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I t was an industry invasion as the art world made its way to town for the sixth edition of the Dallas Art Fair. The annual springtime exposition ("explosion" might be a more apt term) attracted collectors, gallerists and curators from coast to coast, plus a huge dose of internationals, stirring up the city's scene for a full week — and proving to be the most alluring Fair yet in terms of dealers, offerings and an impressive attendance that exceeded 10,000. Boasting one kickoff, a preview gala and a scintillating Saturday-night bash, Dallas Art Fair cemented its reputation as the one Fair stop outside New York or Miami for an intimate and important encounter with contemporary art. Here's how it all unfolded … Neiman's main man, Jeff Byron, welcomed the art list to the official kickoff at Neiman Marcus Downtown, where Chicago-based talent Paula Crown allowed us inside her head, literally, presenting a piece from "Inside My Head: A Contemporary Self-Portrait," concurrently showing at the Dallas Contemporary. Crown, whose family consists of mega patrons in both Chicago and Aspen, showcased self-portraits made from enlarged MRI scans of her brain. Needless to say, the piece (as well as the party) orchestrated a steady buzz, properly teeing up Art Fair party deux, which followed a short two weeks later. Cue Fair time. Artistic powerhouses poured into Fashion Industry Gallery for the Preview Gala, which was on sensory overload and reached near capacity with 94 gallerists arriving from ports of call both exotic (Melbourne, Bogotá, Tokyo and Gateshead) and unexpected (Milwaukee and Helsinki) plus, for the first time, a coterie of eight Brits — heavy on the London accent, thank you. The Fair co-founders, real estate developer John Sughrue and private dealer/curator/artist Chris Byrne, always man the front lines of F.I.G., pausing only to do an intro or two between collector types and the artists and gallerists who stream in ready for both commerce and connections — and in many cases a deeper art dialogue. (In this direction, we never miss Andrew Edlin's booth stocked with outsider visionaries of idiosyncratic expression, or Lennon, Weinberg, Inc., where Jill Weinberg is ever-ready to share stories of her friendship with the late ab-ex great Joan Mitchell. In the art-centric posse: the DMA's Maxwell Anderson with equally charismatic wife Jacqueline; the Nasher's man at the top Jeremy Strick; Dallas Contemporary director Peter Doroshenko; collector Jackie Stewart in a tête-à-tête with a fellow Hockaday alum, exhibiting dealer Rachel Churner, in from NYC; Piper and Mike Wyatt; It-girl scribes Allyson Shiffman and Rachel Small, in from Manhattan to report for respectively W and Interview; Houston's acclaimed Pop collectors Dorene and Frank Herzog; Heritage Auctions duo Ed Beardsley and Frank Hettig; Brooklyn-based rocker Liza Thorn and her beau, the Contemporary's headliner Richard Phillips; famous face Erin Wasson, touching down in her hometown; Dallas Symphony's glam gal Anna-Sophia van Zweden, who hosted her own event at the Meyerson the next day; and Kenny Goss and Janelle and Alden Pinnell in dialogue (we'd loved to have eavesdropped). The aesthetics throughout the Fair varied from the striking STP signs by Lucien Smith that dominated first-time L.A. exhibitor Ohwow's booth (and caught the eye of Christen and Derek Wilson) to the intimate and hermetic, as in the drawings by Richard Gordon Kendall, which added depth and mystery to Sonia Dutton's display. Stalwarts such as Manhattan's Howard Scott drew interest with his macabre Fred Stonehouse figurative canvases, as did London's Jonathan Viner, whose booth was stocked with startling blue monochromes by Paul Cowan. Texan dealers also held their own, from a monumental Sedrick Huckaby portrait at Valley House to one of our fave PC finds, Dallas photog Irby Pace at Galleri Urbane, who drew interest and sales with his exploded dye bombs pluming upon the landscape. Meanwhile, advisor Robyn Siegel was wowed by Green Gallery's "sculptural installation by Michelle Grabner and her husband Brad Killam, two voices in delicate balance between meticulous detail and weighty material." The most fitting way to celebrate the intense gaze required of the entire Fair experience was the official Saturday-night wrap party. Thanks to a larger-than-life backdrop provided by Whitney Biennial headliner Tony Tasset's Eye, The Joule set the scene for a breezy soirée where leading members of the smart set such as Megan Bowdon, Bobbye Bowdon, physician Jedrek Wosik, and Kate and Rawleigh Ralls mingled in what appeared to be an outdoor playground for adults. It was the ultimate wingding and a fitting finale to Dallas Art Fair edition six. Until next year … JANE ROZELLE TELLS FAIR TALES. ADDITIONAL REPORTING CATHERINE D. ANSPON. PHOTOGRAPHY BRUNO, DANIEL DRIENSKY, RACHAEL WISE, BILLY FARRELL AGENCY. JUNE | PAGE 10 | 2014 Fait Accompli – Year Six IF YOU WERE A WORK OF ART CAPERA RYAN: "I would be Marilyn by Warhol, and would have just sold for $41 million!" ZOË JACKSON-JARRA: "I love fashion, and the idea of being the muse of Lester Gaba is an amazing thought. The soap sculptor turned mannequin artist who created Cynthia is one of my absolute favorites." CHRISTEN WILSON: "The Cup by Sterling Ruby." FRANK HERZOG: "A Warhol self-portrait." Allyson Shiffman at Preview Gala Dax Pass at Preview Gala Kenny Goss at Kickoff Peter Doroshenko at Kickoff Roksolana Karmazyn Chris Byrne at Kickoff Joe Cole at The Eye Ball Dogan Perese at The Eye Ball Laura Perese Kristen Lee Jeff Byron at Kickoff Capera Ryan Paula Crown at Preview Gala Marlene Sughrue at The Eye Ball Richard Phillips at The Eye Ball Seen at The Eye Ball Liza Thorn John Sughrue Caroline Summers Anna- Sophia van Zweden at The Eye Ball Caitlin Donovan at Preview Gala Selven O'Keef Jarmon at Preview Gala Jackie Stewart Zoë Jackson- Jarra Derek Wilson at Preview Gala Faisal Halum at The Eye Ball Tony Tasset at The Eye Ball Brian Bolke Maxwell Anderson at Preview Gala Lisa Young at Preview Gala Cindy Hennessy at Preview Gala Wanda Gierhart Christen Wilson Rachel Koffsky Rachel Small Rachel Churner at Preview Gala Splash of color at The Eye Ball Sharon Young Jacqueline Anderson How Dallas Art Fair Goers Juggled a Trio of Fêtes in the Blink of a (Tony Tasset) Eye