Modern Moves At Gramercy Park Armory

New York City

:Prime examples of Twentieth Century art and design took over the Gramercy Park Armory for three days as Stella Show Mgmt Co. presented its perennially popular Modern Show February 29 through March 2. The show's 84 dealers had their sleek wares at the ready on Friday morning as a strong crowd of dealers and decorators entered the downtown armory. There was good energy and sales across the board for many of the exhibitors, including smaller pieces of furniture, accessories, lighting and art.

"Twentieth Century is still strong," exclaimed Joan Tramontano of Stella Show Mgmt Co. when contacted after the show closed. "Art continued to hold its own, and furniture, while not as strong as in the past, also sold well." Tramontano added that the attendance at the show increased over last year's event.

Normally, this kind of show brings in the decorators for the Friday morning opening, while the weekend brings in the retail shoppers. Tramontano noted, "One thing I can say, generally, is that it is always interesting to see how many sales are made immediately after the '30-minutes-to-closing' announcement is made. No one wants to walk out empty-handed."

Tom Gibbs of Boston, who shared booth space with Alex Chronis of Cincinnati Modern, quickly sold a pair of Edward Wormley ottomans and campaign-style side table, along with a welded polished steel lamp. "There seemed to be a renewed excitement on Sunday; by that I mean constant gate — something was always going out the door," he said. Early on Sunday, Gibbs sold a pair of carved head table lamps to a New Orleans, La., designer/decorator. His larger furniture was also attracting attention. "I sold my Eames sofa compact. I had a great show," said the dealer.

Chronis, Gibbs' boothmate, noted the crowd's interest in a Robjohn Gibbings dining table for Widdicomb, all original and dated 1955, which sold. "There was a lot of action on the table," said the Cincinnati, Ohio, dealer. "In my opinion, it's one of the most stunning pieces you can find out there from the mid-1950s. Many people were on it at the same moment, so it was a confusing but gratifying sale."

Chronis also observed that fellow dealers "brought a much larger range of furnishings than I thought for this show, but they were right, as usual. I expected to see the usual 'big game,' and was not disappointed. There is a strong new trend of outlandish 1980s, extra large, extra garish furniture and lighting — giant desk lamps, ancient Egyptian motifs, exotic coverings like ostrich, snake, platinum and, of course, tessellated marble."

Georg Jensen silver specialists Janet and Bill Drucker of Drucker Antiques of Mount Kisco, N.Y., said they were pleased to present important items from their inventory of Jensen silver jewelry, flatware and hollowware at the well-attended show. "We had a lot of interest in Wiener Werkstätte beaded jewelry and interest in Georg Jensen sterling flatware," said Bill Drucker, "and a nice set of vintage Georg Jensen beaded flatware sold to a decorator for one of their clients. We also sold an interesting studio designer diamond and rubber necklace with white gold clasp, circa 1980s, on Saturday."

Back for a second year, ceramics specialist Cannondale Antiques of Wilton, Conn., reprised its colorful display of Japanese Awaji pottery, pieces that were made on the Japanese island of the same name between 1830 and 1939. With its common feature a brilliant saturated color, the robust, mostly hand-thrown pottery comes in a variety of shapes and decorative techniques. This was clearly exemplified by a three-handled organic form drip glaze vase, 18 inches high and in the Art Nouveau style, circa 1910, that was among smaller pieces in the showcase. "The show was very successful for us," said co-owner Thomas Libby. "We received a lot of enthusiastic response as well as strong sales."

Notably, a few folks from Connecticut came down to the show and purchased, said the dealer. "As well, we made some new clients and sales, the best of which was a grouping of four drip pots and an Awaji frothy drip glaze, gouged and dented vase, circa 1930, to some New York City interior designers. Overall, it was one of our more successful shows. The Awaji pottery is always well-embraced by the Midcentury Modern collectors, even though the Awaji skews a bit early than that."

Another Connecticut antiques dealer, Richard Auber, Rue Auber Antiques of Stonington, salted his display with a Willy Rizzo games table, which he acknowledged may have been a little expensive for the show — it was priced at $16,000. "It didn't sell," said Auber, "but, to my surprise, I did have one guy continue to ask questions and look at it even after I gave him the price. I brought it to make a statement more than to sell it."

A notable sale at the show for Auber was a mirror covered server attributed to Milo Baughman. It went to a private customer on the West Side who will mix this ultramodern piece into his otherwise traditional home, according to the dealer.

Smaller scale Twentieth Century objects could be found in abundance at Neil Ingber, also from Connecticut. Ingber of Westport said he "likes Art Deco" and one of his favorite categories is Ruba Rombic glassware, the geometric and often rare Art Deco form by the American glass designer Reuben Haley (1872–1933). Colorful and angular, Ruba ware can be found as vases, pitchers and tumblers, cocktail glasses, serving pieces, boxes candlesticks and other decorative items. "I was particularly happy that purchases were on the high end," reported Ingber. "I sold beautiful Ruba Rombic glass vases, and pieces of Liberty of London pewter by Archibald Knox."

Both rare and bespoke Twentieth Century design in furniture was exemplified by a couple of interesting pieces shown by Newburgh, N.Y., dealers Betty and Ed Koren of Bridges Over Time. The Korens were showing a Trannon steam bent ash chair designed in 1978 by Welsh designer David Colwell. The first one was immediately purchased by the Victoria and Albert Museum, and this particular version had not been in production since 1981.

From Linda Sue Eastman, a Winona, Minn., artist known for her exquisitely crafted work in antiqued hand tooled leather, the Korens showed a lounge chair crafted in hand tooled leather, wood and horsehair. Said Ed Koren, "We had our best year last year and try and keep offering people value and a quality product; it seems to be the right formula."

Furniture and accessories abound at the Modern Show, but the number of paintings, sculptures and works on paper on view continues to grow, with several fine art dealers in attendance and busy with customers.

Giuseppe Concepcion, owner of New York City-based ProArte Gallery, filled his booth with stellar examples of works on paper by Joan Michell, Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol, Robert Indiana and others. The Michell that got "tons of interest," according to the dealer, was a stone lithograph titled "Grey," 1990, priced at $12,000. A Calder gouache on paper from 1957 was the cover for the Calder catalog of the Milano exhibition; it was offered at $22,000. "It is always great to see all of the old clients and friends," said Concepcion, who added that he acquired some new clients and witnessed lots of traffic. "The show gets better and better every year. Even on a very busy weekend with top shows in the city, we had lots of new people," he said.

Fans of traditional fine art dealers Sheila and Roy Mennell got to see the couple's Bradford Trust display with a whole new look for this show. With assistance from David Sanborn, a Boston-based art consultant whose Mid-Mod Design at the Boston Design Center is generating a lot of media buzz, the Mennells showcased a selection of Modern art that included about a dozen works by American Impressionist Henry Kallem, as well as pieces by Frederick Montague Charman and others. "We were very pleased," said Roy Mennell, co-owner of the Harwich Port, Mass., firm. "It is so enjoyable see interested knowledgeable buyers, both young and older as well."

Modern furniture is clearly in vogue, continued the dealer. "Our two pieces that we brought to help set off the artwork sold the first day, and we sold several paintings as well on Friday.

"Since I have not exhibited Modern material for some time, a lot was new to me," he continued. "I had a 1959 bronze by Chaim Gross of a pregnant girl. It sold on Saturday morning, and three people appeared later in the day because they got calls from friends that one was available at our booth. We sold a good number of paintings on Saturday — most refreshing."

Papillon Gallery of West Hollywood, Calif., returned with a large, show entrance-facing space displaying figurative genres and nudes, including "Nu," 1931, by Paul Sieffert (1874–1957), an oil on canvas that was exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1931 and the Exposition Internationale in 1937, priced at $125,000. A further highlight was a drawing by French Art Deco designer Jean Dupas (1882–1964), titled "Hiver." The painter, designer, poster artist and decorator is considered the examplar of Art Nouveau and Art Deco visual arts.

Cincinnati, Ohio, dealer Scott Estepp reported that he counted the show among his successes because it exceeded his expectation. Customers can always count on Estepp to surprise the senses with whimsical sculptural objects, interesting and unique items. "That tends to limit my audience," he said. "Some people like this, and some don't understand this."

Luckily, some of Estepp's "crowd" came. A pair of egg-shaped iron rings — original purpose unknown to the dealer, except that they bore the legend "1857, Bridgewater, Mass." — had been mounted like sculptures. "[They] were probably the best received items," he said. "They sold to a designer from LA who, like me, did not care what they were, but appreciated their beauty just for what they were." Estepp also displayed a large pair of early bedsprings, which "sold to a young couple who loved the art and sculpture of the items."

Industrial design was the watchword as usual at Schorr & Dobinsky of Bridgehampton, N.Y., and Eleanor and David Billet of New York City, where vintage metal trolleys, bins, shelving and cabinets that once provided utilitarian storage in factories, schools and hospitals had been reclaimed and buffed into second-act glory to serve as luxury receptacles for urban dwellers' whatnot.

Show newcomer C2 Interiors and Design traveled all the way from Los Angeles to display a gleaming selection of high-end French Art Deco pieces. A signed Jules Leleu vitrine, circa 1925, in walnut with mother-of-pearl inlays attracted much attention. Leleu, considered one of the most talented designers of his time, was drawn to high quality materials and insisted on luxurious details and craftsmanship, creating furniture and interiors for some of the greatest ocean liners, embassies and private residences from the 1920s through the 1950s. Also getting notice was a macassar sideboard decorated with a large bronze plaque from the atelier of Art Deco furniture master Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann.

In addition to the Art Deco and industrial design trends, the show also introduced an emerging trend among "modernistas" — Magyar Modernism, as exemplified by the central European case pieces and accessories shown by New York City dealer Keith Jacomine. Doing business as Keith Michael Antiques, Jacomine showcased Twentieth Century finds, such as a 1930s desk manufactured by Szucs & Kamaran Szatmameti of Transylvania, which today is part of Romania. The walnut veneer desk with exotic inlay measured 69 by 39 by 20 inches and was priced at $9,200. "Transylvanian Art Deco is a quality alternative to increasingly scarce and sought-after French Art Deco," said Jacomine.

A 1930s Hungarian game table in walnut with brass money wells, and a 1930s Hungarian sofa, also in walnut, were additional highlights, as was a brooding oil on canvas by Zsolt Bodoni, titled "Wait for the Richochet," 2006.

The Modern Show will return to the 69th Regiment Armory October 17–19. For information, 212-255-0020 or www.stellashows.com .