The following essay is an excerpt from the 2003 publication Dallas Museum of Art 100 Years. 

In the Dallas Morning News on August 26, 1993, art critic Janet Kutner announced, "The Dallas Museum of Art has acquired a spectacular inlaid mahogany cabinet that is considered one of the most important examples of Spanish furniture in the world. Made during the late 17th century ..., the cabinet was purchased for the Dallas Museum of Art by The Eugene McDermott Foundation.

The Hohokam people, who lived in present-day south central Arizona, had developed a significant pottery tradition by about 500 CE. Hohokam ceramics are easily recognized by their buff‑colored clay and dark red painting. Fluid brushwork, spontaneous in effect yet precisely controlled, depicts both highly stylized life forms and a variety of geometric motifs.

This untitled, 1988 "stack" by Donald Judd embodies all the finest qualities of the artist's work: uncompromising literalness, lush materiality, and seductive color. In this work, Judd plays with the question of what essential elements make up a sculpture.

Mimbres potters developed one of the Southwest’s most appealing painting styles, distinguished by geometric compositions and narrative imagery that provides an eloquent record of Mimbres life. The painting on many Mimbres vessels suggests concepts of sacred space or cosmic geography.

Mimbres potters developed one of the Southwest’s most appealing painting styles, distinguished by geometric compositions and narrative imagery that provides an eloquent record of Mimbres life. The painting on many Mimbres vessels suggests concepts of sacred space or cosmic geography.