HOUSTON, TEXAS.- The organizers of the Palm Beach International Art & Antique Fair present the annual Texas International Fine Art Fair from today, April 3 through April 9, 2003. IFAE established the Texas International Fine Art Fair in Dallas in November 2000. International dealers, and many from throughout the US, found that the southwestern United States was home to a sophisticated and active arts clientele, a promising and evolving market for the future. This Fall the fair will begin an annual rotation of venues between Houston and Dallas.
The fourth largest city in the nation, Houston, TX is truly a natural venue for an international fine art fair. A metroplex with a serious cultural orientation, it is home to over 500 visual, cultural, and performing arts organizations. Twelve major museums are located in Houston.
The extraordinary economic base in Houston creates an exciting market for international dealers. Ranking first in the United States in new business growth for three consecutive years, more than 31,000 new businesses have been created in the city. Even in a recessionary year, 2000 was a banner year for Houston economically, with the creation of over 63,000 new jobs, a continued growth in employment of 3 percent, and a remarkable five percent rise in per capita income. The Texas Medical Center is the largest medical center in the world and has an annual local impact of more than 10 billion dollars. Home to eighteen Fortune 500 companies, Houston is considered by many to be the energy capital of the world with more than 5,000 energy-related companies. The Port of Houston is the largest in the United States in international tonnage and the nation’s second largest in total tonnage.
The organizers are confident that Houston as a biennial fair location will prove to be one of America’s most important fine art venues.