Coming as a surprise to many in the antiques trade, antiques show promoter Meg (Wendy) Geslin has parted ways with Manhattan Media after a brief merger with the company. Manhattan Media, the publisher of Avenue, a Manhattan society magazine, produced the first show, Antiques & Art at the Armory, just three months ago.

Last August, Manhattan Media announced with much fanfare that it had reached an agreement to acquire Geslin’s firm, the longest established management company for art and antiques shows in the United States, formerly known as Wendy Show Management. The unit was merged with its Avenue Media division to create Avenue/Wendy Shows, and Geslin was appointed managing director of Avenue/Wendy Shows, reporting to Julie Dannenberg, publisher of Avenue.

The new brand †Avenue/Wendy Shows †under Geslin’s management, rolled out in December 2008 with a newly formatted event, Antiques & Art at the Armory, conducted at the 67th Street Armory on Park Avenue.

A recent communication by Dannenberg stated that Geslin “has opted to pursue opportunities outside of the New York show business.”

Geslin’s departure from Avenue may be just another step in an evolution of branding for what the trade has referred to over the years as “Wendy Shows.” In 2007, shows at the Park Avenue Armory were conducted under the aegis of Westchester Enterprises, while a fifth show in Morristown, N.J., was produced under the old Wendy Show Management banner.

Contacted by Antiques and the Arts Weekly, Geslin declined to comment on why she has unwound the merger or what her future show management plans are, citing legal restrictions.

Dannenberg said in the communication that Manhattan Media plans to move ahead with producing the show again this coming December, that it will be renamed Avenue Show at the Armory and that “we are forming an advisory committee of select industry professionals who will play a key role as the show evolves.”

⁗D