This week in Texas, the Dallas Art Fair will hold its 16th edition at Fashion Industry Gallery (f.i.g.), April 4—7. With a sweeping 91 exhibitors, this year’s dynamic fair boasts a comprehensive program of in-depth artist and collector conversations, city-wide daytime events, and evening festivities that run alongside the much-anticipated event in the burgeoning Dallas Arts District.
Tom McKinley, “Delivery South America,” 2022, Oil on panel, 60 x 49 in.; © Tom McKinley, courtesy of Berggruen Gallery.
A Substantial Collector Base and Distinguished Exhibitors Underpin the Dallas Art Fair
“We’re thrilled to celebrate the sixteenth year of the fair. We owe our longevity to the loyalty and enthusiasm of our substantial collector base, as well as to the excellent taste and quality of our exhibitors,” said Kelly Cornell, Director of the Dallas Art Fair. “We have exhibitors traveling from all over the world to meet with buyers in Dallas, and it shows our city’s strength in the international art market.”
Returning International Galleries and New Gems Offer Visitors Diverse Perspectives
Galleries from around the world will return this year to the long-standing fair, including Perrotin (Hong Kong, New York, Paris, Seoul, Shanghai, Tokyo), Proyectos Monclova (Mexico City), Alexander Berggruen (New York), and Luis De Jesus Los Angeles (Los Angeles). Gems such as Pencil on Paper (Dallas), Amanita (New York, Florence), Veta by Fer Francés (Madrid), Hostler Burrows (New York, Los Angeles), and Sow & Tailor (Los Angeles) will grace the Dallas Art Fair with their presence for the very first time.
Kikuo Saito (1939 – 2016), “Blue Train,” 2010, Oil on canvas, 63 3/4 x 59 5/8 in.; © The Estate of Kikuo Saito, courtesy Berry Campbell, New York.
Artists Anna Kunz, Madeline Peckenpaugh, and More bring Singular Artistry to Dallas
Berggruen unveils artist Anna Kunz’s Beacon Over Overpass (2024), a prismatic, abstract view of the thoroughfares that make up our daily commutes, as well as visionary Madeline Peckenpaugh’s Thermal (2024), a lush and sensorial ode to autumn. Deli Gallery (New York, Mexico City) offers the deft artistry of Andrea Smith, whose mesmeric work of oil and acrylic on canvas titled A Sign (Divine Essence) (2022) conjures poignant meditation on history, mythology, and transcendence. In addition, Deli unveils the evocative universe of Sergio Miguel, whose surreal masterpiece Juan (2023) places the fantastical and shadowy inner world of childhood front and center.
Madeline Peckenpaugh, “Thermal, ”2024, oil on canvas, 60 x 60 in.; © Madeline Peckenpaugh, courtesy of the artist and Alexander Berggruen, NY.
Multifaceted and Jubilant Day-to-Night Programming Inspires and Engages All Ages
Throughout the engaging week, a diverse array of programming will inspire all ages at the intersection of art, culture, and community. On April 5, the Artist Talk “Who’s Afraid of Cartoony Figuration?” will bring Alison M. Gingeras, the Adjunct Curator of Dallas Contemporary, together with explorative, multi-generational creatives who spotlight urgent modern-day topics by way of skillful humor in comics, cartoons, commercial illustration for staggering effect. Artists such as Umar Rashid, Sally Saul, and Tabboo! will engage in a thoughtful audience question and answer session on their latest exhibition at the city’s pioneering gallery,
A must-see panel discussion later that day will unite Komal Shah, the trailblazing North American collector and esteemed trustee of the San Francisco Museum of Art, with Katherine Brodeck, the Dallas Museum of Art’s Hoffman Family Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, in a powerful dialogue on the gravity of representing diverse voices within private collections as well as museum settings.
Sergio Miguel, “Juan,” 2023, Oil on canvas 36 × 23 1/4 in.; courtesy of the artist and Deli Gallery, New York, Mexico City.
Events continue that evening with Design District Art Night, where galleries in the stunning neighborhood, such as PDNB, Cris Worley Fine Arts, and Holly Johnson Gallery, open their doors for art appreciation under the moonlight, while River Bend offers culinary delights and refreshing beverages for visitors. That same evening, AURORA and Downtown Dallas, Inc. unveil “Video Art Nights,” an experiential exhibition in the open air at Pegasus Plaza alongside live music with DJ Blake.
Andrea Smith, “A Sign (Divine Essence),” 2022, Oil and acrylic on canvas 40 × 35 in.; courtesy of the artist and Deli Gallery, New York, Mexico City.
What is the Dallas Art Fair?
In the heart of the downtown Arts District, the Dallas Art Fair offers collectors, arts professionals, and the public the opportunity to engage with a rich selection of modern and contemporary artworks presented by leading global and local galleries. Curated exhibitions and programming encourage lively conversations in the city’s robust and rapidly growing arts community. At the center of culture and commerce, the fair has become a powerful economic engine for the city and region.
The Dallas Art Fair is located at the Fashion Industry Gallery in the vibrant Dallas Arts District. The 68-acre district is home to many world-renowned performing and visual arts organizations and some of our city’s most significant cultural landmarks including; The Annette Strauss Artist Square, the Belo Mansion, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Theater Center/Arts District Theater, Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, Nasher Sculpture Center, Klyde Warren Park, the Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, The Eye at The Joule, and the Fashion Industry Gallery. The exhibition space is a 74,000-square-foot mid-century modern building with customized booths, polished concrete floors, natural lighting, and a spacious lobby and intimate lounge.
The Dallas Art Fair Foundation’s mission is to promote the appreciation of the arts in Dallas, Texas. Through the annual Dallas Art Fair Foundation Preview Benefit we have raised over two million dollars since inception for the beneficiaries. This year the beneficiaries are the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center and Dallas Contemporary. In addition to working with these institutions, the Dallas Art Fair Foundation started the Dallas Art Fair Foundation + Dallas Museum of Art Acquisition Fund in 2016. What started with $50,000 in 2016, doubled to $100,000 in 2017. To date, we have raised nearly $750,000 for the Fund to acquire over 45 artworks for the permanent collection at the Dallas Museum of Art from the Dallas Art Fair. – Source
