: - The Triple Pier Antiques Show opened for the first of a
consecutive two-weekend run this past Saturday with huge crowds
in attendance for each day of the fair. This show, promoted by
Stella Show Mgmt. Co., has certainly become a crowd favorite over
the years attracting collectors, dealers and vendors from
throughout the United States and abroad.
Unique in its presentation, the megashow features "segregated"
Piers with staggered openings. Americana enthusiasts are eager
for the opening of Pier 90 at 9 am, for those with more formal
tastes Pier 92 is the prime location at 10 am, and for those that
are somewhat on the wild side, Pier 94 (Modern) is the hot spot
at 11 am. A slight change was noted in this year's presentation
of the show as Pier 88, traditionally the Modern Pier, could not
be used due to the presence of a commercial ocean liner in port.
Accordingly, Modern was moved to the end of the row and used the
spacious street level Pier 94.
Sales appeared to be steady on each of the Piers and a host of
items were seen being carted away by busy porters; many dealers
also reported brisk preshow activity.
On the Americana Pier we saw a great selection of decoys and
stoneware presented by Bird in Hand, Florham Park, N.J., that
included a snaky-head New Jersey brant and a nice canvas back,
while just next door in the booth of Lenny Kislin a selection of
carved stones by Dave and Tom Marshall were offered. The stones
ranged from plain faces to abstract faces, to scenes with people
and animals, to just animals and were priced from $200 to $400.
Just down the aisle, Clifford Wallach offered a good selection of
tramp art including a superb cabinet, picture frames, boxes and
an assortment of sculpture.
Charles Washburn, Chappaqua, N.Y.
Arts and Crafts furniture and accessories were offered in a
couple booths with show mainstay David Rago at the forefront with a
prime selection of George Ohr, Newcomb, Rookwood, Grueby, Teco and
Saturday Evening Girls pottery. Another booth representing the
period was Boston dealer JMW who displayed a nice selection of
furniture including a fall front desk, buffet, a nice Morris chair
and rocker and a taboret. Accessories filled out the booth with a
hammered copper American Beauty vase by Roycroft at the forefront
and a good selection of pottery, artwork and smalls sprinkled
throughout the booth.
A large selection of canes with carved ivory handles and gadget
tops were offered by Il Segno Del Tempo, who made the trip from
Milano, Italy, to do the show.
Chappaqua, N.Y., dealer Charles Washburn offered a wonderful
selection of majolica including an extremely rare bowl with
jokers in relief on the outside and supports in the form of
seated dogs attired with festive hats. Also featured was a rare
"lobster" platter and an oyster server.
Lenny Kislin, Bearsville, N.Y.
Fornasetti pieces were popular with a rare screen offered by
James Cantara, a huge selection of radios by Radio Art were also
attracting quite a bit of attention, premium Handel lamps by Adele
Grodsky, and a great selection of vacuums from the 1930s by H.G.
Limited.
Canadian dealer Ray Kisber featured a rare Vladimir Kagan table
and also a wonderful lifelike sculpture of a seated woman by Mark
Sijan.
The Stellas and their dealers will be back in the Piers this
coming weekend with a host of new dealers and different
merchandise. Hours for Saturday, November 15, include a staggered
opening at 9, 10 and 11 am, with the show closing at 6 pm. It
reopens at 11 am on Sunday with staggered closings at 5, 6 and 7
pm. For further information call Stella Show Mgmt. at
212-255-0020.
A complete review of all the activities at the Piers will be
forthcoming in a future issue.
