Founded five years ago by collector Dean Valentine and dealers Al and Mills Morán, Felix L.A. has gained a reputation for being a more relaxed and intimate fair than Frieze L.A., which runs at the same time.
“The fair was always founded on the premise that there needed to be an art fair that was really about the art, in a low-pressure setting, or a fun setting, to take away some of that shopping mall feeling of the larger art fairs,” Valentine told ARTnews. “Our goal was never to be just another fair to have at the same time as Frieze. We wanted it to be an experience.”
But when Frieze L.A. announced that it would move to the Santa Monica Airport for its 2023 edition, it was unclear if Felix would also head to the city’s Westside. That won’t be the case, as Felix will once again return to the iconic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
“I think the location is impossible to top,” Valentine said. “Felix is not really Felix without the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. There’s a lot of that Southern California flavor here: the palm trees, the David Hockney pool, the 1920s ballroom.”
To accommodate the fact that L.A. traffic might hinder people from visiting both on the same day, as has been the case in years past, Felix will open a day earlier for its 2023 edition. Bringing together 60 exhibitors—46 returning galleries and 14 first-timers—the fair will run February 15–19. (Frieze L.A.’s VIP preview day is February 16 this year.) Valentine said Felix has no plans of growing beyond its 60-exhibitor cap, as they prefer the intimacy of the fair’s scale and its environs in the Hollywood Roosevelt.
Among those set to take part are several local outfits like Charlie James Gallery, Anat Ebgi, Matthew Brown Gallery, Nicodim, Morán Morán, One Trick Pony, and Wilding Cran. Other major exhibitors include Kasmin, Monique Meloche, Kavi Gupta, Adams and Ollman, Document, Galvak, Lomex, P.P.O.W, Rachel Uffner, and the Breeder. First-time galleries include Reyes | Finn of Detroit, Rele Gallery of Los Angeles and Lagos, and SPURS Gallery of Beijing.
The full exhibitor list follows below.
56 Henry, New York
Adams and Ollman, Portland
Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles
Andersen’s, Copenhagen
Broadway, New York
Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles
Charlie Moffett, New York
DOCUMENT, Chicago
Tara Downs, New York
Europa Gallery, New York
Galerie Fabian Lang, Zurich
Fitzpatrick Gallery, Paris
Fridman Gallery, New York | Beacon
Gallery Vacancy, Shanghai
Gavlak, Los Angeles | Palm Beach
Harkawik, New York | Los Angeles
Harper’s, New York | Los Angeles
Jack Hanley Gallery, New York
James Fuentes, New York
Josh Lilley, London
Kadel Willborn, Dusseldorf
Kasmin, New York
Kavi Gupta, Chicago
Kings Leap Fine Arts, New York
LINN LÜHN, Dusseldorf
Lomex, New York
Luce Gallery, Turin
Lyles & King, New York
M+B, Los Angeles
Magenta Plains, New York
Marfa’ Projects, Beirut
Marinaro, New York
Martos Gallery, New York
Matthew Brown Gallery, Los Angeles
Michael Benevento, Los Angeles
Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago
Morán Morán, Los Angeles | Mexico City
mother’s tankstation, Dublin | London
Mrs., Queens
Nicelle Beauchene, New York
Nicodim, Los Angeles | New York | Bucharest
One Trick Pony, Los Angeles
P.P.O.W, New York
Rachel Uffner Gallery, New York
Raster Gallery, Warsaw
Ratio3, San Francisco
Rele Gallery, Los Angeles | Lagos
Residency Art Gallery, Inglewood
Reyes | Finn, Detroit
Soft Opening, London
Sow & Tailor, Los Angeles
SPURS Gallery, Beijing
Sultana Gallery, Paris
Tanya Leighton, Los Angeles
THE BREEDER, Athens
The ƒ/Ø Project, Los Angeles
Tierra Del Sol, Los Angeles
Volume Gallery, Chicago
White Columns, New York
Wilding Cran, Los Angeles