Michael Phelan, the founder of the Marfa Invitational. Courtesy Marfa Invitational.
If one of the first IRL art fairs in many, many moons is any indication, there’s plenty of pent-up demand to see and to buy art again.
The second edition of the Marfa Invitational, which took place from April 22 to 25 (the 2020 version was cancelled due to the pandemic), generated a lot of enthusiasm and steady sales this past weekend.
Organized by founder and contemporary artist Michael Phelan, and billed as “part art fair, part exhibition, part experience,” the event featured a very manageable list of nine invited dealers from around the world who welcomed guests taking advantage of no-fee admissions.
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PRADA MARFA, located on the side of Highway 90, stands out in northwest Texas. Inside the window, there are rows of Prada classic bags, right-footed size-37 Prada shoes.
Except for the white facade of the store covered with a layer of sand, this store seems to be no different than other Prada stores.
PRADA MARFA is not open for business though.
PRADA MARFA was created by Danish and Norwegian artists Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset in 2005 when they were struck by the loneliness of the desert landscape and wanted to create a store that would stand like a rock in the middle of the desert.