Finish Line Collectibles, Campbelltown, Penn.
Review And Photos by Andrea Valluzzo
NEW YORK CITY — The Pier Antique Show excels at offering both sophisticated showgoers and those new to antiquing a little bit of everything. In its November 14–15 edition, the show that fills the spacious Pier 92 ran the gamut from traditional antiques and Midcentury Modern to Asian arts and Americana and nearly every collecting category in between.
US Antique Shows, the show producers, reported good crowds at the show and specialty events that were new features. Reduced admission this year (from $20 to $10) helped spur long lines at the gate at opening time each day.
“We hosted three events at this November’s show to assist in garnering new interest from those who have not attended before. The effort was a huge success. We saw an exponential increase of people at appraisal day, and the Tiffany glass series prompted an interest in buying art glass at the show,” says Dan Darby, Emerald Expositions vice president and US Antique Shows general manager.
The show, for the first time, also included the International Vintage Poster Fair (see separate article on page immediately following) as a show-in-a-show. The niche-specific sections, much like the Pier Show’s wildly popular Fashion Alley, serve to bring in new audiences, and there is much crossover appeal.
A good-sized line waited for the 11 am opening Saturday morning.
Making its debut at a US show was Antichita Fiorillo (Fiorillo Antiques), Viterbo, Italy, which specializes in stone and marble objects for interiors and exteriors, including fireplaces, portals, fountains, columns and tiles, terracotta floors and doors.
The Great Dane Collection, Philadelphia
The dealers almost exclusively focus on Italian objects, ranging from the Twelfth/Thirteenth Century and the Renaissance to the end of the Nineteenth Century.
Another new exhibitor at this show was Margaret Schwartz of The Summer House, New Canaan, Conn., who capped off a weekend of strong sales and much interest in her booth by being named Antiques Young Guns USA’s Young Gun of the Year at a press conference that took place during the show Saturday morning (see article in December 4 edition).
“The show was fantastic. It had a great turnout, and one of the best parts of this was connecting with other potential AYGUSA members who are starting to explore the antiques trade. There was such a variety of people at the show, and with that many dealers there was something for everyone,” Schwartz said.
“This was my first time exhibiting, so I had a variety of items from barware to mirrors to dining tables in my booth. All my Dorothy Thorpe barware sold, and I think people still love that elegance of the midcentury barware. The 1950s and 1960s were a time when people knew how to entertain, and I think these glasses bring us back to that time.”
She also sold furniture, including an antique Swedish dining table she just received a few weeks ago and a set of six reupholstered French dining chairs, as well as a pair of antique Os de Mouton chairs to a man who has a Tudor estate on the Gold Coast of Long Island.
Stephan Boyer, Finish Line Collectibles, Campbelltown, Penn., also reported having strong sales and was pleased with the strong attendance. “I was very impressed with the mix of age groups attending the show, they are attracting a very important group of younger, curious collectors. They do this by presenting an amazing cross section of collecting, from high-end silver and art to smalls and collectibles, vintage, antique and Midcentury Modern. I enjoy being mixed in with this grouping of dealers.”
A midcentury Impressionistic oil on board, “Fifth Avenue From Central Park,” was on offer at Bob Smith Fine Art and Antiques, Montrose, Penn.
Chinalai Antiques sold a fair amount of textiles and clothing. A noteworthy jewelry sale was a unique and large piece of carved jade encased in an enameled silver butterfly lock from the Qing period, China. Chinalai Modern had a similar show, selling contemporary sterling silver jewelry made by Hill Tribe silversmiths under the direction of a Thai artist and a variety of mostly natural indigo-dyed weavings and hand-sewn, hand-stitched clothing.
George Sorensen of George Sorensen Antiques, who is known for his French art glass, had a good show, selling multiple pieces. “This November’s Pier Antique Show was my best show ever and I hope that I can return again next year. The show has allowed me to build a great client base in New York.”
US Antique Shows’ next event is the LUEUR Spring show, which will run concurrently with the JA New York Show and the NJSA Expo trade event, March 13–15.
For additional information, www.usantiqueshows.com.
‘Wow’ Factor For The Walls:
Striking Views At Poster Fair
Review And Photos by Andrea Valluzzo
NEW YORK CITY — The International Vintage Poster Fair, which ran November 14–15 as part of the Pier Antique Show on Pier 92, is always a delight to behold. Graphically striking and bold images “pop” off booth walls, touting foods and drink, the joys of air or rail travel to exotic destinations, or designed to boost public support for military campaigns and war bonds.
Ma Maison De Papier, Brussels, Belgium
The fair, which is said to be the largest and oldest poster fair, ran a compact edition this year, but the offerings continue to be first-rate.
“Large, enthusiastic crowds of both experienced buyers and newcomers to vintage posters made the Poster Fair a great success. Co-branding the smaller specialty Poster Fair into the larger Pier Antique Show proved a fabulous model, benefiting antique and collectible lovers of all fields and areas of interest,” said International Vintage Poster Fair co-producer David Pollack.
Not surprisingly, Kiki Werth, London, was mainly selling British posters from the 1920s to 1960s. Finding favor with buyers on this side of the pond were charming Guinness posters by John Gilroy, a rare oversize 1927 poster for London Tramways by Brien depicting the British Museum and posters by Roy Lichtenstein and Le Corbusier from the 1960s. “As always, the rare and unusual did get a lot of attention. Some of my purchasers were new, customers, which is encouraging,” Werth said.
For information, 800-856-8069 or www.posterfair.com.
Gallery
