Published September 12, 2011via D Magazine. Photo Credit Tony Gutierrez.

Tony Cragg’s “Line of Thought” sculpture at the Rosewood Court complex and Jeremy Strick, director of the Nasher Sculpture Center, for Dallas snaring Cragg’s first U.S. museum exhibition in two decades. It was at a ceremony for the Rosewood work several years ago that Strick and Cragg began the conversation that led to the British sculptor’s new show here called Seeing Things, the men recalled the other day.

Cragg later returned to Dallas following that opening gambit and the conversation with Strick continued. Eventually, Cragg recalled, Strick and the Nasher “generously invited me to exhibit, and I’m very glad they did.” Recognized as one of the world’s leading sculptors, the unassuming Cragg said he’d known Nasher Sculpture Center founder Ray Nasher long before the center was built and that “the Nasher is one of the best places in the world to show sculpture.”

Typical of the pieces in the major exhibit, which opened Saturday and will continue through January 8, is “Points of View” (shown in photo by Jeanne Prejean, which, yes, shamelessly promotes D Magazine). These works from Cragg’s last 10 years are so big and heavy–they traveled to the U.S. by ship–the sculptor doubts he’ll have another American museum exhibition for another two or three years, at least.

Tony Cragg: Seeing Things was presented by The Dallas Foundation. Additional support was provided by Amy and Vernon Faulconer, David Haemisegger and Nancy Nasher, Marianne Holtermann, Joanne and Mark Giambrone, Resolution Capital, Cindy and Howard Rachofsky, The Rosewood Foundation, and Patrick and Sara Sands.