The Epitome of Desire [Hardcover]

Robert A. Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 2004

This is an American story that reminds us of the possibilities our nation offers. It's the story of the son of a Russian immigrant, Ray Nasher, who was born in Boston, lived in a three-decker house, and graduated from that great democratizer, Boston Latin School. It's the story of his entrepreneurial success in Texas and his marriage to Patsy and their creation, over the course of more than forty years, of one of the greatest sculpture collections of the twentieth century. It's also the story of how that sculpture collection and the Nashers were courted by the most powerful art institutions and their directors--the National Gallery and its director, the late Carter Brown, the Guggenheim and its impresario, Thomas Krens, the Tate in London, and the Dallas Museum of Art. It's the story about how, in the end, Nasher did it his way, buying land next to the Dallas Museum and conceiving there an extraordinary sculpture center, designed by Renzo Piano, the Italian architect of unsurpassed insight into what the museum experience should be. Picasso. Matisse. Giacommetti. Moore. Brancusi. Arp. Gauguin. The giants of the twentieth century form the core of the Nasher Collection. And for Nasher, the pursuit is without end. For him the most important acquisition remains, as it does with all true collectors, the next one. This is a book about art and ambition. And, finally, the triumph of the Nashers' will to create a collection focused only on the best.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

ROBERT A. WILSON has his own Dallas-based firm, which works with some of America's leading companies to improve the caliber of their communications. Wilson has also created books, including Character Above All, Power and the Presidency, and American Greats, and has produced programs for PBS. He is married to Laura Wilson, with whom he has three sons: Andrew, Owen, and Luke.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 174 pages
• Publisher: The Ray Nasher Sculpture Garden, Dallas, Texas; First Edition edition (February 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0292702868
• ISBN-13: 978-0292702868
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,020,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars How do you create a museum?, August 21, 2004

By 

Ted Peters (Plano, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Epitome of Desire (Hardcover)

How do you create a museum? People collect. Collections evolve and are admired by others. Properly nurtured a collection may take up a life of its own. At some point it becomes a stand alone entity. Humankind has always desired to keep desirable collections of objects together in perpetuity to study and admire. And because "all this must be left behind" museums are created. Wilson's book Epitome of Desire wonderfully chronicles the life of Patsy and Raymond Nasher as they first begin their collection to the construction of magnificent new Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas. Nasher then becomes a artist when he uses his art to create a center worthy of their collection. Brought to life by such warm insights such as daughter Joanie remembering, "It was kind of fantasy and whimsical. I can remember doing my homework leaning on a Henry Moore. We were encouraged by our parents to touch the sculpture" but had to remember "don't spill anything on the carpet." Just as the collection is worthy of the Nashers, and the new Sculpture Center is worthy of the collection, Wilson's book Epitome of Desire is worthy of the story of the collection. A must read for museum professionals.