“Growth in vitality is what keeps us going,” Dallas Art Fair director Kelly Cornell said at the press preview, highlighting the fair’s role in the fast-evolving cultural and art ecosystem of the city. What really stood out in Dallas was the museum acquisition prize—an annual initiative from the Dallas Art Fair Foundation that funnels fair finds directly into the Dallas Museum of Art’s permanent collection. Now in its ninth edition, this year’s prize funded the acquisition of seven works by Sanlé Sory, Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka, Fu Xiaotong, Tina Girouard, Eduardo Sarabia and Eri Imamura. Nearly $100,000 was granted for acquisitions this year alone, bringing the total contribution to $965,000 to date. Quite an impressive number for this local fair with national ambitions.
Some major sales were closed on opening day, but these were concentrated on standout works and quality offerings across the fair circuit. New York gallery Berry Campbell placed a 1969 Lynne Drexler within the first hour for $75,000, riding the wave of renewed interest in the artist driven by recent auction results and a major show that just opened at White Cube in Hong Kong. Known for reviving attention around overlooked female abstractionists, the gallery also placed a composition by Perle Fine later that day for $175,000.
— Elisa Carollo, Observer
April 11, 2025
