Dallas Museum of Art Announces 2022 Art Fair Acquisitions, Including Three Texas Artists

by Jessica Fuentes April 22, 2022
A photograph of the outside of the Fashion Industry Gallery with a large green banner with white text that reads, "Dallas Art Fair."

The 2022 Dallas Art Fair at Fashion Industry Gallery.

At the Dallas Art Fair press preview yesterday morning, the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) announced its acquisition of ten works of art, three of which are by Texas artists. These acquisitions are made possible by the Dallas Art Foundation + Dallas Museum of Art Acquisition Fund, which was established in 2016. 

In its first year, the fund had $50,000 for acquisitions; now in its sixth year, it has $125,000 to support the DMA’s broadening of its permanent collection. The artworks were selected by DMA curators Dr. Anna Katherine Brodbeck, Dr. Vivian Li, and Dr. Nicole R. Myers, and a group of fund donors. 

In a press release, Kelly Cornell, the Dallas Art Fair Director, said, “This year we really feel that the quality of work at the fair has gone above and beyond—so much so that it was hard for the group to make a final decision. I am thrilled for the selected galleries and their artists, and of course what this means for their relationship with the DMA. Our fund continues to strengthen our ties with the museum, and meaningfully connect our galleries with its curators.”

A self-portrait by Kohshin Finley that depicts mostly the back of the artist's head. He looks away revealing just a glimpse of his face while his ear, beard, hair, and neck become the main subject of the painting.

Kohshin Finley, “A Portrait of the Artist as Himself,” 2022, oil on canvas, 24 x 18 inches. Courtesy of Various Small Fires.

An oil painting by Jessie Homer French of wolves walking along the border wall between the United States and Mexico. The painting depicts a vast barren desert.

Jessie Homer French, “The Wall,” 2021, oil on canvas, 16 x 24 inches. Courtesy of Various Small Fires.

Dr. Brodbeck, the DMA’s Hoffman Family Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, stated that the museum chose these works in particular because the artists were each speaking to relevant issues that reflect this specific moment in time. Of the ten works acquired, two were from Various Small Fires, which opens its Dallas gallery tonight.

A large-scale mixed media work by Xxavier Edward Carter.

Xxavier Edward Carter, “In A Lifetime We Will Switch Places,” 2022, watercolor, gold pigment, archival ink, oil pastels, stickers on receipts and museum/art fair materials, 79 x 47 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Erin Cluley Gallery.

Dallas-based Xxavier Edward Carter (represented by Erin Cluley Gallery) was one of the Texas artists whose work was acquired by the museum. This large mixed-media work uses receipts and museum and art fair materials as its surface.

An acrylic painting on paper by Keer Tanchak that features a simplified depiction of a woman. A large wash of green paint fills in her face, hair, and some of the background of the work.

Keer Tanchak, “Catherine,” 2022, acrylic ink on paper, 14 x 17 inches. Courtesy 12.26.

An acrylic painting on paper by Keer Tanchak, a Canadian artist currently based in Dallas and represented by 12.26, was also among the works added to the museum’s collection.

A mixed media collage work by Evita Tezeno featuring three stylized Black women wearing patterned dresses.

Evita Tezeno, “Joy, Compassion, Generosity,” 2022, mixed media collage and acrylic on canvas, 48 x 48 inches. Courtesy Luis De Jesus Los Angeles.

Evita Tezeno, a Dallas-based mixed-media artist who is represented by Luis De Jesus Los Angeles, is the third Texas artist to have work acquired by the DMA from the Dallas Art Fair.

Other artists whose work was acquired include Athena LaTocha, from JDJ the Ice House Gallery; Kaloki Nyamai, from Keijsers Koning Gallery in Dallas; Krzysztof Strzelecki, from Anat Ebgi Gallery; Sarah Awad, from Night Gallery; and Benjamin Styer, from Moskowitz Bayse Gallery.

A composite image that includes images of two abstract works of art. On the left is a black and white ink painting by Athena LaTocha. On the right is an oil and vinyl painting that features cool colors by Sarah Awad.a

(left) Athena LaTocha, “Untitled No. 2,” 2016, sumi and walnut ink on paper, 36 x 60 inches. Courtesy the artist and JDJ The Ice House.
(right) Sarah Awad, “Quiet Friend/Silent Earth (after Rilke),” 2022, oil and vinyl on canvas, 66 x 44 inches. Courtesy the artist and Night Gallery.

A composite image that includes three works of art. On the left is a painting by Benjamin Styer that includes a traditional landscape in the center framed by patterns and designs. In the center is a ceramic work by Krzysztof Strzelecki. On the right is a mixed media portrait of a man working.

(left) Benjamin Styer, “Melody for Walk to Reservoir,” 2022, acrylic on canvas, 18 x 18 x 1.5 inches. Courtesy the artist and Moskowitz Bayse.
(center) Krzysztof Strzelecki, “Olympia,” 2020, glazed ceramic stoneware, 16.5 x 15 x 5.25 inches. Courtesy the artist and Anat Ebgi.
(right) Kaloki Kyamai, “Untitled (laborer),” 2022, acrylic and mixed media on canvas with sewn outlines. Courtesy the artist and Keijsers Koning.

The 2022 fund donors are Jim Blake, Zoe Bonnette, Susan and Shawn Bonsell, Sheryl and Geoff Green, Rhonda and Fraser Marcus, Cliff Risman, David and Linda Rogers, Gowri and Alex Sharma, Marlene and John Sughrue, Teresa Tsai, The Dallas Art Fair Foundation, and a number of anonymous donors.

0 comment

You may also like

Leave a Comment

Funding generously provided by: