Charles Washburn, Chappaqua, N.Y.
Lenny Kislin, Bearsville, N.Y.
– The Triple Pier Antiques Show opened for the first of a consecutive two-weekend run this past Saturday with huge crowds in attendance for each day of the fair. This show, promoted by Stella Show Mgmt. Co., has certainly become a crowd favorite over the years attracting collectors, dealers and vendors from throughout the United States and abroad.
Unique in its presentation, the megashow features “segregated” Piers with staggered openings. Americana enthusiasts are eager for the opening of Pier 90 at 9 am, for those with more formal tastes Pier 92 is the prime location at 10 am, and for those that are somewhat on the wild side, Pier 94 (Modern) is the hot spot at 11 am. A slight change was noted in this year’s presentation of the show as Pier 88, traditionally the Modern Pier, could not be used due to the presence of a commercial ocean liner in port. Accordingly, Modern was moved to the end of the row and used the spacious street level Pier 94.
Sales appeared to be steady on each of the Piers and a host of rdf_Descriptions were seen being carted away by busy porters; many dealers also reported brisk preshow activity.
On the Americana Pier we saw a great selection of decoys and stoneware presented by Bird in Hand, Florham Park, N.J., that included a snaky-head New Jersey brant and a nice canvas back, while just next door in the booth of Lenny Kislin a selection of carved stones by Dave and Tom Marshall were offered. The stones ranged from plain faces to abstract faces, to scenes with people and animals, to just animals and were priced from $200 to $400. Just down the aisle, Clifford Wallach offered a good selection of tramp art including a superb cabinet, picture frames, boxes and an assortment of sculpture.
A large selection of canes with carved ivory handles and gadget tops were offered by Il Segno Del Tempo, who made the trip from Milano, Italy, to do the show.
Chappaqua, N.Y., dealer Charles Washburn offered a wonderful selection of majolica including an extremely rare bowl with jokers in relief on the outside and supports in the form of seated dogs attired with festive hats. Also featured was a rare “lobster” platter and an oyster server.
Canadian dealer Ray Kisber featured a rare Vladimir Kagan table and also a wonderful lifelike sculpture of a seated woman by Mark Sijan.
The Stellas and their dealers will be back in the Piers this coming weekend with a host of new dealers and different merchandise. Hours for Saturday, November 15, include a staggered opening at 9, 10 and 11 am, with the show closing at 6 pm. It reopens at 11 am on Sunday with staggered closings at 5, 6 and 7 pm. For further information call Stella Show Mgmt. at 212-255-0020.
A complete review of all the activities at the Piers will be forthcoming in a future issue.
