she bought them. Many of the works chosen are a testament to Patsy Nasher's close relationships with living artists, who had great respect and affection for her. This is the period following the astounding success of the Nashers' development of NorthPark Center, the award-winning complex of stores, restaurants, cinemas, a bank and offices in North Dallas, where Mr. Nasher and his family have continued to place works from their own collection.

The first piece of modernist sculpture acquired by the Nashers, Jean Arp's Torso with Buds, purchased in 1967, is included in the exhibition. In the mid- 1980s, the Nashers made the conscious decision to collect only sculpture, adding to previous acquisitions by filling in gaps and by concentrating on collecting key artists in depth. For this section of the exhibition, both directions are represented by seminal works created by Auguste Rodin, Henri Matisse, Alberto Giacometti, Pablo Picasso, David Smith, Mark di Suvero and Carl Andre, among others. The installation of these masterpieces extends from the pavilion gallery into the great hall, the south terrace and outdoors, and is arranged in roughly the order in which they were acquired by the Nashers, to convey a sense of how the collectors' "eye" was increasingly refined over time.

The exhibition demonstrates the balance the Nashers have been able to achieve: early modern work, art of the post-war period and contemporary sculpture are all well represented, as are abstract and figurative sculpture, monumental outdoor pieces and intimate indoor works, in a very wide variety of media. The history of sculpture from the late 19th-century to the present can be taught from this one collection alone.

The complete Nasher holdings tell the story of the formation of a great sculpture collection, informed by other interests - a personal approach achieved through the remarkable synergy of a married couple with intellectual courage and inquisitiveness, who together, until Mrs. Nasher's death in 1988, agreed upon certain acquisitions that eventually formed "The Nasher Collection." Since 1989, Mr. Nasher has continued to enhance the collection, often blending his sculptural patronage with architectural commissions because he believes art "uplifts the spirit" of all who experience it.