A Guide to The 2026 Dallas Art Fair

Every year at the height of spring, the Fashion Industry Gallery becomes ground zero for an effervescent mix of creatives and collectors longing to fill the bland white walls of their expansive abodes. 

Besides being a one-stop shop for art lovers, the Dallas Art Fair (DAF) is also ground zero for excellent people-watching, and what’s on the walls reflects the mood of the world we live in. In the past few years, as things have become more frenetic and uncertain, curators and gallerists have leaned into soothing landscapes and still lifes. 

“The fair is so interesting because every edition is so different and it’s always evolving,” fair director Kelly Cornell tells the Observer. “As I’ve grown into my confidence and my role in this space, the fair has, too. I’m very proud looking at how the fair has impacted the city and our international footprint. I’m excited to see it grow.” 

Cornell, who started her career with the institution in 2014 and was named director two years later, is celebrating her own growth spurt this year, as she’s accepted a parallel role as director of the Aspen Art Fair. She says the two events share investors but have “very little crossover” in what will be shown. 

In Dallas, the focus remains broad, expanding into design as decor and fine art increasingly overlap. When sculptors like Chris Wolston show their gestural furnishings at the Dallas Contemporary (161 Glass St.), it’s clear that the intersection of art and function is a new frontier. This year’s fair features a booth from Carpenters Workshop Gallery, representing the godfather of goth, designer Rick Owens’ furniture.

“There’s been more of a focus on design in the last few years, and I love what it brings to the fair,” Cornell says. “I think these lines are becoming more blurred, and I like that it doesn’t need to be delineated. It’s all about elevated living. If you’re going to be an artistic director, you should be educated about design because these things snowball into each other.”

New this year is the Dallas Art Prize, a $20,000 grant awarded to landscape painter John McAllister. As the annual contemporary auction Two x Two For AIDS and Art wrapped up in 2024, this award offers a more “formalized way to honor artists who have shown with the fair and gotten success,” says Cornell. 

“The idea is coming back to artists who have achieved an upper level in their career and recognizing the impact Dallas has had on their career,” she says.

Cornell says she’s especially excited about galleries like Anton Kern and Andrew Kreps (in a joint presentation), Philip Martin Gallery (bringing Sky Glabush’s dreamy landscapes), and London’s Solos Gallery (showing Laurie Simmons’s digital work). 

Also making a debut is ShyBoy HiFi, downtown’s new hot spot, which is providing pop-up listening stations throughout the fair for an aural break in the proceedings. The whole thing kicks off with the foundation preview benefit on Thursday before the Fair opens to the public on Friday, April 18. 

But the main event is just one element of a week crammed full of parties, exhibitions and mixers. Here’s what not to miss this year: 

Wednesday, April 15

If you’ve ever wanted to peruse the crème de la crème of local galleries but felt intimidated, the Design District Gallery Night (150 Manufacturing St.) is a welcoming way to get your feet wet in the local scene. The open house evening from 5 – 8 p.m. offers access to spaces across the area, like Craighead Green Gallery, Gallery 12.26, Cris Worley Fine Arts and Keijsers Koning. 

The Monitor Street Block Party (which runs from 6 – 8:30 p.m.) adds some energy to the mix for the second year in a row with access to showrooms and galleries, including Akim Monet Fine Arts, GARDE and Sputnik Modern, along with food trucks and tunes spun by DJs Tim Flannery and Chris Houlihan. 

Mari Hidalgo King unveils an immersive, colorful installation at Trinity Strand Trail’s entrance. We’re also excited for Galleri Urbane’s show with Samantha McCurdy, whose “sculptural paintings” stretch and pulse out of her canvases in a flirty, alluring way. 

Visit The Power Station (3816 Commerce St.) from 5 – 8 p.m. for Body Fragment. Curated by Rob Teeters, the show examines modern fragmentation and juxtaposes work by Michaël Borremans and Tracey Emin with objects from antiquity. The Station’s punky annex outpost, Picnic Surf Shapes, will also feature a group show called Feel Good Hit of the Summer. Featuring pieces by such disparate talents as Cindy Sherman and Tim Kerr, the night is set to a soundtrack by NoSocial. 

Thursday, April 16

If you’re not on the list for the Art Fair Preview Benefit from 5 – 9 p.m., don’t fret, there’s always The Dallas Invitational. 

Returning for the second year to The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek (2821 Turtle Creek Blvd.), this offshoot art fair will be held from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily through Saturday, April 18.  For 2026, founder James Cope is taking over rooms on both the first and ninth floors, presenting an all-star roster of galleries, including Bel Ami and Parrasch Heijnen in Los Angeles, and David Nolan and Galerie Lelong in New York, among others. 

“This year we’re welcoming 22 galleries to Dallas — our largest edition yet,” Cope says of his rapidly expanding, ticketed event. “I never set out to run an art fair, but it’s become something I genuinely enjoy.”  

Friday, April 17

Start the day off with a viewing of the iconic collection at The Warehouse. From 12 – 5 p.m., viewers can visit the scene of a crime with a show devoted to the enduring worldview of film noir. Curated by Alexandra Terry, Chase A Crooked Shadow: Film Noir as Contemporary Mirror explores detectives, antiheroes, violence and psychological states through art.

Hometown hero Francisco Moreno graduates to the big leagues with the opening of his first museum show, Historia Sintetica, at the Dallas Contemporary, which features epic new murals that delve into the possibility that the Incas conquered the Americas. The opening soirée from 7 – 9 p.m. should be a colorful introduction to the work of a rising “sci-fi surrealist.”

Also set for Friday evening is the return of everyone’s favorite outdoor exhibition, Aurora. The fifth edition of Video Art Night features work attuned to the ecological, technological and socio-political transformations of our era, all displayed on the media wall of the AT&T Discovery District (208 South Akard St.) and its surroundings. Held from 7 – 10 p.m., this free event also features a ticketed benefit at The Exchange (211 S Akard St.) with complimentary food and drinks, just in case you want to get away from the downtown crowd. 

Saturday, April 18

Art outliers Jessamine and Permanent Research Project team up for a two-site group show that explores the layered body as both subject and battleground. Held from 6 – 9 p.m., the co-opening of Use Value features painting, photography and moving image from an all-star roster of talent, including Robin Aspen, Krissy Bodge, Sam Lipp and David Wojnarowicz, to name a few. As we all possess a body, Use Value should be the one exhibit to drag your most obtuse relatives to in order to spark some much-needed conversation. 

The Dallas Art Fair has varying hours across several locations in the city April 17 – 19. A one-day pass is $40, and a three-day pass is $84. VIP tickets can be purchased for exclusive access. A full list of participating galleries and additional information can be found on the DAF website.