Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1544027
Letter from the Editor Billy Fong's dog, Theo, portrait by Carly Beck I 'm having a hard time focusing, as it's the day after the Oscars. For many of you (particularly my gay brethren), watching the Academy Awards is an annual ritual that must occur live. Pour moi, I'd rather just wait until the following morning to check out the outfits. (BTW, when you see me next, I swear I'll share my thoughts about the best and worst dressed — rather, those girls who wore a dress and not the dreaded the dress wore her.) But for now, let's focus on the chaotic schedule that is April — Dallas Arts Month. In this issue, you'll find a bevy of events and programs culminating around the eagerly awaited Dallas Art Fair. My brilliant colleague Catherine D. Anspon has compiled a list of the places you should go to see beguiling and fever-dream art — and, of course, to be seen. Also, promise you'll make a pilgrimage to the West for the Rashid Johnson exhibit at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Co-curator Andrea Karnes invited me as her date for the show's opening dinner — a veritable who's who of the ecosystem of art-world luminaries, including some reps from Hauser & Wirth, as well as celebrities (Leon Bridges and Jessica Nowitzki, to name two), and collectors such as Tim Headington. I must mention our cover, created by one of the world's greatest living artists, Julian Schnabel. The cosmos that was the 1980s launched many stars who burned bright and still flame today. At the tail end, it was the era of supermodels such as Christy, Linda, and Naomi — and at the beginning of the decade, it was the realm of art icons including Francesco Clemente, Eric Fischl, David Salle, and Julian Schnabel, all of whom exhibited at visionary Mary Boone's namesake gallery in SoHo. What differentiated these artists was their work, which some might say was a reaction to the cool minimalism of the late '60s and '70s. Schnabel, in particular, brought a sense of bravado with his bold brushstrokes and use of novel media, such as broken plates and velvet canvases. On the eve of his exhibits at Château La Coste (April 25 through August 15), and Pace Gallery (May 11 through August 14), we reached out to the artist — (which you can read about in this issue) — to personalize a self-portrait from 2023 as a cover for this issue. (It just happens to be the lead shot on the home page for that upcoming show in Aix-en-Provence, France.) Hopefully I'll bump into you, cocktail in hand, at an April event, so break out your most enviable pieces from your wardrobe arsenal to meet the bounty of photographers snapping away. And, doggone it, if it's a dog- day afternoon, bring along your pampered pooch as your best accessory. (For more inspiration, check out this month's fashion spread, pages 46 to 56). Perhaps my own personal reference to this frame-worthy cover by Schnabel is my own portrait of sorts, a painting my dear friend Jennifer Karol had commissioned of my dog, Theo, dressed as me. XO, Billy Fong Dallas Editor in Chief 26