Vardaxoglou featured in The Art Newspaper coverage of Dallas Invitational, 10–12 April 2025

Frank Bowling, Dulan’s Swan, 1962

‘The Invitational's new high-water mark’
11 April 2025
Carlie Porterfield for The Art Newspaper

“A testament to Dallas’s growing art scene is the third iteration of the Dallas Invitational, a satellite fair hosting 17 galleries from all over the world. Founded by the Dallas gallerist James Cope, this year the Dallas Invitational has decamped from a hotel across the street from the Dallas Art Fair to the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, which locals consider a real Dallas institution. The fair’s relatively low cost in previous years has meant less pressure for exhibitors to sell, allowing them to focus on building relationships with Texan collectors.

That is not to say there are no opportunities to make major sales. During the fair’s Wednesday preview, the London-based Vardaxoglou Gallery sold Dulan’s Swan (1962) by Frank Bowling to a Dallas collector for a six-figure sum, a record sale for the fair. Dulan's Swan was purchased on the spot with no pre-selling, in spite of current economic uncertainties, Vardaxoglou says. “Great paintings will sell any time,” he added.

Bringing the Bowling work to Dallas was a strategic decision, Vardaxoglou says. The city has a soft spot for Bowling: the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is staging a joint show (until 27 July) dedicated to the artist and Aubrey Williams, and Bowling’s Map Paintings were highlighted in a popular exhibition at the DMA in 2015.”