Cowboys Stadium's $1.2 Billion Architecture Houses Museum-Quality Contemporary Art Collection

Opened on June 6, 2009, Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas, is a $1.2 billion facility boasting the world's largest retractable glass doors and an impressive HDTV video board. The stadium's contemporary art collection was privately financed by owners Jerry and Gene Jones, who enlisted consultant Mary Zlot to curate the works. This collection showcases 21 pieces from 19 artists, including notable names like Olafur Eliasson, Franz Ackermann, and Mel Bochner. Gene Jones remarked, "a great building needs great art." Among the highlights are Bochner's text painting and Ackermann's eye-catching wall-wrapping installation. The Dallas Museum of Art's exhibition Big New Field is available until February 20, 2011. Gene Jones, who began as a Norman Rockwell collector, has since shifted to contemporary art, making it accessible in main areas, with some artworks requiring tours.