On Wednesday morning at 11 a.m., the VIP line for Felix Art Fair extended from the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel’s Blossom Ballroom out onto Hollywood Boulevard. And, as is always the case with this fair, the line for the elevators to ascend to the 12th floor was equally lengthy. For this reason—unlike the other fairs taking place during LA Art Week—the opening half hour was relatively quiet for exhibitors, as collectors, advisers, curators, and critics trudged through lines to reach the exhibition floor.When I finally exited the elevator bank, I found myself in front of Amsterdam-based gallery Althuis Hofland Fine Arts, participating in Felix for the second time. “Last year went really well,” founder Jeanine Hofland told ARTnews, noting that they had shown a solo presentation of Masao Nakahara, who this year shares the room with Karel Dicker. Dicker’s intimate genre paintings in artist-made wood frames are especially charming. The gallery had pre-sold several works ahead of the fair, denoted by the rare price sheet marked with red-dot stickers, and so far there had been small waves of visitors—the seven or so people who fit on one elevator ride, most likely.The energy at nearby Tribeca gallery Dimin was a bit more electric, where dealer Robert Dimin greeted guests with a friendly, “Let me know if you have any questions.” His demeanor was upbeat, considering he had landed in Los Angeles around 10 p.m. the night prior because of a Nor’easter that had dumped nearly two feet of snow on Manhattan and disrupted travel out of New York.“It was a fight to get here,” said Dimin, who had been checking the Delta app every 30 minutes over the preceding couple of days to see if he could secure a better flight than the one he had been rebooked on, departing New York at 7 a.m. Wednesday. He surprised even himself by snagging one of the only direct flights to L.A.Most New York dealers I’ve spoken to this week relayed stories of multiple connections in cities as far-flung as Fort Lauderdale, Minneapolis, and Austin. It was a sentiment I heard throughout the day at both Felix and Enzo, which features New York galleries exclusively, most of whom had also arrived late the previous night and rushed to finalize their hangs before the fair’s 2 p.m. opening.Dimin knew it was especially important to be on hand from the outset of the VIP opening, as it’s his gallery’s first time participating in Felix—and its first fair of the year. “I’m a big fan of Felix, and this is a big opportunity,” he said. “L.A. right now is exciting, with a good market.” In his booth, he presented a program overview featuring works by Emily Coan, Michelle Im, Stephen Thorpe, and Kelli Vance. He had pre-sold a few, with prices ranging from $8,000 to $12,000.Another first-time Felix participant is three-year-old gallery ATLA, located a couple of blocks from L.A.’s Barnsdall Art Park in East Hollywood. Cofounder Jenny Blumenfield said the gallery was attracted to Felix because of its hotel setting. “This context is a really cozy, home-like experience,” she said, noting that “we wanted to be thoughtful for our first-ever fair.”Paintings by Bethann Parker at Adams and Ollman’s booth at Felix Art Fair.The booth features 10 artists, including paintings by Yuka Mori and Rina Matsudaira and ceramics by Kuniko Kinoto and Yoshikazu Tanaka, with works all priced below $14,000. Asked about the market in L.A., Blumenfield said, “I can’t speak for others, but we’ve been doing very well. We see ourselves as a place of discovery, where people can fall in love again and buy work without worrying about its value long-term.”Highlights at Felix include animistic paintings that look embroidered by Bethann Parker at Adams and Ollman; a pairing of photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe and Dash Snow with new sculptural paintings by Tiona Nekkia McClodden at Morán Morán; handmade dolls by Lulu Sotelo at Creative Growth; mixed-media ceramics by Terumi Saito at Volume; and A Softness, a 2026 painting by RF. Alvarez depicting a tender scene of Shane and Ilya from the HBO adaptation of Heated Rivalry. The latter work, in the booth of Megan Mulrooney, sold within the first hours for $14,000.Unlike other art fairs, the tight quarters at Felix often make buying more casual and within earshot of others in the hotel rooms. I witnessed several deals happening as I entered rooms throughout the morning. Dallas’s Galleri Urbane had on view several knit works from Cassie Arnold’s “Mom Bra” series. Two hung from hangers on the towel rack, while one was displayed on the back of the bathroom door. When one buyer asked for the hanger, gallery director and curator Ree Willaford replied, “It comes with it.”Multiple or Alternative ShowingsWeistein Gallery’s presentation at Felix Art Fair.A handful of dealers at Felix were showing historical art, including L.A.’s Weinstein Gallery, whose booth was organized by independent curator Dominique Clayton. Titled “SEE ME – Unapologetic Voices in Sisterhood,” the booth features work by 17 contemporary artists paired with 20th-century pieces from the Weinstein Collection by Leonora Carrington, Leonor Fini, and Tamara de Lempicka. The presentation, Clayton said, is about “legacy and giving women artists a leg up. I’m thinking about allyship and what it means to authentically support women artists. We are not a trend, so how do you offer continued visibility is something I’m thinking about.”Some galleries were participating in multiple fairs this year, requiring dealers to calculate where to be and when. Marc Selwyn Fine Art had two booths at Felix and one at Frieze; Bank Gallery was at Enzo and Frieze; and Gordon Robichaux was at Frieze and Post-Fair. Dealers Marc Selwyn and Bank’s Mathieu Borysevicz were at Felix and Enzo on Wednesday and then at Frieze on Thursday. Both Sam Gordon and Jacob Robichaux started Thursday morning at Frieze, with Robichaux heading to Post-Fair in the afternoon to man their booth.“These are just great opportunities that presented themselves,” Selwyn said of his multiple presentations, which include a solo for William Levitt on the 11th floor of Felix and one for Channing Hansen on the 12th floor, featuring an intricate woven maze in one corner.An installation view of Enzo, a new art fair in Los Angeles.Heading southeast about 15 minutes—longer in traffic—from the Hollywood Roosevelt is Enzo, a new fair in Echo Park consisting of nine New York galleries. Upon entering, Borysevicz joked, “Welcome to our potluck art fair.” To this communal gathering, he brought two paintings by Tim Crowley imagining exhibition posters in the 22nd century on “New Earth,” a Mars colony.Sited in two adjoining buildings, the fair was quiet on Wednesday afternoon about an hour and a half into its debut. Dealers said there had been a steady flow of visitors, though I never saw more than 10 at a time during my hourlong visit. They expected it to pick up by 6 p.m. (The next day at Frieze, Borysevicz confirmed that it had.) Enzo eschewed traditional booths, including signage for each presentation.Because Enzo is free for exhibitors, Borysevicz said participation was an easy decision since he was already traveling to L.A. for Frieze. “It’s less of a risk here, whereas over there [at Frieze] every second counts,” he said, noting he would likely spend most of the following days across town at Frieze.A sculpture by Kris Lemsalu at Enzo.Turning the corner into the second building, ILY2 presented fascinating collages by Mars Ibarreche made from old books—mostly paperbacks from the ’30s and ’40s that the artist, who was based in L.A. until recently, sourced from Skylight Books, Stories Books & Cafe, and free boxes. Facing Ibarreche’s intimate works was Laurel Gitlen’s presentation, including two beguiling saddle-shaped sculptures by New York–based artist Peggy Chang hanging from the ceiling.Across from Bank was Margot Samel, who launched the boutique fair Esther in 2024 at the Estonian House in New York. Esther served as the inspiration for Enzo, and its founder, collector R. Parmar, initially floated the idea of bringing Esther to L.A. Samel declined but was pleased to see Parmar forge ahead and participate. She is showing paintings by Sasha Brodsky and sculptures by Kris Lemsalu, as well as one by Sarah Margnetti that happened to be making its way back to New York from an international showing. “Whether it’s two exhibitors or 200, you still have the same things to discuss, do, promote,” she said.A Strong Sophomore ShowingA painting by Edgar Ramirez at Chris Sharp Gallery’s presentation at Post-Fair.Frieze Los Angeles opened its seventh edition on Thursday morning, drawing most in town for the fairs. A short drive from the Santa Monica Airport toward Downtown Santa Monica is Post-Fair, located in a former post office and now in its second edition. While Felix was long the primary alternative to Frieze, Post-Fair is giving it a run for its money, with an impressive grouping of work from some 30 galleries. Like Enzo, Post-Fair again eschewed traditional booths this year, creating strong sightlines and making it easy to spot something intriguing across the room.L.A. dealer Chris Sharp founded Post-Fair last year because he saw a need for it. “The fair landscape has gotten really complicated. The fee structure [of larger fairs] is somewhat prohibitive and I wanted to create an alternative.” He is transparent about pricing: $6,500 for a regular booth and $3,500 for a project-size one.The first edition was a pilot, and before it began he wasn’t sure there would be a second. Thankfully, there was. Post-Fair’s sophomore outing is no slump. The fair is tightly curated by Sharp’s keen eye (forgive the pun). Word has spread, as several museum groups were visiting—something that didn’t happen last year. Still, Sharp isn’t convinced there will be a third edition, and certainly not past year five.By around 4 p.m., the fair was thrumming—“great energy the past few hours and better than last year,” as Sharp put it, noting he knew of sales throughout the day. “It’s a tough moment in the market, where people are less inclined to spend money [than previously], but I hope it’s sustained.”In his booth, Sharp presented five works by L.A.–based artist Edgar Ramirez at a more intimate scale than usual. Made of acrylic on cardboard mounted on canvas, they evoke fragments of urban detritus—a poster torn or weathered by rain. “They have this organic relationship to the landscape, as if they were extracted from it,” Sharp said.A work by Joel Otterson at Ehrlich Steinberg’s presentation at Post-Fair.Several galleries returned for Post-Fair’s second edition, including Gordon Robichaux, P.P.O.W., Ehrlich Steinberg, House of Seiko, and bookstore–cum–curatorial project Untitled Love. Ella Blanchon, a director at P.P.O.W., said Sharp had called cofounder Wendy Olsoff last year to invite participation. Olsoff saw the space and agreed, especially since the gallery hadn’t done an L.A. fair in a few years.“It’s a very collegial fair,” Blanchon said. “There are pros and cons to everything. This is a different opportunity to do something we might not attempt at Frieze.” P.P.O.W.’s booth featured still-life paintings by emerging artist Phoebe Helander, who has not previously shown outside the East Coast.Ace Ehrlich of Ehrlich Steinberg said he was “impressed by the sophistication of the audience it draws and the reputation it’s already developed.” His booth was a highlight, featuring small-scale moss agate works in ornate metal frames by Joel Otterson.A few galleries participated for the first time, including New York’s Post-Times, which presented three works by Andrew Chapman made specifically for the fair. “Post-Times, Post-Fair—the name says it all,” founder Broc Blegen joked, before adding more seriously, “The gallery selection by Chris Sharp offers a unique vision. He’s choosing galleries of different levels. It means something to be here.”House of Seiko founder Cole Solinger showed several works by John Hodgkinson, created after a summer spent at the Return to Freedom residency, where the artist lived in a stable loft as part of a work-trade. Solinger had made a few sales, with works priced between $2,000 and $10,000, and was optimistic more would follow over the weekend.“Tomorrow is the day,” he said. “People tend to spend more time here on Friday. That’s when it’ll be dialed in.”