Linda Pace founded Artpace in 1995. Now its enchilada-colored headquarters on San Antonio’s North Main Street is an internationally renowned incubator of contemporary art and artists.

An artist herself, Pace used to sketch her dreams, believing they unlocked truths whispered from her unconscious mind. In late 2006, she dreamt there was a crab in the backseat of her car. In January 2007, she learned she had breast cancer. It was not lost on Pace that crabs have their place in the zodiac as the symbols for Cancer. She died the summer following her diagnosis. 

But a group of world-renowned curators continue to select local, national and international artists for the organization’s residency program, which has produced several Turner Prize contemporary art award winners and MacArthur grant nominees. The Linda Pace Foundation now manages Pace’s personal collection of contemporary art. Much of it is strewn about the top floors of the Camp Street building, where Pace owned a sixth floor loft, and in the adjacent foundation offices.

The foundation, formed in January of 2008, is Artpace’s major donor, but it also seeks to fulfill a plan Pace started before her death: She had recruited famed architect David Adjaye to design a public exhibition space for her art collection. One early, working model looks like a contemporary ruby city.

Before any such public place comes to fruition, take a sneak peek at some highlights of the late artist and art advocate’s collection.