ART ON VIEW

Of all our favorite British exports—Fortnum & Mason tea, Liberty prints, Jaffa cakes, Elton John—we can't forget Josh Lilley. 

For over a decade, the London-based gallery has represented some of the most interesting and accomplished contemporary artists from around the world. After a strong showing at the 2022 Dallas Art Fair, Josh Lilley has returned, popping up at The Joule for an art takeover.

Throughout the communal space of the lobby, you’ll find a thoughtfully edited exhibition of paintings and sculptures by a handful of the gallery’s celebrated names, including Rebecca Manson, Nick Goss, and Rachael Maclean.

The opening of installation coincided with TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art, an annual fundraising auction benefiting the Dallas Museum of Art and amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. Manson, whose porcelain floral sculpture stands proudly in the center of the lobby, will be among the artists featured in the silent auction at TWO x TWO this year.

For Tim Headington, proprietor of The Joule and long-time supporter of TWO x TWO, the transatlantic dots between the gallery and The Joule formed a natural connection. “The Dallas arts community is thriving and we’re always seeking out fresh talent to bring into The Joule,” he says. “Josh Lilley is exactly the kind of partner we look for.”

With its vividly layered paintings, intricate sculptures, and neon pieces, the new exhibition is a bright and playful moment in the more than decade-long tradition of art at The Joule. “From day one, Tim prioritized a solid art program to complement the flourishing arts district just blocks away,” says art advisor, John Runyon.

The hotel’s reputation as a champion of public art is reflected not only through its rotating pop-up installations of contemporary artists, but also in its own museum-caliber collection, which features blue-chip works by artists, including Tony Cragg, Andy Warhol, Ellsworth Kelly, and Tony Tasset. (If Tasset’s name isn’t familiar, his eye most certainly is. The iconic 30- foot tall sculpture across Main Street is modeled after his own iris.) It’s rare to engage with pieces that cause you to consider the lessons of nature’s ephemerality or the complications of identity on your way to your morning cup of coffee. But that commingling of fine art and public spaces that’s central to the DNA of The Joule is just one