The Dallas Art Fair Preview Was a Collector’s Dream — And a Stylish Feast for the Eyes

After years of delays and unprecedented changes, the 2022 edition of the Dallas Art Fair marked the return to its prime spring placement (and full magnitude). The annual event drew top collectors from around the world and local art lovers to downtown Dallas for a glorious—and acquisition-heavy—April weekend.

On Thursday, April 21, an intimate bustle of guests—many of whom were dressed to rival the works on the walls—wove through the halls of Fashion Industry Gallery (f.i.g.) for a preview of the 88 galleries representing the best of Texas and beyond. As our city has grown, so has Dallas’ influence in the arts sphere, a fact that becomes more evident with each passing Art Fair.

The heavy-hitting collectors were out in full force. Kenny Goss, Alden Pinnell, Ford Lacy, and Cece Smith, as well as Geoff and Sheryl Adkins–Green, all made appearances at the preview event. Notable Art Fair sales throughout the weekend included the acquisition of Between, a large painting by Anna Membrino, as well as five works by up-and-coming Fort Worth artist John Miranda from Dallas’ Erin Cluley Gallery.

Mexico City’s Saenger Galería, making its in-person Dallas debut, sold a $44,000 wall work by Mark Hagen. An important 1965 painting by American artist Yvonne Thomas, as well as a 1951 piece by Perle Fine and Dorothea Tanning’s 1968 ink and watercolor Fête Champêtre, were a few distinct older pieces to find new homes.

Now that the flurry of the Dallas Art Fair has come and gone, it’s equally important to note what remains. 10 pieces were chosen for acquisition by the Dallas Museum of Art, including works by Sarah Awad (Night Gallery), Xxavier Edward Carter (Erin Cluley Gallery), Kohshin Finley (Various Small Fires), Jessie Homer French (Various Small Fires), Athena LaTocha (JDJ), Kaloki Nyamai (Keijsers Koning), Krzysztof Strzelecki (Anat Ebgi), Benjamin Styer (Moskowitz Bayse), Keer Tanchak (12.26), and Evita Tezeno (Luis De Jesus Los Angeles).

For one more highlight from the Dallas Art Fair weekend, visit our coverage on the Eye Ball, one of the hottest annual tickets in town.