Salon Art + Design Executive Director Eyeing New Destinations as Fair Expands to Dallas

MILAN — Driven by the surging appetite for collectible design and art, New York City’s Salon Art + Design has become the latest design fair to expand its reach. The collectible event produced by Sanford L. Smith + Associates said it will cut the ribbon on a new edition in Dallas from March 26 to 30.

The event will be held at The Block House in Dallas’ East Quarter, spearheaded by Salon Art + Design’s new executive director Nicky Dessources, who told WWD that a diverse range of works will be showcased, featuring contributions from local and international dealers.

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“There is something about the aesthetic and the collectors in Dallas… it’s  very intimate and welcoming,” she said, adding that the city’s population has increased since 2010 to more than 1.3 million residents. Other cities could be on the horizon for the fair.

“I would love to expand in different cities and am keeping an eye out to explore if that’s really something we want to do,” she said.

The 13th edition of Salon Art + Design was held at New York’s Park Avenue Armory Nov. 7 to 11 and was the most successful yet, in terms of revenues and number of visitors, which rose 20 percent year-on-year, she added. The 13th edition welcomed a global roster of galleries such as Paris’ Galerie Anne Jacquemin Sablon and Ukrainian modern and contemporary furniture, lighting and decor gallery Victoria Yakusha Gallery, alongside returning participants like Bernard Goldberg Fine Arts and Milan’s Nilufar.

Last November, organizers introduced its inaugural Design and Art Advisory Council, composed of leading interior designers and art advisers such as Andre Mellone, Allan Schwartzman, Kim Heirston, Julie Hillman, John and Christine Gachot, Sara Story and others. Dessources said they are currently in the process of forming the same advisory council for Dallas.

“I want to support the local community and get the city’s interior designers, collectors and nonprofit organizations involved,” she added, highlighting the city’s investment in the arts, including the expansion of the Dallas Arts District, one of the largest urban arts districts in the country. In the past five years alone more than 50 new galleries have opened, showcasing a dynamic range of local and international talent. As the U.S. art market continues to expand, “Dallas is poised to become a key destination for collectors and enthusiasts alike,” Salon Art + Design organizers said in a statement.

Salon Art + Design prides itself on presenting the world’s finest vintage, modern and contemporary pieces alongside blue-chip 20th-century artworks. Featuring leading art and design galleries from around the globe, as well as cutting-edge makers, the fair also captures the trends across both art and design.

Since its inception in 2012, Salon Art + Design has risen to the fore as a premier destination where collectors and designers can discover rare and high-value collectible pieces showcased by well-known galleries. Compared to contemporary fairs like Design Miami, Salon features works from various time periods.

Fairs around the world are also expanding. Design Miami launched the inaugural Los Angeles edition in May, another Basel fair in June, and its second edition in Paris in October. Brussels’ curated design fair Collectible opened its doors in New York City for the first time in September.

Salone del Mobile.Milano debuted a Shanghai edition of its fair in 2016 at the Shanghai Exhibition Center in what unfolded as an exhibition designed to introduce Chinese design curious to the Italian way of living.

The last edition, which took place before the COVID-19 pandemic, was envisaged as a showcase for Made in Italy products and the Italian way of living in Shanghai. It remains to be seen whether organizers will see the fair return to China.

According to the most recent Henley & Partners’ “Wealthiest Cities 2024” report, Dallas ranked 22nd for the best worldwide cities for millionaires with 68,600 millionaires, 125 centi-millionaires, and 15 billionaires. It ranked number six on the list of top cities for millionaires in the U.S.

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