Park Avenue Armory Fall 2012

The International Fine Art & Antique Dealers Show

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With the fall season in full swing in New York, Connie Lee and I spent the afternoon at what’s considered to be one of the most important antique exhibitions in the United States.  The show was exceptional this year, but we picked 3 dealers whose booths stood out for both their collections and their presentation.

Ronald Phillips 18th and 19th Century English Antiques occupied the entire front corner near the entrance of the exhibition hall, and featured fine antique furniture, gilt wood mirrors, and decorative arts.  

This George II Mahogany 3 seater settee caught our attention because of it’s scale; particularly the height of the leg, and the overall width.  Generally settee’s of this period are only 2 seaters.

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H.M. Luther Inc. Antiques has 2 locations in New York (Greenwich Village and the Carlisle Hotel.)  Their booth was curated to tie together pieces from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries seamlessly, exemplifying an eclectic design aesthetic – paring Carl Malmsten chairs with a Russian Neoclassical bronzed and parcel-gilt, mahogany console table C1800.  

In our opinion the Murano glass light fixtures here were also of particular interest.

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Anne Autegarden 20th Century Decorative Arts based in Brussels, Belgium specializes in Italian, Belgian, French and American design, but chose to feature Italian design from 1905 through 1980 at this show.

This set of ‘Luisa’ rosewood armchairs by Franco Albini Italy C1955 are rare because while it’s often difficult to find a set of 8, there were 14.

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We spent the entire afternoon at the show, and although we’ve selected 3 dealers that we found of particular interest, there were many others.  Also showing were important dealers Maison Gerard known for exemplary French Art Deco, Bernd Goeckler with notable Fontana Arte lighting, Jane Kahan Gallery showing tapestries by Sonia Delaunay and Alexander Calder, and Keshishian who exhibited an exceptional Marion Dorn runner.

The fully vetted show attracts individual collectors and design professional curating for their clients from around the globe.  We happened to bump into American fashion designer Mary McFadden, as well as senior designer Elizabeth Schwartz and her associate Chip Dort of Bunny Williams Inc.  It was a visually stimulating and educational day.

The complete list of dealers, along with their website links, is available on the shows page listed below.

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Haughton International Fairs