: - The 26th Street Armory came alive over the weekend of October
10, with an antiques show that continually proves itself to be
near and dear to the hearts of chic Manhattanites. The Modern
Show, presented by Stella Show Mgmt. Co., featured more than 80
dealers offering up a wide variety of materials ranging from
select pieces of Italian Glass to the trendiest examples of
jewelry, and from traditional Art Deco furnishings to stunning
Twentieth Century works of art. The periods from Deco to Modern
are appealingly defined within this show, much to the delight of
the large crowds that attend the popular event.
This year's show took on a new twist as a benefit preview party
for The Art Deco Society of New York was hosted. Dubbed a "hard
hat" preview, it was as much of an early buying event as it was a
preview party. Dealers had the option of having their booths
completed as the doors opened to the public, or in the "hard hat"
construction theme, many of them were still assembling their
booths as patrons looked on awaiting goodies to be pulled from
boxes and moved to shelves or cases. Naturally a full selection
of libations kept the crowd happy as well. The Art Deco Society
reported its largest turnout to date and Stella Management
confirmed that it was a highly successful venture for both the
society and a crowd that was buying.
While many of the participating dealers only make the trip from
downtown, Modern also attracts a host of specialty dealers from
around the country with numerous in attendance from Chicago and
from as far as Los Angeles.
The show is what you make it and a wide variety of interests can
be satisfied ranging from quality artwork offered by
Massachusetts dealer Ernest Kramer to extraordinary Italian glass
offered by Myers Huffman of Los Angeles. Twentieth Century dealer
George Gilpin of Manhattan offered a prime assortment of 50s
furniture and ModBag of Chicago gave the ladies with style a
chance to make a splash with either a sporty figural or novelty
handbag.
Wellesley, Mass., dealer Ernest Kramer used the hard hat setup
time to continue to hang a remarkable selection of prints on the
walls of his booth. Pieces attracting serious attention included
a Thomas Hart Benton lithograph entitled "Jesse James," circa
1936, which was from an edition of 100. Other images catching the
eyes of collectors included an Edward Hopper etching entitled
"Night Shadows," a Martin Lewis drypoint, "5th Avenue Bridge,"
and an extremely rare Louis Lozowick "Mural Study of Lower
Manhattan" from an extremely limited edition of ten.
Myers Hoffman, Los Angeles.
George Gilpin's stylish booth greeted patrons as they entered
the show with an iconic designer look. Featured items included a
Nakashima dining table and an Eames six-panel screen. The dealer
also offered an extremely rare, although ironically two examples
were seen on floor, George Nelson home office desk, circa 1947,
which was among the first items designed by Nelson for the Herman
Miller line.
The other Nelson desk appeared in the booth of Chicago dealer
Modern Times, along with a nice pair of chairs by Verner Panton.
While the majority of Modern Times's booth was dedicated to
designer furniture, one wall was lined with showcases that
showcased the finest in figural and novelty handbags from the
1930s through the 1970s. Standouts in the collection included a
rare bag in the shape of a Deco-style telephone made in Paris in
the 1930s. A modern variation of the phone bag was also displayed
as a black patent leather example from the 1970s that used the
receiver as the handbag's handle was offered. Other bags of
interest included a rare artist's palate believed to have been
made in the Chicago area in the 1950s, a red felt "sewing" bag
with a huge safety pin handle and a selection of sculptural
handbags in simple modern rectangular forms that used a drawer
system and were patented by Biemen-Davis.
The booth of Matthew Burkholz, Route 66 Antiques, Chatham, N.Y.,
is another spot at The Modern Show that is sure to be fun.
Dazzling and colorful Bakelite bracelets and jewelry, and even a
radio or two, abound with items ranging from extremely rare to
visually appealing. This year Burkholz offered what he termed
"the current craze" in the jewelry market, rolled pressed
celluloid bracelets that were manufactured in Japan in the 1920s,
1940s and 1960s.
Janet Drucker and her son Bill continually set the mark for
quality Georg Jensen silver; with the display they presented this
year, however, they once again raised the bar. Featured in the
booth among the plethora of rare Jensen candlesticks, hollowware
and flatware was a rare coffee and tea service designed by Johan
Rhode in the disc motif with sweeping carved ebony and silver
handles. The set consisted of a coffeepot, teapot, open sugar and
creamer and, according to the dealer, was a set that they "had
never had before in 24 years."
Leah Gordon is another dealer renown for her selection of silver,
Jensen included, although much of her offering is in the form of
jewelry, primarily exquisite designs from Taxco, especially the
shop of Spratling. Featured in her booth was a wonderful pair of
silver beakers by French smith Jean Puiforcat from his very
desirable Mexican period. The dealer commented that Puiforcat
worked in Mexico during World War II while escaping the carnage
in his French homeland. Other prime silver offerings included a
Hector Aguilar teapot, a William Hutton enameled silver picture
frame, and pottery included a rare George Ohr pot and several
Picasso vases and pitchers.
Janet Drucker, Mt. Kisco, N.Y.
Los Angeles dealers Myers Huffman were generating quite a bit
of activity in front of their cases as the show opened. The items
attracting the most attention came from a stunning selection of
Italian glass including several select pieces by Bianconi Venni
such as the Spicchi decanter in brilliant reds and blues against a
clear body, a brightly colored pezatto vase with patches of reds,
blues, green and yellows, and a nice Encalmo bottle with overall
green body and decorated with striking red bands. A nice selection
of Dino Martens pieces in black and white were also offered, as was
a desirable Scarpa Venini whittled glass vase in red with vertical
white striping on one side and a maroon with white striping on the
reverse.
Another Los Angeles dealer to make a big splash at the show was
Reform who exhibited a booth filled to the brim with California
designs. At the forefront of the booth were a pair of large
tubular chrome chairs with white leather sling seats and backs
that were designed by Byron Bother for the California Design show
in 1971. Another of the interesting features were two large
pottery sculptures by Stan Bitters, circa 1962, that are commonly
referred to a "Potato People."
Stella's The Modern Show kicked off a series of Twentieth Century
shows including The Modern Show 1890-1970 in Winetka, Ill.,
opening on November 7, and Modernism in New York City starting
its run on November 13.
