(March 17, 2007)--Arts patron Raymond D. Nasher, who helped establish museums in Texas and North Carolina, died Friday.

He was 85.

A spokesman for his arts foundations says Nasher died in a Dallas hopsital.

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, including the NorthPark Center in Dallas.

The Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas includes pieces by Willem de Kooning, Paul Gauguin and Pablo Picasso.

Nasher served on the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities under the last three presidents.

Since 1995 he has served on the Council on Foreign Relations.

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