The eighth annual Dallas Art Fair opened its doors yesterday morning for a media preview at the Fashion Industry Gallery (aka F.I.G) in the city’s downtown district. The fair officially opens to the public April 15 and runs through Sunday, April 17.

The fair’s fast-rising reputation as a destination for a vast range of contemporary artworks from a dynamic selection of international exhibitors, is obvious from the number of new and returning dealers we spoke with at the opening.

During a press preview yesterday morning, Dallas Art Museum senior curator Gavin Delahunty announced the first selections of the new Dallas Art Fair Foundation Acquisition Program, which provides the museum with $50,000 to acquire work by artists exhibited at the fair.

One of several artworks by Michelle Grabner at Milwaukee’s Green Gallery.
Photo by Eileen Kinsella.

As a result, the museum is acquiring nine works by four artists: Michelle Grabner from Milwaukee’s Green Gallery; Nadia Kaabi-Linke from Lawrie Shabibi gallery in Dubai; Merlin James from Dublin’s Kerlin Gallery; and Lina Puerta from Geary Contemporary in New York.

Merlin James at Dublin’s Kerlin Gallery.
Photo by Eileen Kinsella.

While strolling through the fair, you won’t miss the new DMA acquisitions. And while you’re at it, see our own picks below for the latest edition of this eclectic, vibrant fair.

Jonathan Meese at Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp.
Photo by Eileen Kinsella

1. Antwerp’s Tim Van Laere Gallery immediately caught our eye with a bold mix of works by Jonathan Meese, Kati Heck, Rinus Van De Velde, Ed Templeton, and Henk Visch.

Stylianos Schicho Hopscotch 2 (2008).
Photo by Eileen Kinsella

2. London gallery 10 Hanover is showing an arresting multi-panel work, Hopscotch 2, by Austrian painter Stylianos Schicho.

Also on display is a collage photo work from Richard Prince’s “Publicity” series, showing a mix of celebs like Raquel Welch, Pamela Anderson, and supermodel Bridget Hall, sporting stars-and-stripe-themed bikinis in autographed publicity photos alongside the artist’s appropriated shots of women in flag-themed bathing suits.

Taylor Holland, German Neo Rococo Naturalistic Style, 1850-1860.
Image: Courtesy of the artist and Carroll/Fletcher Gallery, London.

3. A highlight at London’s Carroll/Fletcher Gallery are several works from Taylor Holland’s “Frames” series, in which the artist fills antique frames with algorithmic reproductions of themselves using molds from digital processes.

Also on display are works by Richard T. Walker, James Clar, and Mishka Henner.

Paul Kremer, Float 12 (2016) at Peter Makebish.
Photo by Eileen Kinsella

4. New York gallerist Peter Makebish is a first-time exhibitor who was encouraged to make an appearance after having visited previous editions of the fair. His gallery is displaying compelling work by Paul Kremer, Bill Saylor, Les Rogers, and Wallace Whitney.

Sarah Cain solo presentation booth at Dallas Art Fair. Photo Kevin Todora
Courtesy Honor Fraser Gallery

5. Another first-time exhibitor is Los Angeles gallery Honor Fraser, which is opting for a solo show of works by artist Sarah Cain for its first outing.

We talked with gallery director Corrina Peipon about how Cain adapts what typically starts out as massive, site-specific works into smaller, but still autobiographical works such as Hawaii With You Take Two, with day-glo neon colors that reveal actual sand and coral embedded in the canvas.

Alejandro Ospina, Chicharron 1 (2015).
Image: Courtesy of Johannes Vogt.

6. New York gallerist Johannes Vogt praised the “intimate” feel of the fair, saying it feels as if you’re “visiting someone’s house.”

Along with an arresting abstract work by Colombian artist Alejandro Ospina, Voght Gallery is displaying work by Margaux Ogden, Umar Rashid, Garth Evans, Marc Horowitz, and Larissa Lockshin.

Patti Oleon, The Bath (2015).
Image: Courtesy of the artist and Cris Worley Fine Arts Dallas.

7. Dallas gallery Cris Worley Fine Arts showed a strong selection of work, particularly some paintings we loved, by a host of its stable of artists.  Realist painter Patti Oleon’s The Bath (2015) was inspired by a recent trip to Turkey, while French-born artist Isabelle Du Toit’s expertly rendered bald eagle duo set against a black background, Conservation II (2016), reflects her deep interest in wildlife conservation.

Isabelle Du Toit, Conservation II (2016).
Image: Courtesy of the artist and Cris Worley Fine Arts.