First Annual Artexpo Dallas

Local, national, and international exhibitors, collectors and avid art enthusiasts converge at the Dallas Market Hall for three days of world class art and design

The inaugural Artexpo Dallas opened its doors for the first time, in partnership with WestEdge Design Fair, to present three days of world class art and design at the Dallas Market Hall, Sept. 16—18.  The very best of local, national, and international galleries, artists and design aficionados showcased the latest trends that are shaping the industry, enjoyed by general art and design enthusiasts, together with an eclectic mix from Dallas’ creative community.

As a prelude to Dallas Design Week, Artexpo Dallas hosted more than 100 exhibiting galleries, art publishers and dealers, and artists from around the world, across 50,000 square feet of uninterrupted convention space within the Dallas Market Hall—showcasing progressive works by more than 300 artists. Original prints, paintings, drawings, sculptures, photography, ceramics, giclee, lithographs and glass works, among other contemporary and fine art were on display, during three days of interactive and immersive exploration.

The new fair offered a compelling series of industry-focused conversations and exhibits, with a chance to meet some of today’s most successful talent from the art world. This year’s program featured an extensive series of daily activities for attendees, that included the Spotlight Program, a focused look at several cutting-edge galleries and artists chosen by the Redwood Art Group selection committee; Art Labs, two outstanding projects by leading galleries within the fair, and Meet The Artists and Live Demonstrations, presenting an interactive experience—allowing attendees to get up-close-and-personal with the artists.

[SOLO] offered established and emerging independent artists the opportunity to showcase their work on an international stage, as the ultimate venue for independent artists to be discovered by gallery owners and art publishers, as well as by collectors and enthusiasts in attendance.  The VIP/Media Preview and subsequent Opening Night Party took place on Friday, September 16, and was attended by a who’s who of Dallas’ art world and high society, who all enjoyed beats by DJ Michael Teixeira, complimentary hors d’oeuvres and Pommery Champagne. The fair continued for the public and trade over the weekend and throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday.

“Our first edition of Artexpo Dallas had a great response from the Dallas community,” says Eric Smith, president of Redwood Art Group. “The success of Artexpo Dallas and WestEdge Design Fair was largely attributed to the demand and attendance by the local arts community, who were craving for an event that would establish a broad appeal to all exhibitors, artists, and attendees alike, and not just the top ten percent. The positive feedback we’ve received proves how large of an appetite there is for a mainstream fair in this very prestigious market.  I’d like to thank all of our partners, sponsors and patrons for helping to make our debut fair such a resounding success. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year.”

The Spotlight Program provided collectors with a focused look at several galleries and prominent artists who created a site-specific exhibition. Spotlight Program recipients for 2022 included:

1. End to End Gallery 
2. Ephraim Urevbu, Urevbu Collection 
3. Leticia Herrera, Leta Herrera Art 
4. Patrick Jones Gallery 
5. Rodney Asikhia Gallery 

This year’s Art Labs featured two outstanding projects by exhibiting galleries and included “Unifying Our World, Protecting Our Oceans” by Art Gallery Pure and “Reinventing Textile Art” by Contemporary Art Projects USA.

The number of sales and commissions reported throughout the show this year was impressive, as were the gallery placements by [SOLO] artists. Here is a brief summary of highlights from this year’s exhibitor sales.

1. ADC Fine Art placed Jon Oaks Glass Towers Set of 3
2. Artologie Studio sold Shraddha Dhana’s Float Series III
3. Bermano was pleased to place Fireworks and Peace, both 24′ x 30″ works
4. Bob Snider Art placed Arkansas Derby Notan, a 30″ x 40″ oil on canvas before the fair opened; and also sold Wildfire, a 20” x 24” work
5. Contemporary Art Projects USA placed Evangeline Ang’s Fantasia I and Fantasia 2, both 38” x 38”; Rachel Daly’s Lily; Michele A. Utley Voigt’s Out of the Closet 72″ x 72″; and two other works by Evangeline Ang Mystic 1 and Mystic 2, both 36” x 36” 
6. Diego Victoria Fine Art sold Sandra De Sousa’s Fragmentos, a mixed media piece at 48” x 48”; Andrea Michels’ Selva 36” x 48”; and several of Andres Valero’s books
7. End to End Gallery sold Tristan Eaton’s Apathy Exposed (Deluxe Edition), 2020; Hebru Brantley’s Don’t Make Me Repeat Myself, 2020; and two of Martin Whatson’s pieces En Pointe, 2014 and The Cycle, 2019
8. Eza Peradze was busy throughout the fair and sold 12 pieces from her “Freedom People” series
9. Faces of Humanity by Dale Sumner placed Selfie-Made Man, a 21” x 65” work
10. Genus placed Douglas Fir Beam and Lisbon Bench
11. Jen Tough Gallery premiered her Artist Alliance Community Works on Paper Collection and sold 9 piece- including Tumble In and others
12. Joseph Raymond placed Billy Crantz’s The Stump 12” x 12” along with Billy Crantz’s Sing Blue Silver 25” x 25”
13. Kate Taylor sold several pieces, including In the Shallows, Calm Tranquility, Nina’s Garden, Silver Dreams, and Dark Waters
14. Macqueen was pleased to place Low Tide, a 36” x 36” work plus four of her Studies 12” x 12” pieces
15. Mary Johnston Studio placed Pink Trees, a 36″ x 40″ pice and took several commissions
16. Manuel Alfanso sold Colorless Profile Face, a 24” x 36” work
17. Michelle Larsen Art placed her 18″ x 18″ Nest piece
18. Nino Chavez sold Flora Dictati and two from the Nico, Louis Series
19. Pollux America Inc. sold a piece from artist Jim Lee 
20. Renssen Art Gallery placed two of Erik Renssen’s Owl lithographs, plus Sleeping Young Girl, Woman Sleeping Over a Letter, Mask I, Abstract Figure I, and Woman with Child in Red Chair. Additionally, they also sold a Pablo Picasso original The Cannes Studio
21. Sanmu Kunisada sold Fly Leap Into the Future
22. Stephen Robeck Photographs was happy to place Ponderosa Pine a 24” x 68” work, plus Lake Katherine 5, a 24” x 24” piece
23. Sudeep Kumar sold Sometimes Rain, Sometimes Sunshine, a 16” x 20” watercolor; Spring, a 16” x 20” watercolor, and three 16″ x 20″ prints of Nature
24. Vanessa Daly was happy she sold 11 out of the 17 pieces she was showing, including Transforming Memories
25. Vendana Mehta Art sold 6 prints
26. Yaowu Zhang Art Center placed 3 paintings

Artists and galleries were presented special honors as recipients of this year’s Artexpo Dallas Awards. This year’s proud winners were the following:

1. DIRECTORS’ AWARD: Bob Snider Art, Markowitz Fine Art Gallery, Diego Victoria Fine Art
2. BEST BOOTH DESIGN: Renssen Art Gallery and Contemporary Art Projects USA 
3. BEST SCULPTURE: Chandler Box – Saddle Road Contemporary
4. BEST NEW EXHIBITOR: Aveilla Design and Emily DeSantis Art
5. BEST INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITOR: Peruvian Photo Artists and Velib Fine Art 
6. BEST [SOLO] EXHIBIT: Brooke Johnson | Resin Flows and Macqueen
7. AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: Ken Orton Gallery and End to End Gallery 

Artexpo Dallas is the sister fair to the renowned Artexpo New York, known as the largest international gathering of qualified trade buyers, that celebrated its 45th Anniversary in April this year. The second annual Artexpo Dallas will return to the Dallas Market Hall in October 2023. For further information on Artexpo Dallas, visit  redwoodartgroup.com/artexpo-dallas. For further information on Redwood Art Group, visit redwoodartgroup.com.

*Photo by Marco Curiel

(This Philanthropy Lifestyles eBuzz courtesy Artexpo Dallas.)