Greenwald Antiques, Woodmere Village, Ohio.
Review & Onsite Photos by Andrea Valluzzo
EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. — The 20th annual East Hampton Antiques & Design Show was the quintessential summer affair on Long Island July 10-12. Women mostly showed up in flowy floral dresses or off-white hues while men were attired in suits, extra colorful garb or stayed traditional with khakis and blue shirts. The flowers were in riotous bloom at Mulford Farm and the cocktails flowed during the preview party on Friday night but the star attraction was the 50-plus booths filled with expertly chosen selections of antiques, fine art and striking design items.
The show is a benefit for the East Hampton Historical Society, and executive director Steve Long noted that this year’s visitor tally, all weekend, was unparalleled. “We had the highest attendance and gate ever in the history of the show,” he said. “Over the past 20 years, the Antiques & Design Show has become a highly-curated event that directly supports the mission of the East Hampton Historical Society. We steward a collection of nearly 20,000 artifacts, which are now housed in a new, state-of-the-art storage center on the property where the Antiques & Design Show takes place each year. Antiques and collectibles provide a tangible connection with the past so it’s perfect for us to host a fundraising benefit that enables people to add to their own personal collections.”
In addition to the show, attendees could visit the Mulford Farmhouse, which the society has just finished restoring to depict how it appeared in the 1770s. During the show and befitting what is a historic year for the country, hundreds of visitors toured the house and learned about East Hampton during the American Revolution.
Greeting visitors to Mulford Farm for the show’s preview party. Image by Rossa Cole.
Given the show’s strong focus on design, it’s not surprising that it had a very strong design component among attendees. “The show’s design committee, which was composed of nearly 30 top interior designers and decorators, architects and landscape designers, really spread the word and encouraged all their colleagues to attend,” Long added.
Attendees had lots of great items across the board to look at in a wide range of material that ran the gamut from folk art, architectural items and garden statuary to fine art, furniture and jewelry.
Andrew Spindler’s booth was especially colorful with an Americana aesthetic from paint-decorated cabinetry to vibrant quilts. “The show was a great success. It was very well attended and sales were steady from the preview party Friday evening right through the end of the show on Sunday,” he reported. “I was fortunate to sell across the board. Among the notable sales I had were both of the quilts I brought — a wonderfully graphic Pennsylvania appliqué patriotic eagle quilt and an absolutely pristine and vibrant Amish Joseph’s coat quilt, signed and dated 1890.”
A large, probably French-Canadian, blue painted cabinet at the center of his booth received a lot of attention but was still waiting for the right owner at press time. Smalls were selling like hotcakes, including baskets, Whieldon ware plates, mocha ware, art pottery and Italian glass along with four paintings. Smaller furniture also did well, including a pair of Vladimir Kagan Nautilus chairs, a primitive gray painted pine stand with a scalloped gallery, an unusual Victorian iron and tinsel-decorated table and a fine German Arts and Crafts period armchair by Richard Riemerschmid.
Andrew Spindler Antiques & Design, Essex, Mass.
“Vitas Normantas and his team did a superb job managing the show; he and his team could not have been more responsive or kind throughout. The East Hampton Historical Society did a great job promoting the show, and the Ralph Lauren coffee truck was a wonderful luxury to have on site, too,” Spindler added.
Smalls were also selling well at Estatements, where the hot items of the weekend were belts for women and watches for men. Sales included Navajo concho belts and vintage Kieselstein-Cord sterling belts along with a vintage Breitling chronograph watch and a statement silver and gold eagle necklace, reported dealer Gregory Frank.
Carol Vargo at Gray Antiques is choosy about which shows she sets up at. “I participate in only a few shows a year, and the East Hampton show is always a favorite,” she said. “Whether it be longtime summer residents, the nation’s leading interior designers or first-time visitors, the Hamptons community always shows up with enthusiasm and a discerning eye. This summer was my fifth year participating and my most successful show to date.”
Vargo always finds it gratifying to see her collections do well, especially here where proceeds help support the historical society. “Mulford Farm is such a gem and the overall work they do to generate interest in preserving and protecting the storied history of East Hampton is crucial.”
Mantiques Modern, New York City.
“I strive to bring a collection of sophisticated pieces that work equally well in a casual Hamptons country home as they do in a more formal city home. I always bring interesting rattan pieces, unique lighting, fine art and a mix of American and European furniture,” she added.
Her favorite pieces in her booth this year were a pair of vintage rattan lounge chairs by noted New York maker Bielecky Brothers that she upgraded with all new custom cushions upholstered in Rose Uniacke outdoor linen, and a Soane Britain floral based on an archival Seventeenth Century crewelwork piece. “I collaborated with New York and London-based interior designer Christina Nielsen on the fabric and upholstery work. I find that going that extra step to reimagine a piece is important for the Hamptons buyer, as they travel and/or work in design and have access to the best pieces. I was thrilled that the lounge chairs were acquired by a local artist and longstanding East Hampton resident for her studio,” she said, adding that she personally installed them. “It makes me so happy when my pieces go to wonderful homes!”
Mantiques Modern can always be counted on to have an eclectic and eye-catching booth and did not disappoint here. Reporting having a busy show with a strong New York client base that follow them to this show, dealer Cory Margolis said they sold a lot of vintage branded items by Hermès, Gucci, Cartier and Christian Dior, all the way to the other end of the spectrum to Modernist Midcentury bronze sculpture, clocks and a pair of polished aluminum WWII custom mounted aerial cameras. “We try to bring the best examples from each of the many categories we deal in and everyone is usually quite receptive. We have been doing this show for years and it’s always proven to be successful,” he said.
Ron Greenwald eagerly made the trek here from Ohio, knowing his goods would resonate with buyers and was rewarded with strong interest from both longtime collectors and new buyers. “We were pleased with the results and sold across a wide range of categories, reflecting the diverse interests of attendees,” he shared.
Hermès pieces on display with Woodcliff on the Hudson, North Bergen, N.J.
Among his more notable sales were an original oil on canvas by Tony Curtis, a large modern bronze sculpture by John Raimondi, a Tiffany & Company sterling silver three-piece cake plate, multiple Hermès cashmere and silk shawls, a Van Cleef & Arpels Classique watch and a Takashi Murakami x Louis Vuitton Cerises bag. Jewelry, luxury accessories, modern design and decorative arts also attracted robust interest. “It was encouraging to see collectors responding so enthusiastically to a broad mix of traditional antiques alongside more contemporary and luxury pieces,” Greenwald explained. “We always enjoy participating in the show and appreciate the opportunity to connect with both returning clients and first-time visitors.”
Also reporting to have had a strong showing was Ruben Espinosa of Woodcliff on the Hudson.“It was my most successful so far. While my inventory is heavy in designer jewelry (Tiffany, Cartier, Hermès, etc) this year the big seller was watches: automatics, chronographs, Rolex, Breitling, Omega and more,” he said. “The other big seller was artwork. I had a collection of Alexander Calder offset lithographs. I started with 15 on Friday and went home with only one left.”
Interesting and vintage decorative pieces always attract attention, so Espinosa keeps an eye out for things all year specifically to bring to East Hampton. “I sold a pair of bronze cannons, replicas of Fifteenth Century Spanish galleon cannons. I’ve been holding them for two years specifically with this show in mind, as I knew they would find the right home here.”
Future Nostalgia Trading, Philadelphia.
New dealers to the show included Future Nostalgia Trading. “As a young modern design dealer doing my first show in New York, I had a positive experience with the East Hampton Show. There was a lot of interest in my George Nakashima and Pierre Jeanneret items as well as the center piece of the show, the Philosopher’s Cabinet by Alessandro Guerriero — a sensational and unique postmodern cabinet that was created for an exhibition in Milan in 1992,” said dealer George Perilstein.
Most people who come to the Hamptons are vacationers, but Cynthia First of First Rugs joked that this show “is the hardest working vacation of my life! We work so hard, it’s so hot, but it feels like a vacation on some level because we go on the ferries to get there!” she said. It’s a dog’s life though for the canine companions of several dealers. First’s dog, Fica, enjoyed all the attention and meeting the Village Braider dog, Barney, and others.
In her sixth year exhibiting, First said, “The cocktail reception felt very well attended and is always so nicely orchestrated as are the floral displays for the weekend. The Green Tree Events staff makes it an extra nice weekend, too; they are on top of every detail and so understanding and helpful!”
A favorite moment of hers was selling a sixth rug to a client who has bought from her every year, but had no intent of buying another this year until he saw a cute Gabbeh that he “couldn’t resist,” First recounted. “In general this year, people continue to buy the unusual.”
The East Hampton Antiques & Design Show will return next July. For information, www.easthamptonantiquesshow.com.
