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I had ever experienced in my career. For one week, people converged, exchanged conversations and got a memento of their time spent ... Describe your stable? We work with mid-career and established artists who engage with traditional, Western notions of media — painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, etc. — but who are notable for disrupting hierarchical distinctions within the field of fine art. We have two gallery spaces and will often devote one of them to artist projects with emerging artists who are not represented by the gallery, such as the performance artist M.P.A., or to concept shows that provide greater context for the work on view in the adjacent space. Where do you find new talent? We are usually introduced to new artists by our colleagues, curators, critics and artists in the primary stable. How does this fair compare to others in which you participate? It's our first year participating in the Fair, but we were very attracted by the intimate atmosphere and vast collector and institutional support. How will you curate your booth at this year's Dallas Art Fair? We will present a selection of objects by artists that we work with on both the primary and secondary market, including works by Nicole Eisenman, Tony Matelli, Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter and Ed Ruscha. As for the curation of the booth … we'll leave that as a surprise! COURTESY MOODY GALLERY, HOUSTON BETTY MOODY, MOODY GALLERY, HOUSTON Established? 1975. Betty Moody Gallery history in brief? Moody Gallery opened in t he River Oaks Shopping Center. In 1983, my husband Bill Steffy and I purchased the land at our current location; he designed the building, and we moved into the new building in 1985. How you got started? I was an art major in college, graduated in 1966, moved to Houston in 1969 and began working at DuBose Gallery. I found my niche — I thoroughly enjoyed the gallery business and continue to. Biggest break? I have been very fortunate over the years in that I have had many good breaks with artists and with clients. Describe your stable. Moody Gallery represents contemporary American artists with an emphasis on Texas artists. The artists' aesthetic/conceptual sensibilities and media are quite diverse. Where do you find new talent? I look at new work all the time. For instance, last year Melissa Miller, whom we represent, asked me to visit her in Austin to see the graduate show at the University of Texas. Bethany Johnson's drawings were extraordinary — we kept in touch, and we now represent her. I have not been adding to my representation for quite some time, so this was an exceptional occasion — but then Bethany is an exceptional artist! "WE ARE COMING TO THE DALLAS ART FAIR BECAUSE ... TEXAS IS EXOTIC. IT'S REALLY AS EXOTIC AS ITALY TO US." — Joel Mesler, Untitled Ed Hill / Suzanne Bloom (MANUAL)'s The Pawn Game (Jose Raul Casablanca), 2012, at Moody Gallery Why are you exhibiting in the 2012 Dallas Art Fair? We exhibited at the Fair last year ,and it was a very great experience — it was very "good" for us in many ways. I like the participating galleries, the Fair's management and the location. We have many friends and clients in Dallas, so we are looking very forward to being there again this year. How does this Fair compare to others in which you participate? Since it is organized for Dallas only and has years of history, it is extremely "smooth running." All of the participants needs are met promptly. But most of all, collectors, museums and interested people come to the Fair — it is very well attended. How will you curate your booth at this year's Dallas Art Fair? We have a large booth, and I will curate a group exhibition, as I would for the gallery. All of our gallery artists are making new work for the Fair. The Dallas Fair will happen during FotoFest in Houston, when we will be showing "Picture Books" by Suzanne Bloom and Ed Hill – MANUAL, so we will be exhibiting some of their new pieces. COURTESY THE ARTIST AND UNTITLED, NYC Why are you exhibiting in the 2012 Dallas Art Fair? Firstly, we are big fans of Texas (and barbecue) and have a number of long-time colleagues who have taken root in the state (Max Anderson, Toby Kamps, Bill Arning, Dean Daderko, Fairfax Dorn). Secondly, we are committed to broadening the exposure of our primary artists nationwide, in addition to supporting and participating in art events outside of the East and West Coasts. Most meaningful art experience to date? There are three events: 2005 – 2006 International Association of Art Critics USA Award, Best Show in a Commercial Gallery Nationally, for the "David Ireland, Jess and Al Souza" organized by Moody Gallery; 2004 – 2005 International Association of Art Critics USA Award, Best Show in a Commercial Gallery Nationally, second place shared with Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago, for "James Drake — City of Tells" organized by Moody Gallery in 2004; and in 2000, Legend Award 2000, Dallas Visual Arts Center [now the Dallas Contemporary]. Ry Rocklen's Duplication Station 1, 2011, at Untitled JOEL MESLER, UNTITLED, NEW YORK CITY Established? September 2010. Gallery history in brief? I previously owned and ran Rental, first in Los Angeles, then in New York. [Co-owner] Carol Cohen was previously at White Cube in London. We make a nice team. Carol studied sociology; she's the brain and sees to operations. I studied painting at the San Francisco Art Institute but gave it up because I was more interested in other artists than just my own voice. How you got started? I met Carol when I began working with Jay Jopling of White Cube on an exhibition [at Rental]. Biggest break? We scoured the streets of New York, day to night, to find our space on Canal and Hester, with 2,200 square feet. And it's not in Chelsea. We're in the Lower East Side. It's a nice neighborhood not overshadowed by art. You can breathe. Being in Chelsea is like being in an art fair every day! What about your signature blog, a copy of the gallery guestbook, updated daily? It's really about this unique relationship everyone has in New York to the sign-in book ... Like Knight Landesman, the publisher of Artforum always brings his own pen so he can sign in red and everyone knows he was there. Most meaningful art experience to date? It is steadily unfolding and years ahead. We live in the everyday. We want to be transparent about the ego, with the mottos "Go Big or Go Home," "Hold 'Em or Fold 'Em." COURTESY THE ARTISTS AND MOODY GALLERY, HOUSTON Describe your stable? We have a tight group, seven at the moment, and may go up to 25. More than half of those we represent are from L.A., one is from Berlin, two from New York. But we have to be able to give 150 percent to our artists. This is why we are here. Where do you find new artists to exhibit? It's an organic process. But I can tell if they are a good artist before I see their work. And I will be planning to do studio visits in Dallas. Why are you exhibiting in the 2012 Dallas Art Fair? We've just done Art Basel Miami Beach for the second year, with great interest in Brendan Fowler and Matthew Chambers. We are coming to the Dallas Art Fair because ... Texas is exotic. It's really as exotic as Italy to us. Also on our radar: Making their Dallas Art Fair debut are a duo of groundbreaking European gallerists who define, challenge and increasingly raise the bar on the avant-garde. Jonathan Viner Gallery is traveling to Texas from London. Associate director Emma Astner writes, "Jonathan Viner Gallery opened in December 2005, seeking from the start to present an international program and often offering artists their first solo exhibition in the UK ... The gallery has had a number of group shows and special projects developed in collaboration with independent curators and artists [and] has also often served as the site of production for shows, inviting artists to use the space as a studio … The gallery will do a solo presentation of Dan Rees' paintings at the Dallas Art Fair." We're equally excited about Berlin-based Dittrich & Schlechtriem, established 2011, which represents the shared vision of Lars Dittrich and André Schlechtriem — respectively, an entrepreneur/founder of Pool Gallery in Berlin and an art historian who curated the Judith Rothschild Foundation Contemporary Drawing Collection, which became part of MoMA. The pair then founded Dittrich & Schlechtriem, representing merging to mid-career, all media, but with an emphasis on Berlinbased talents who contribute to the international dialogue. MARCH | PAGE 22 | 2011 COURTESY THE ARTIST AND DITTRICH & SCHLECHTRIEM, BERLIN LONDON AND BERLIN CALLING Dennis Loesch's The Blueish, 2011, at Dittrich & Schlechtriem