Art & antiques fair renaissance

Art Basel, TEFAF Maastricht, New York's Winter Antiques Show, each is long-established in its own niche as a world-class art fair, drawing tens of thousands of visitors annually, at least some of them deep-pocketed buyers. These mainstays of the art and antiques scene, to name a few, are now occupying an increasingly crowded space.

An astonishing dozen or so notable art and antiques shows have debuted in the past three years, or will soon appear, worldwide. From New York to London, Miami to Shanghai, the profusion of fairs points to the growing popularity of the art fair as a one-stop buying/selling venue, social event, networking platform, educational program, and charitable fundraiser.

While many art fairs seem to have been born in the recession, economic turmoil has taken a toll on the art world since the 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers, initially causing diminished fair attendance and wobbly sales. The fall-out was the demise of at least two major fairs: Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair in London and the Ellis Memorial Antiques Show in Boston.

At the same time, the end of Grosvenor House perhaps paved the way for Masterpiece and Art Antiques London. These London upstarts came on the scene during the June 2010 season of auctions and a host of other fairs, including a stylishly revamped Olympia.

Art Antiques London, held across from the Royal Albert Hall, billed itself as a "true collector's fair," rolled in the longstanding International Ceramics Fair and Seminar, and boasted a loan show from the Hermitage.

Masterpiece aimed to be a new kind of showcase for £1 billion-worth of "the best of the best" art and antiques as well as premium collectibles such as vintage cars, wine, and jewelry. Buzz brought in celebrities, the likes of Mick Jagger and Giorgio Armani were seen, as well as willing buyers who picked up plenty. A Carlton House boulle-inlaid table sold for upwards of £500,000 at Harry Apter's stand in the first hour of the show while a vintage 1927 Bentley was snapped up for more than a half million pounds.

After a two-year hiatus, the venerable Ellis, Boston's top antiques show for nearly five decades, will be given new life as the Ellis Boston Antiques Show, in 2011. Show producers Fusco & Four have taken the reins, will return the show to its original site in the Cyclorama, and have promised an exciting list of exhibitors, both returning and new.

More noteworthy art and antiques fairs debuting in late 2009-2010:

Wayside Inn Antiques Show , Sudbury, Mass., in May.

San Francisco Fine Art Fair, May.

ArtAspen, Aspen, Colorado, in August.

Dallas International Antiques, Art, and Jewelry Fair, November.

Coming in 2011:

Florida International Fine Art Fair (FIFAF), Miami, Feb. 3-13. "Our goal is to turn FIFAF into the important destination for fine art dealers and collectors on a level similar to Maastricht,” said Nick Korniloff, Partner and Show Director of Art Miami LLC, show producers.

The Spring Show, New York, NY, April 28-May 2, with approx. 60 dealer-members of the Art and Antique Dealers League of America (AADLA). “We want this fair to reflect today’s sophisticated collector, whose tastes have become more eclectic and varied,” comments Clinton Howell, president of the AADLA.

Ellis Boston Antiques Show, Boston, October 13-16. "A world-class antiques event in Boston," says organizer Tony Fusco of the relaunched show.

Popular new shows:

In locations as diverse as the Hamptons and Shanghai, freshly-conceived shows are capitalizing on old money and new wealth as well as a growing appreciation of art in emerging markets. Concurrently, shows have debuted in New York City and Santa Fe, two art-saturated locations which made room for high-end, specialized fairs.

ArtHamptons, SOFA WEST: Santa Fe, the American Art Fair, and The Shanghai Fine Jewellery and Art Fair are international shows in their infancy, having debuted in the last few years, which have already taken hold as destinations for their respective collecting categories.

In the competition for collectors' interest, and attendance, show promoters have stepped up educational programming, touted charitable partnerships, and hosted a dizzying array of VIP events and festivities. Art Basel, for one, attracted a record 62,500 visitors in late June with its roster of 300 modern and contemporary art exhibitors and dozens of special exhibitions, book signings, artist meetings, lectures, panels and more.

Three-year-old ArtHamptons added 40% more exhibitors, an art book festival, and a Worldwide Art Collectors' Conference, to the annual show last weekend. Plus, Tesla's latest electric sports car was available for test drives.