Raymond D. Nasher, an arts patron who helped establish museums in Texas and North Carolina and made a fortune in banking and real estate, died. He was 85.
Nasher died Friday in a Dallas hospital, said Elliot Cattarulla, the executive director of the Nasher Foundation. Cattarulla declined to release additional details, citing the wishes of the Nasher family.
Nasher and his late wife, Patsy, amassed what one expert described as the "world's greatest private collection of modern and contemporary sculpture." The real estate developer was also considered a pioneer in placing sculptures in commercial retail complexes.
The Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, which opened in 2003, includes pieces by Willem de Kooning, Paul Gauguin and Pablo Picasso.
In 2005, the Nasher Museum of Art opened at Duke University, his alma mater. Nasher donated $10 million to fund construction of the $23 million museum and loaned his private collection for its exhibits. On display there were Andy Warhol portraits of his wife and their three daughters — Andrea, Joanie and Nancy — that had previously hung only in the hallway outside the Nashers' bedroom.
