The international art world will convene in the West’s Most Western Town this spring with elite galleries, superstar talent and audience-friendly breakouts – plus a touch of bronc-busting cowboy cool.

“Phoenix is ready to take the stage.” 

—Scottsdale Ferrari Art Week co-founder Jason Rose

What is Scottsdale Art Week?

Conceived by Valley PR whiz Jason Rose and art dealer Trey Brennen, Scottsdale Art Week is an inaugural, four-day art and design fair modeled after The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF), Art Basel and other world-renowned markets of moveable art. Co-owned by PHOENIX parent company Cities West Media and presented by Scottsdale Ferrari, this luxury event is the first of its kind in the Valley.

Scottsdale Ferrari Art Week

March 20-23, 2025

scottsdaleartweek.com

SAW Basics

Though SAW-related events will be staged throughout the Valley, the main gallery marketplace will be located at WestWorld of Scottsdale, home of Barrett-Jackson and other big-ticket annual events.

As this issue went to press, organizers were aiming to recruit 120 galleries from around the world to showcase their paintings, sculptures, jewelry and other media at SAW.

Contemporary art and design will be well-represented by dealers at SAW, which will also feature a special emphasis on Indigenous art, via a partnership with Heard Museum and prominent Arizona artists.

SAW organizers are also planning off-site events in coordination with Taliesin West, Scottsdale Museum of the West and Desert Botanical Garden. 

Art Fair Forebearers

SAW was conceived in the spirit of these esteemed luxury art fairs.

TEFAF New York 

Long regarded as the world’s largest and most prestigious art fair, The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) debuted in Maastricht, Netherlands, in 1988, carving out a niche with its high-profile sales of Old Master paintings and other antique works. SAW director of development Michael Plummer (see page 13) brought the fair to New York City in 2016, where it leans into modern and contemporary art, including a Picasso painting that fetched close to $2 million in 2024. 

Art Basel: Miami

This stateside imprint of the respected Swiss art fair “completely altered the economic landscape in Miami Beach” upon its December 2002 debut, according to Plummer. Attracting more than 80,000 visitors, the 2019 edition of the show boasted multiple seven-figure sales but is perhaps best known for Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian, an anti-art classic featuring a banana duct-taped to a wall, which famously sold for $120,000.

Frieze Art Fair

The London-based arts giant now stages fairs in four cities (London, New York, Los Angeles and Seoul) and has earned a reputation for creative and audience-friendly programming. At the 2016 Frieze New York fair, artist David Horvitz hired a pickpocket to secretly place small sculptures in the pockets of fair attendees. A-list stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Downey Jr. and Jane Fonda were among the 32,000 visitors at Frieze Los Angeles in 2024.

Interview with a Director: Michael Plummer 

“This is a coming-out party [for the Valley] on the national stage,” SAW director of development Michael Plummer promises. As the founder of TEFAF New York and a former executive with auction giants Christie’s and Sotheby’s, the Wharton-educated art fair expert was a natural choice when co-founders Jason Rose and Trey Brennen sought a seasoned pro to lead SAW.

In layman’s terms, what does a director of development do?

Well, I’m bringing a vision to the fair based on my experience creating three other [fine art] fairs. It’s about creating the dealer experience, which is one audience, and creating the visitor experience, which is the other audience. And both have to be great. You need to have good dealers and they need to bring good stuff, and they have to be energetic and present well. And you need to keep t