SOTHEBY’S

Charlie Caulkins Vice President, Head of Office Dallas

Bonhams has been focused on Texas for some time says the company’s regional representative, Brandon Kennedy, who grew up in the state. “[Texas] continues to have a strong collector base, increasing numbers of new collectors, a strong economy, and world-class institutions.”

Kennedy, who served as director of exhibitor relations at Dallas Art Fair from 2017 to 2020, credits the fair with growing and fostering the arts community and expanding accessibility to art, resulting in significant growth of engagement with the arts in a meaningful and sustained way. “The Dallas art community is much more visible now and also much larger and more diverse.”

Kennedy started with Bonhams in early 2022 and shares regional duties with colleagues in Fort Worth and Houston. The Texas team invests in the arts by sponsoring exhibitions, such as the recent Nairy Baghramian show at the Nasher Sculpture Center and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth’s much-lauded Women Painting Women Bonhams also organizes events to engage the art community. “It’s about personal relationships. Our engagement with clients is never just purely transactional,” says Kennedy.

Bonhams stands out in the field for its bespoke, thoughtfully organized auctions as well as the company’s intentional focus on approachability. Kennedy explains, “Bonhams curates a selection of items in each auction that tell a story and give you a sense of the larger context of the artworks.”

“Dallas is home to the largest urban arts district in the nation,” says Joyce Goss, a lifelong Texan, and the newest auction kid on the block. “We are fortunate to have internationally recognized art museums, a thriving art scene that continues to attract new galleries and artists, and a group of highly influential art collectors who open their collections to the public.”

Goss, a leading philanthropist and collector who served as executive director of The Goss-Michael Foundation for 15 years and sits on numerous boards, was hired as regional director of Phillips in November 2022 in order to grow the company’s presence in Texas, where the boutique auction house has nurtured a growing collector base for some time. Like its competitors, the company is increasingly prioritizing outreach to young collectors.

Phillips differentiates itself in the field by concentrating on only six categories: design, jewelry, watches, contemporary art, photographs, and editions. This tight focus has served the company well: Phillips is currently the top auction house in the world for watches, and the company reported record sales in 2022.

Like its competitors, Phillips meaningfully supports the arts in Dallas by underwriting local institutions like the Nasher and the DMA. Goss is particularly excited for April, “a great month for the arts, with Nasher Prize, Art Ball, and Dallas Art Fair.” As Dallas’ art scene continues to grow, the city increasingly buzzes with energy and events throughout the year.