Visual Arts

04:20 PM CDT on Tuesday, May 2, 2006

1. Janine Antoni Saddle, 2000. Rawhide, edition 1st of 5; 251/2 by 321/2 by 781/2 inches.

NATHAN HUNSINGER/DMN

"Janine is one of our young artists, and so much of her work is about mother/daughter bonding in a nurturing way. She did this piece while living with a family on a farm – the hide provides shelter for her body, and the animal while it was living would have given milk." Cindy Rachofsky

2. Louise Bourgeois Cell (You Better Grow Up), 1993. Steel, glass, marble, ceramic and wood. 83 by 82 by 831/2 inches.

"We needed a grounding work for the identity side of the collection, and Louise Bourgeois has dealt with identity issues for more than 50 years. The Cell resembles a jail, but it really represents the self, given the reflective mirrors inside, and the image of one large hand holding two smaller ones, which suggests the psychological dependency of a child." Howard Rachofsky

3. Félix González-Torres Untitled (Perfect Lovers), 1987-1990. Wall clocks, edition 2nd of 3, 131/2 by 27 by 11/4 inches (overall); Dallas Museum of Art, part of a fractional gift of 19 objects valued at $5 million that the Rachofskys made in late 2001.

"It's one of the great pieces in contemporary art history because he took $9.95 clocks, totally inconsequential things, and turned them into a powerful statement about the nature of life and mortality." H.R.

"It's also a metaphor about personal relationships – no matter how much you're in sync with someone, there's always that which is a little bit off." C.R.

4. Jim Hodges Complete/Dissolve, 2000. Silk flowers, pins, 91 by 86 inches.

"We wanted to commission a piece of art for our wedding, and we chose Jim because he's such a sensitive soul. I can't think of another artist who would do a more personal work – he sent us a questionnaire that we had to send back separately, and I talked about my thoughts on looking at the beauty of water. We liked what he did so much that it was the only art we had up for the reception held at the Rachofsky House." C.R.

5. Donald Judd Untitled, 1965. Stainless steel with fluorescent plexiglass, 20 by 48 by 34 inches.

"This early floor piece, with its brilliant color, has all the vestiges of Judd exploring the precisely made form, but with an edge to it because it's held together with little hooks and wire so there's a certain precarious character – almost like an idea in formation." H.R.

6. Jeff Koons Balloon Flower (Magenta),

1995-2000. Stainless steel with transparent color coating, 114 by 132 by 108 inches.

"It's a happy piece – everybody loves it." C.R.

"It's part of Jeff's 'Celebration' series, and he actually envisioned it for the pond on the grounds of the Rachofsky House. But getting it was a long and laborious process because it had to be fabricated in Germany." H.R.

7. Mario Merz Untitled, 1969. Neon and hay. 127 by 44 by 40 inches.

"It's a great tie to American minimalism using the humble materials favored by the Arte Povera group of Italy. Where Judd's work is so refined, Merz did something wonderfully creative with the two most primitive materials of their ilk, straw and neon." H.R.

8. Bruce Nauman Shadow Puppet/Spinning Head, 1990. Wax, sheet, video projector, video monitor, videotape player, videotape. Installation dimensions variable. Joint purchase with the DMA.

"We own two Nauman videos, but his principal works are these eccentric objects with sound – there's that whole sense of discomfort about being in a Bruce Nauman environment. He's an artist the museum wanted to represent in a meaningful way, and the opportunity presented itself for us to make a meaningful contribution." H.R.

9. Mark Quinn Self II, 1998. Blood, stainless steel, perspex and refrigeration equipment. 82 by 243/4 by 243/4 inches. DMA, fractional gift.

"It's the ultimate self-portrait – this is his blood in his image. At first blush it seems controversial until you think about our blood being the essence of what keeps us alive." H.R.

"I call it 'our best creative buzz piece.' We want people to interact with our collection and go away thinking about what they've seen, and this is something they can really sink their teeth into." C.R.

10. Gerhard Richter Demo, 1997. Oil on canvas, 243/8 by 243/8 inches.

"It's an image of a street demonstration in Cologne, and as far we know this is the only political painting Richter did during the 1990s. It refers back to his famous Baader-Meinhof paintings of 1977, politically charged images of a group of young radicals who were found dead in their jail cells." H.R.