Dallas is quickly evolving into one of the top major U.S. cities that serves as a hub for international artists and collectors alike.
Dallas is now home to some of the most famous art collections in the world. Individuals who have played a key role in putting Dallas on the international art scene include Howard Rachofsky, Deedie and Rusty Rose, and Marguerite Hoffman.
Howard Rachofsky is someone who’s had a significant impact in elevating Dallas’ art and cultural presence.
Over the past 40 years, Rachofsky has built an impressive collection of artwork – accumulating about 800 pieces that span several movements.
For years, when Dallas art patrons were keeping their impressive works hidden in their grand estates, Rachofsky decided to completely change the rules by bringing residents into his home to view his artwork, according to an interview he did with Artsy.
As part of Dallas’ massive growth in the art community, the Dallas Art Fair is now entrenched in the Dallas community and will be welcoming its 11th annual art show in April.
Later on, he established The Warehouse, which opened in 2012.
While Dallas art collection has grown significantly over the past few years, so have the number of galas and events honoring the fine art community.
In the 1980s when he first began collecting artwork, he went from buying famous brand-name pieces from artists like Picasso, Matisse, and Degas – to working with an art dealer in NYC to collect art from contemporary galleries.
In 1999, Rachofsky invited some of the town’s wealthiest patrons into his home for a charity auction called Two by Two.
The first charity raised $100,000 and since then, has been a success in raising $75 million for The Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR) and the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA).
It’s also credited with turning several Dallas residents into full-fledged patrons of the arts.
As part of Dallas’ massive growth in the art community, the Dallas Art Fair is now entrenched in the Dallas community and will be welcoming its 11th annual art show in April.
D Magazine reports that “a large number of top-notch museums and exhibition venues and active, ultra-affluent collectors have put Dallas on the international art map.”
While the number of art collectors grows, experts emphasize “what’s missing is the community of local artists and dealers that would help make Dallas a truly global art powerhouse.”
“Dallas is one of the largest and most sophisticated collector markets in the world, and most people do not even realize it,” says Scott A. Barnes. CEO, founder, and chairman of ArtBanc, a local firm that offers global collection management and sales services.
John Runyan, a respected post-war art adviser says the difference is tangible. He says, “The best gauge for me is when you go to Art Basel and they are talking about Dallas.”
Fort Worth is experiencing a creative boom led by DIY spaces like fwblackhouse, Art Tooth, Latino Hustle, Art Luck, and Mananaland.
These art gallery spaces are only a few out of over thirty new spaces that have opened across the Dallas Fort Worth area.
With each year, the audience response is better with an influx of galleries and international artists and companies bringing their work into Dallas.
A few major institutions that have opened include The Goss-Michael Foundation, The Power-Station, Dallas Contemporary, and the Nasher Sculpture Center.
Two benefit galas that have had continuous success year over year are MTV Re: Define and the Dallas Museum of Art’s ART BALL.
