Wharton Esherick, Hessian Hills Child’s Chair, 1931. Red oak and leather. In 1924, Wharton Esherick created a prototype for a child’s chair, now in the permanent collection of the Wharton Esherick Museum, of which he would make six the following year. These chairs were made in lieu of tuition payment for his then 9-year-old daughter, Mary, to accompany her to the newly minted progressive school for children in Croton, N.Y., known as the Hessian Hills School. In the fall of 1930, the school suffered a fire that took with it the chairs Esherick delivered in 1925. Funded by insurance money, Esherick made 15 replacement chairs in 1931. This is one of three 1931 Hessian Hill chairs known to exist. Two others are in the collection of the Modernism Museum Mount Dora. Moderne Gallery.
ONLINE – Celebrating its 59th annual showcase of America’s preeminent dealers of antiques and fine art, The Philadelphia Show has a fresh look and a new approach. A stalwart show known for American art and antiques, The Philadelphia Show’s 2021 edition includes international influences with European and Asian works. Creative initiatives, venerable long-standing dealers, and first-time participants give the show a fresh approach to inspire visitors.
More than 50 dealers featuring works from the Seventeenth to the Twenty-First Centuries will gather in new and improved online viewing rooms from Friday, April 23 through Friday, April 30. The preview on Thursday, April 22, gives guests the first chance to explore a dynamic selection of furniture, porcelain, china, quilts, silver, fine art, jewelry and much more before opening to the public. The Philadelphia Show’s presentation, programming and preview will be online and on social media.
“The Philadelphia Show’s new virtual platform and programming celebrate diverse interests and encourage participation across all generations of enthusiasts and collectors,” shared show chair Lynn Gadsden. “My advice to new and younger collectors is to visit the show and learn about what appeals to you. Be sure to participate in the Dealer Talks on Instagram Live; the education provided by the show’s experts will guide you for years to come.”
Philadelphia mahogany dressing table attributed to the workshop of cabinetmaker Benjamin Randolph, incorporating the latest fashion of fluid and robust carving attributed to the London emigre carver Hercules Courtney. This table has the finest quality of highly figured mahogany and is further ornamented by its original rococo brass hardware, a rare level of embellishment. Descended in the Wistar family of Philadelphia. Circa 1770. Philip Bradley Antiques.
The 2021 programming and platform are a new opportunity for The Philadelphia Show to cross-promote and present offerings from multiple dealers in an editorial context while highlighting its breadth and quality. These interactive presentations were made possible with the new website powered by Artlogic.
Part of the show’s “Tastemaker Series,” national and local friends with a background or interest in design, antiques, or fine art will curate selections from across the show’s offerings. These include Main Line native Emma Bazilian of Schumacher (formerly House Beautiful); David B. Devan, general director and chief executive officer, Opera Philadelphia; University of Pennsylvania’s Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, Class of 1940 Bicentennial Term Associate Professor in the History of Art Department; honorary show chair Anne Hamilton and show committee member Angela Hudson; designer, author, and Maximalist Studios chief content creator Eddie Ross; businesswoman and collector Martha Stewart; Decorative Arts Trust executive director Matthew Thurlow; and Park House Guides at The Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Dealers will come together and participate in themed viewing rooms that present editorial style categories from “The Philadelphia Story,” focusing on works made in Pennsylvania, and “Anchors Aweigh,” looking at nautical and coastal works, to “Mod Squad,” showcasing modern and contemporary, and “The Outsiders,” which presents outsider art.
Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902), “Niagara Falls with Terrapin Tower.” Oil on paper laid down on canvas, 20-1/8 by 28 inches. Questroyal Fine Art.
The show manager will host daily talks with dealers on Instagram Live to connect and engage with a broad audience. Arlie Sulka of Lillian Nassau will present “The Genius Behind the Tiffany Lamps: Clara Driscoll;” Vickie Manning of Somerville Manning Gallery will speak to “The Wyeth Family in Context to 20th Century American Art;” Arthur Liverant of Nathan Liverant and Son will present a talk titled “Go Figure!;” Barbara Israel of Barbara Israel Garden Antiques will speak to “The Use of Ornaments in the Garden;” Jasmine and Thierry Doussiene of Silver Art by D and R will bring forward “Of Sugar And Antique French Silver, A Sweet Alliance Throughout The Centuries;” while Allison Tolman concludes with “The Tolman Collection of New York: Making Excellent Impressions: Contemporary Japanese Printmakers.”
Producing the annual show’s virtual version required updating the website to host the dealers and all their offerings; ease of navigation and beautiful presentation of works are the new platform’s primary assets. Dealers each have a dedicated page for displaying their works of art, direct contact information, and a video introducing their gallery. All works will be searchable using filters that organize the show inventory by period, style, medium, dimensions and price.
A third of the 2021 exhibitors have been participating in the show for more than 20 years. Several have joined recently, including Alexandre Gallery, New York City; Dixon-Hall Fine Art, Phoenixville, Penn.; Gratz Gallery and Restoration Studio, Doylestown, Penn.; William R. & Teresa F. Kurau, Lampeter, Penn.; Lost City, Arts, New York City; Questroyal Fine Art, New York City; Schillay Fine Art, Inc., New York City; Silver Art by D and R, Marseille-France; and The Tolman Collection, New York City.
Pair of coin silver presentation ewers retailed by J. E. Caldwell, Philadelphia, circa 1851. These magnificent coin silver ewers were presented to William Freame Johnston (1808-1872), the abolitionist governor of Pennsylvania in 1852. Johnston famously defied the Fugitive Slave Act by ordering Pennsylvania officials not to aid in the apprehension or return of fleeing slaves. These wonderful ewers were part of an 1852 presentation service costing $1,000 from J. E. Caldwell, the famous Philadelphia jeweler. Spencer Marks.
A tradition since the show’s founding in 1962, the curated, museum-quality annual loan exhibition allows visitors a closer look at a different discipline, period, or theme each year. This year’s loan exhibition, “All Creatures Great and Small” highlights The Philadelphia Show’s dealers, who will share fine art and decorative works, some from their collections, featuring animals in all their rich diversity. Through a range of works spanning several centuries, the loan exhibit will showcase the various and charming ways our fellow animal kingdom members have been depicted and honored by artists and craftspeople. Alexandra Kirtley, the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Montgomery-Garvan Curator of American Decorative Arts, curates the loan exhibition with collector and longtime show supporter Joan Johnson.
Join the preview party to get a first look at the fine works of art offered at this year’s virtual show. Tour the show on your own or listen to the panel discussion about “All Creatures Great and Small” with Robert McCracken Peck, Senior Fellow at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, PMA Curator Alexandra Kirtley and collector Joan Johnson after the welcome remarks by Philadelphia Museum of Art Director Timothy Rub in the New American Art Galleries.
Tickets are on sale now at www.thephiladelphiashow.com. The preview party of the Philadelphia Show supports the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
