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Palm Beach | America's International Fine Art & Antique Fair
Buoyant Sales, New Special Ties and Powerhouse Crowd

Guests in the Richard Green Booth at Palm Beach Fair

PALM BEACH, Fla. (February 18, 2008) – Success marked the 12th annual Palm Beach Fair on a number of levels with attendance comparable to last year's at 30,000 visitors. A record 1,400 patrons enjoyed the glittering charity benefit Vernissage on Thursday, January 31 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in support of the Mosaic Fund of the Community Foundation, benefiting arts and arts educational non-profit programs throughout Palm Beach and Martin counties. This year marked the first year there was a formal dinner following the Vernissage preview, and it was a sell out at 380 guests. Hostess, Audrey Gruss elegantly transformed the Convention Center ballroom and Café Boulud served dinner.

Guests at the Palm Beach Fair Vernissage

"With prominent museum groups from Florida and beyond such as the Houston Museum of Fine Art bringing patrons coupled with wealth fund managers taking in exclusive tours of the fair, buoyant sales were achieved proving the successful positioning of this fair," says Mark Lyman, dmg world media Vice President.  He cites U.S. Trust, Lehman Brothers and Innovative Benefits Consulting, Inc. as just some of the financial firms touring the fair with private clients.

Sales were brisk the first weekend and continued steadily throughout the fair's 10 day run.  A total of 90 international dealers hailing from 13 countries showcased their best, representing all disciplines of art and antiques from classical antiquity to 17th century Dutch and Flemish Old Master paintings, antiques from Britain and Continental Europe, as well as Modern and Contemporary art and the high points of 20th century design, along with spectacular jewelry.

The Terminus booth at Palm Beach Fair

Modern and Contemporary art sales were especially strong for a number of dealers with Galerie Terminus, Munich selling 12 paintings and sculptures at the Vernissage including Frank Stella's 1999 The Perplexed Magistrate, an aluminum sculpture, to a French collector for $340,000.  Terminus also sold a Gerhard Richter painting for $1.1 million and a John Chamberlain painted and chrome steel sculpture for $625,000, which was delivered to the South of France during the first week of the fair.  Wilhelm Grusdat, Terminus gallery director, says, "I like the atmosphere of this show. Everyone is relaxed; there is no pressure like there is at Art Basel."

Tom Wesselmann, Great American Nude, #93, 1967, Oil on canvas —Galerie Terminus

At Terminus, a prominent Florida collector placed reserves on two major paintings totaling $5.4 million: Tom Wesselmann's Great American Nude, #93, 1967, oil on canvas, for $4.3 million, which Grusdat believes to be  "One of the best in the world outside of museums due to its mint condition"; and a 1983 painting by Keith Haring for $1.1 million.  Grusdat had not heard any mention of an impending recession or the changing economy. "I do not believe the Fair has been affected by a downturn in the market," he says.

Canaletto The Piazza San Marco looking east along the central line &The entrance to the Grand Canal looking east from Santa Maria della Salute A pair, Oil on canvas, circa 1750s —Richard Green

Rudolf Budja Galerie, Vienna achieved a reservation on a 1982 Andy Warhol painting Hamburger Michel that had been part of the acclaimed Wuensche collection. The price is in the $3 million range.  Even 18th century paintings were favored as the talk of the fair floor was London dealer Richard Green achieving a reserve on a pair of Canalettos for an eight figure sum.  Sales of 19th  and 20th century fine art and antiques also ticked along steadily.  Dickinson, New York, reports selling three 19th and 20th century paintings as well as Old Masters on reserve.  N. P. Trent Antiques of Palm Beach sold Empire furniture, a pair of 18th century fauteuils à la reine as well as Italian 18th century antiques.

The Macklowe Gallery booth at Palm Beach Fair

Then 20th century design was snapped up by the sophisticated crowd. "My expectations are completely exceeded," says Benjamin Macklowe of Macklowe Gallery, New York, who racked up sales the first weekend of two Tiffany lamps each priced over $250,000, a single lighted bronze, and a Daum chandelier as well as close to 30 pieces of jewelry.  Buyers were Americans, Latin Americans and Belgian.  Manhattan 20th century design dealer Brian Kish of Brian Kish, Inc. also reported seeing qualified buyers.

Sales to institutions were substantial.  The Los Angeles County Museum of Art placed  reserves on several Old Masters with the Madrid Caylus and Helena Mola galleries as well as reserves on period decorative arts with the Madrid Artemisia Arte Antica while a major East coast museum purchased an 18th century painting from Antiguedades Linares, also of Madrid.  Then the Hispanic Society of New York, which installed a loan exhibition at the fair, completed major purchases at Helena Mola as well as at L. Codosero.

The Trebosc Van Lelyveld booth at Palm Beach Fair

A private Brazilian foundation purchased a 17th century José de Mora polychrome head of John the Baptist from Trebosc Van Lelyveld, the Netherlands. "This was a significant sale to a new South American client we never would have met outside of Florida, either in Europe or in New York," says Philip Mezzatesta, who also sold Italian drawings to the Gilgore Collection, a private museum in Naples, Florida.  Portions of their collection formed a loan exhibition at the fair.

Overall, the offerings of the seven Spanish dealers, six of whom were first time participants, were highly sought. L. Codosero sold a pair of 18th century cabinets of cocobolo wood with inlays of mother-of-pearl at the Vernissage.  Those antiques, believed to be from the Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos and Moxos (Bolivia), went to an American collector for a six figure sum.  Laura Codosero says, "We especially appreciated fair director Michael Mezzatesta's considerable work to bring important curators to this fair."   She reports sales of two Hispano-Moresque ceramics, each priced over $30,000 and with one taken by the Hispanic Society; and no less than two 16th century polychrome alabaster reliefs by the Circle of Diego de Siloé, Burgos School in Spain. Additional sales included an 18th century Mexican polychrome casket as well as 17th century Columbian casket.

The Hammer Galleries booth at Palm Beach Fair

 "There are definitely a lot of very qualified buyers on the floor," says Richard Lynch, director of Hammer Galleries, New York, which sold a 19th century genre picture by the German artist Carl Boker.  At fair close, three pictures, including one priced around $1 million, are under consideration and all are to new clients.

For certain dealers, their sales volume was astonishing.  For example, British period textile specialist Marilyn Garrow racked up 62 sales from rare 15th century Italian velvets to early 20th century examples with a number of choice works going to museums.

Paul Vandekar of Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge, New York rang up over 30 sales of English porcelain, including Bow and Chelsea; English pottery such as cream ware; China Trade watercolors; and English and American woolies.  "Florida is not just about older, retired couples," says Vandekar.  "Here, I see all my clients from the Winter Antiques Show even though I stopped participating in it five years ago.  Buyers weren't scared off by the economy—'I'm not hearing people say 'I should not buy now.'"

The Van Cleef & Arpels booth at Palm Beach Fair

In addition, the fair delivered entire new audiences of buyers because of extensive outreach efforts.  Some like the Brenske Gallery, Munich and Zurich reported a number of newly rich Russians visiting their stand.   That Swiss icon dealer made sales to five clients.  "Collectors are drawn to the spirituality of icons," says Stephan Brenske.  The international jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels, was a first time fair participant, served as exclusive Vernissage sponsor and also witnessed an influx of new clients. "The clients were mostly American and a few Europeans, notably some Russian customers," says Alvina Patel, Van Cleef head of public relations in New York.  "They were new customers that we do not necessarily see in the store," she says.

Manhattan dealer Hollis Taggart sold an American Impressionist landscape by Robert Vonnoh for a six figure sum at the show and says, "We connected with a major client by virtue of the fair and because of that meeting, we will obtain a considerable number of important works on consignment."

The Anderson Galleries booth at Palm Beach Fair

Anderson Galleries, Beverly Hills sold two oil paintings the first Friday: one by the English Pre-Raphaelite Dante Gabriel Rossetti and one by 19th c French artist Henri Lebasque. "There are more established collectors shopping this year," says Kevin Anderson.

The Galerie Dominique Hurtibize booth at Palm Beach Fair

Jacques Bailly, Paris reported selling four Jean Dufy paintings ranging from $30,000 – $180,000  as well as a $1,000,000 painting, all to new clients. Galeries Dominique Hurtibize, Cannes, also reported strong sales to new customers, while Waterhouse & Dodd, London sold 14 paintings including Henri le Sidaner's 1926 oil on canvas, La Porte de la Mer (Villefranche-sur-Mer) for $250,000.  

Wienerroither & Kohlbacher, Vienna sold three Gustav Klimt drawings, including a study for "The Kiss" priced in the six figures.  "Initially, we were concerned that our specialty would be out of place in sunny Florida but we met clients we could have never reached elsewhere," says Eberhard Weinerroither. 

Largest known Egyptian monumental bronze seated cat. XXIth-XXIInd Dynasty, 1080-715 BC — Royal-Athena Galleries

Sales of Antiquities were fast paced.  Royal Athena Galleries, New York sold an Attic black ground vase dating from the first half of 6th century for $65,000 to a Madrid museum, and an Egyptian bronze cat, 750-525 BC, from the acclaimed John Kluge collection to a Chicago collector for over $400,000.  "Clients here are not scared off by a looming recession," says Jerome Eisenberg, PhD, who heads up Royal Athena.

Numisart Ancient Art, Munich did well with American collectors snapping up a Roman marble fragment of Medusa for around $50,000 and a bronze Roman statue fragment for $55,000.  On Saturday, Numisart sold a Roman marble relief for $35,000, also to an American collector.  

The Imperial Fine Books booth at Palm Beach Fair

Imperial Fine Books, New York sold to three new clients, including one who is building an entire library of fine editions. That particular client has homes in Florida, Greenwich and New York, and purchased sets of Jane Austen, Shakespeare and Dickens as well as Wealth of Nations and a multi-volume history of Egypt.  "I think I will do his entire library," says Selina Mohammed, gallery director.  She also sold numerous first editions and an 1879 Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyum, fourth edition, with a jeweled binding for $16,000 to a Palm Beach realtor who was a new client.

The Veronique Bamps booth at Palm Beach Fair

Haute jewelry sales were prolific.  Véronique Bamps, Brussels said "We have booked strong sales this year again with top interest in Art Deco jewelry, especially earrings," including an Art Deco emerald brooch and jade earrings, a 1950s ruby necklace, Lacloche clips, a 1935 Boivin diamond and ruby ring among others, with sales far exceeding  $250,000.

The Graff booth at Palm Beach Fair

Craig Miller of Graff, London, New York and Palm Beach says, "We did much better in terms of sales this year versus last." And Richters, Palm Beach reported sales to clients from Chicago, Grosse Pointe, New York, Connecticut and Florida.  "We're continuing to see new clients here and that is the life blood of our business," says Dudley Richter.

Moussaieff Jewellers Ltd., London reported serious consideration by a local American buyer for a pair of 60 ct. Golcanda diamond earrings.  Alisa Moussaieff reports seeing collectors from as far afield as Germany and Italy.

Among the architects and designers flying in for the Vernissage were Tony Ingrao and Randy Kemper of the Ingrao firm, Mario Buatta, Michael Simon, Bruce Bierman, Geoffrey Bradfield, Betty Sherrill, Joanne de Guardiola, Matthew Patrick Smyth, and Scott Snyder, all of New York, and Bennett Weinstock of Philadelphia.  Also strolling the aisles were John Loring, Tiffany & Co. Creative Director; Kim Heirston, New York private art consultant; and Michel Witmer, Paris and New York art consultant who is also on the Board of The European Fine Art Fair based in Maastricht, Holland.  Prominent collectors included Peter Brant and his wife Stephanie Seymour, whose modern and contemporary art as well as design collection, is ranked one of the most important in the nation.

Museum curators trolling the fair floor represented the Getty, the Kansas City Nelson Atkins Museum, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and Art Institute of Chicago, among others.

"With that kind of response in terms of considerable sales and qualified attendance, dealers are already confirming their participation in the 2009 Palm Beach Fair," says Lyman.

Palm Beach Fair is a member of the family of high-level fairs under the newly announced management division: dmg world media Art & Antiques, North America.  The group’s next fair is the Sculpture Objects & Functional Art fair, SOFA NEW YORK, May 29 – June 1 at the Park Avenue Armory, www.sofaexpo.com

photos: David R. Barnes

Palm Beach Fine Art & Antique Fair
www.palmbeachfair.com