Former Director and Director Emeritus of the Dallas Museum of Art
January 16, 2024
The Dallas Museum of Art is deeply saddened by the loss of Harry S. Parker III, one of the most
influential directors of the Dallas Museum of Art. Harry Parker transformed the Dallas Museum of Art
from a regional institution into a museum of global stature, and in doing so, he played a pivotal role in
making Dallas an international powerhouse of the visual arts. During his 13-year tenure, from 1974 to
1987, he spearheaded the development of the Museum’s new home in downtown Dallas, where it
served as the cornerstone for the Dallas Arts District and catalyst for its development over the next
three decades. In coordination with the Museum’s new home, Mr. Parker mounted a campaign to build
its encyclopedic collections including the Nora and John Wise collection of Ancient American Art and the
Schindler Collection of African Art.
As Director, Mr. Parker pursued an ambitious program of special exhibitions. This included fostering
collaborations with such museums as the National Gallery of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, and Los
Angeles County Museum of Art to create and mount major traveling exhibitions. The DMA also
significantly expanded its educational and public programs during this time.
In 2006 the Dallas Museum of Art named Mr. Parker Director Emeritus. The Museum also named a
curatorial position after Mr. Parker and his wife: The Ellen and Harry S. Parker III Curator of the Arts of
the Americas and the Pacific. The position was endowed by Nancy Hamon in honor of Margaret
McDermott and was a gift to the Museum’s Campaign for a New Century.
The Dallas Museum of Art will forever be grateful for his service and enormous impact. We send our
heartfelt condolences to all who knew and loved him.
“Harry Parker set and realized a vision that made the DMA and the city the international force in the art
world it is today,” said The Eugene McDermott Director Dr. Agustín Arteaga. “In doing so, he has
provided the people of Dallas and the region with a public resource of global significance and the
foundation for its ongoing growth. Thanks to his leadership, the Museum is the centerpiece of a
constellation of cultural institutions, galleries, and collectors that define and distinguish our cultural and
creative life."