⁉t is a serendipity story,†stated auctioneer Joanne Grant of Mid-Hudson Auction Galleries as she recalled her office telephone ringing on a cold January evening and the conversation that ensued. It was a couple in California wondering if the Jasper Cropsey painting they had inherited might be ⁳uitable†for her to sell at one of her auctions.

The art of Edouard Vuillard (1868‱940) †a painter who began his career as a member of the Nabi group of avant-garde artists in Paris in the 1890s †will be celebrated at The Jewish Museum in the first major solo, New York exhibition of the French artist⁳ work in more than 20 years.

Snowflakes were falling sporadically as the sun crested the horizon throughout the northern-most regions of Connecticut on Saturday morning, March 31, the day the 22nd Country Antiques In Connecticut⁳ Quiet Corner opened to the public. The one-day show was unaffected, however, as by opening the storm-front had all but passed and all that remained was a light rain falling throughout the area.

It is axiomatic that three groups †collectors, curators and ⁴he trade††set the antiques world in motion. Curators are known for their scholarship. Dealers and auctioneers are famed for their expertise. Collectors †the mysterious ⁰rivates†of auction parlance †are the least well known, but without them the field would not exist. With a decade-long history of presenting its annual Award of Merit to an individual dealer, auctioneer, curator or editor, the Antiques Dealers’ Association of America has broken with tradition by presenting its 2012 Award of Merit to a group, the American Folk Art Society. The honor will be bestowed at a dinner at the Philadelphia Antiques Show on April 28. The American Folk Art Society has no website and its membership is anonymous. What to write, we wondered? Hardly a problem, Antiques and The Arts Weekly soon discovered. Though not boastful, society members are hardly shy. They are generous, gregarious and passionate, sometimes to the point of eccentricity when it comes to their favorite subject: folk art.

From May 4 through September 2, the New-York Historical Society will present ⁓tories in Sterling: Four Centuries of Silver in New York,†an exhibition highlighting the histories of 150 notable examples of silver from its collection.

The Neue Galerie will present ⁈einrich Kuehn and His American Circle: Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen,†an exhibition focusing on the luminous work of this important Austrian photographer on view April 26 to August 27.

Long before the wonders of the world and distant lands were but a click away via a computer or television, world⁳ fairs brought the world to people with exhibits featuring innovations in design, materials and technologies, showing the promise of a brighter tomorrow and in the wake of the Industrial Revolution, what the world could †and would †be. ⁉nventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World⁳ Fairs, 1851‱939†breaks ground with a breathtaking and in-depth survey of about 200 best-of-the-best decorative objects seen at world⁳ fairs. While the exhibit is not a march through the history of such events, nearly every major fair from 1851 through 1939 is represented. Focusing on decorative arts, this exhibit of luxury objects features many objects being seen in the United States for the first time. Aided by a generous research grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the exhibition is on view through August 19 at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Mo.

Some of the items being displayed in Mike Kelley⁳ booth had not even been created yet when the Second Congregational Church⁳ antiques show premiered back in 1962. Emblematic of the growing popularity of ⁢oomer†collectibles, Kelley, who specializes in memorabilia and collectibles from the 1960s and 1970s, was one of about 35 dealers offering an array of antiques and collectibles at the church⁳ 50th annual show on March 23′4.

The Diamond District may be a dozen blocks away on West 47th Street, but two weekends a year the conference center at Lighthouse International on East 59th Street becomes a veritable jewelry boutique as it plays host to the East Side Jewelry and Decorative Arts Fair.

A wide range of quality materials ranging from Tiffany, Steuben and contemporary glass to paintings to folk art and rare Native American items attracted a large crowd for an action-packed sale at Cottone Auction on March 24.