The International Show Blog

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2011-02-15T14:26:00.000-08:00

at our new space: http://haughtoninternationalfairs.wordpress.com/ for the latest news on all the Haughton International Fairs.

Same Time, Next Year

2010-10-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

I was absolutely beguiled by this eagle's head from Brian Haughton - my top pick of the show and, as the red dot testifies, someone else's as well

Right now the trucks are driving onto the Armory floor and all the glamor, history, and objets of vertue which dazzled us for the past several days are being carefully blanket wrapped and stowed away.

But whether or not your souvenir is an ormolu-mounted eagle's head or a feeling of inspiration, it remains true that the International Show is a place of fascination and great beauty - something we could all use more of.

Dealer Spotlight: Maison Gerard

2010-10-28T15:49:00.001-07:00

EEE: One can’t help but notice all these wonderful pieces of lacquer. How did you find all of these pieces?

Benoist Drut of Maison Gerard: Every year we try to design a room around some kind of a theme. And thanks to these three pieces - a pair of cabinets by Jansen, and the black lacquer cabinet by Ramsay - we thought it would be a nice mix to play with.

A limited edition macassar ebony and red lacquer bookcase by Jean Berenger de Nattes

We also wanted to showcase the work of Jean Berenger de Nattes who is a contemporary French designer. This bookshelf is a limited edition of eight. It’s extremely well done - the base is bronze gilt with 24 karat gold but done in both matte and shiny finishes. The inside is red lacquer, so we thought we had a theme.


One of a pair of cabinets by Jansen

When you think of the first use of lacquer in the decorative arts, you think of chinoiserie and Japanese or Chinese screens. These pieces don’t really reference that.

The tortoiseshell lacquer center table by Jansen could probably qualify to be a direct heir to the eighteenth century, but it’s true that the three cabinets are very different. One reason is that the lacquer is Bakelite lacquer. Shortly after the second World War, a company created a new process using Bakelite which was the first non-natural lacquer. It was a lacquer that was far more durable, easier to use, and which also allowed you to play with many more colors than natural lacquer would have. Leleu and other designers at that time only used this when it came to their lacquer.

Installing your stand as a room must give clients an idea of how it might look in their own residence.

Exactly.

And even though there is a bed in the middle of the floor, it doesn’t necessarily look like a bedroom. This could be a salon, this could be any room…

That’s the way we envisioned it. We are lucky enough to have a large booth with a 12’ high ceiling and every year we do try to come up with something current as if you were stepping into an apartment. It’s one thing to sell furniture, it’s another thing to show people how they may want to live with it. And we also belong to the school that less is more and there is no need to plaster everything all over and show as much as possible. To me, this is the opportunity to select a few things, to showcase them - and we please ourselves as well! It’s nice to sit in this room and not have it look like a store and believe that you really could live here.

I love the floor…

This was Christopher’s find and fight! It’s parquet de Versailles but it’s made of reclaimed wood so it’s totally green - the same way antiques are green, because basically you are reusing something which has already been created so you don’t need to cut more wood or melt more iron. The parquet just fit in well with everything else.

It does. It’s elegant and a nod to historicism – yet it’s unfinished, left in its natural state - so it’s a wonderful combination of contemporary and traditional. And lacquer seems to me to be very much like that. There is a timelessness to it. It’s never gone out of fashion.

To go back to your point about the 18^th century and modernity, when you look at those cabinets, they are all very much neoclassical in their shape and it almost could be 18^th century in a way – and yet it’s not. It’s not, because the proportions are slightly accentuated and their height is too tall or not tall enough compared to 18^th centure pieces. So they have the flair of the 18^th century but are clearly of the 1940s.

Tell me about the lantern.

It’s a contemporary work by French designer Herve van der Straetten. Herve is a very talented designer. He started designing jewelery many many years ago and right away went into furniture. It’s an old design of his – it’s a reference to Ancient Greece, but also to an Andre Arbus design of the 1940s.

Here again it’s the bringing together of neoclassicism and the influence of the 40s into a contemporary way of life and setting.

Madeleine Castaing Launch Party

2010-10-27T16:18:00.000-07:00

Last night friends, colleagues and family turned out to help me celebrate the publication of The World of Madeleine Castaing. The Haughtons along with Bruce Addison, Maureen Footer and Charlotte Moss generously hosted the launch party which took place in the International Show's Glorious Food Cafe.

The hosts of the evening: Maureen Footer, Bruce Addison, and Charlotte Moss


Beth and her team from Potterton Books kept me on track...


...which I needed because it was too much fun talking to everyone...

...like the extremely stylish milliner Rod Keenan and connoisseur Philip Hewat-Jaboor

Pigs in blankets and miniature grilled cheese sandwiches from Glorious Food kept everyone happy as did the absolutely delicious and refreshing special cocktail of the evening, the Cointreau Blush, courtesy of Remy Cointreau.

Put ice into a tall glass
Add 30ml Cointreau
Add 10ml Lime juice
Top with 60ml Pink grapefruit
Finish with 70ml Soda
Stir well
Add a lime wedge as a garnish

Thank you to everyone who came - it was thrilling meeting other kindred members of the cult of Castaing! And a special thank you to Magda Grigorian and the International Show for a most splendid evening.

Reception for The Park Avenue Tree Lighting Committee

2010-10-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

Jo-Ann Polise, Derek Limbocker, Barbara McLaughlin, President of the Fund for Park Avenue, Anna Haughton, Ronald Spencer, Esq.

This Monday, the International Show hosted a private reception in celebration of the 65th anniversary of the Park Avenue Tree Lighting. This long tradition of illuminating the trees on Park Avenue began as a way to honor the men and women who died in World War II, and it continues to serve as a memorial to all who have made the greatest sacrifice for their country.

It was particularly appropriate to gather at the Armory as it was home to the original Seventh Regiment who participated in the first ceremony in 1945. This Veterans Day, the process of installing the trees from 54th to 96th Street will begin. Mark your calendars for December 5th, when they will be lit for the 65th year in a row.


Mary Kelberg and Elaine Arace

Barbara McLaughlin and William T. Castro, Manhattan Borough Commissioner, NYC Dept of Parks and Recreation

Amy and Carter Beal

Seton Melvin

Bryan and Catherine Carey

Eugenie Niven Goodman

Barbara and Kevin McLaughlin and Mary Davidson

Tom and Paula Burchill

All photos by Laurie Lambrecht

Brockschmidt and Dragisic Select

2010-10-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

The striking carnelian color of this Swedish Grace bed by Axel Einar Hjorth, c. 1929, put this at the top of this list. From H.M. Luther

Architect Richard Dragisic and designer Bill Brockschmidt, one half of the Brockschmidt and Coleman firm who are noted for their embrace of color and antiques, toured the International Show with this mission: to select their favorite works. The rules: each piece must be something they would love to have themselves and they both had to agree.

Richard and Bill's classical leanings guided them to this magnificent Regency rosewood and blue scagiola side cabinet. It is reputed to come from Lady Kenmare's famously chic Villa la Fiorentina. From Apter-Fredericks.

One part of a three piece garniture. The juxtaposition of the naive iron flames with the refined Classical urn is charmingly eccentric as is the use of ormolu for only the front. From Foster-Gwin/Il Quadrifoglio

A tall Queen Anne Pier Glass with surprisingly modern star and diamond border. From Ronald Phillips.

Richard and Bill selected these Han dynasty pottery owls for Bill's partner, Courtney Coleman. The heads can be moved around and repositioned. From H.M. Luther.

Huon Mallelieu Selects

2010-10-25T21:12:00.001-07:00

Huon Mallelieu: Behind that warm smile is a rapier sharp eye

You never know whom you'll meet at the Show. I happened upon connoisseur par excellence, Huon Mallelieu, one of my personal heroes. While he couldn't divulge all of his choice picks of the show, he did share one with me. (You'll have to read the next issue of Country Life for the others.)

Mallelieu's discerning eye singled out the two volume Biblia Latina, an illuminated manuscript on vellum, dating to 1435-45, at Dr. Jorn Guenther Rare Books. This glimpse into the world of rare manuscripts and books left me feeling as if I had stepped into the da Vinci Code.

EEE: Why is this manuscript such a standout?

HM: Because of the exact quality of the illuminations, the initials. There’s something wonderfully modern in the coloring. And the colors themselves are really quite unusual. It’s in wonderful condition. Look at that gold just sparkling off it – it’s absolutely glorious.

How did it come to be so well-preserved?

Dr. Jorn Guenther: You have to remember that these kinds of books were hand-written before the invention of printing. They were the most expensive treasures of a monastery and so they were always very expensive to produce. It’s the equivalent of 30 sheep with which you could buy a small house.

It was taken care of because it was so valuable.

Yes, if it was destroyed by fire or something like this, they would have lost their intellectual treasure. You can replace an altarpiece in an amount of time, but to replace this manuscript would take about two years. You could only copy one from the other. And of course book lovers love books!

Which monastery does it come out of?

We don’t know exactly, but it was done in Utrecht. We know the person who commissioned it. It is signed and dated which is unusual.

Oh – why is that unusual?

They did it [the transcribing] for the faith of God, not to sign their name.

Ah – it’s a sign of vanity…

That’s twentieth century.

HM: Ego…

How long have you had these?

I would say something like a year.

Do a lot of people collect religious manuscripts?

HM: It’s a rather small but very sophisticated market.

We have connoisseurs and collectors, not decorators. If someone starts a collection, they’ll keep it going 20 or 30 years.

It’s not just institutions then?

I would say it’s about 80% private clients.

Really?! That is fascinating.

Dealer Spotlight: Wartski

2010-10-25T08:59:00.001-07:00

Geoffrey Munn of Wartski takes us from the ancien regime to Gigi.

We are living in an age transfixed by the cult of personality. Jewelery is such a personal item that one wears and reflects how people wish to represent themselves. How important to your clients is the provenance of a piece?

Well, it makes a huge difference to me, and I suppose by extension it will to the customer. There are various royal objects to be seen here within inches of me. The pearls on this necklace are said to have belonged to Marie Antoinette and there’s no reason to doubt it because it’s descended through a family from the Duchess of Sutherland who was in waiting to the French Queen. It is said that Marie Antoinette gave her the pearls when she was in prison and the Duchess smuggled them out.

So they would have been loose pearls?

Yes. And I suppose that story has some credibility, but what is certain is the descent within the family. And while that may be a romantic provenance, what is not and is based on stone hard fact is that we have several pieces here from Fabergé that we know belonged to the imperial family. And the reason we know it is that they were engraved with inventory numbers and you can send those off to Russia and they will tell you that it was purchased by Nicholas and Alexandra, on what day, how much, and with a photostat of the bill with the czar’s instructions to pay it.

a Faberge nephrite box belonging to Czar Nicholas

So that applies to the nephrite box over there which is a cigarette box bound in two colors of gold. We know it passed through the czar and czarina’s hands. There is enormous magic in Fabergé because part of the fascination with Fabergé is that it is the last flowering of court art, the last great statement of luxury from any dynasty.

a pair of cufflinks given by Maurice Chevalier to his pianist

You go from the imperial family to Maurice Chevalier?

I suppose it is a reflection of one’s personal interest, and that is important. Also I think that there is a talismanic quality about jewelry. It is absolutely unchanging. It can’t fade and it is exactly the same visual experience for us as it was for our predecessors. There’s always been very strange sublimated fascination. People don’t feel it immediately, but they sort of know it.

When I put on the tiaras show at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the visitors came and it was a bit like elephants who pick up the bones of their ancestors and move them around and rub them. The great irony of these things is that they’re unchanging, they’re utterly permanent. It is they that are going on and it is us that are utterly ephemeral.

You wrote the book Tiaras as well as curated the show. Where do tiaras have a place in 20^th century life?

Well, they probably don’t in a funny way….

Except Paris Hilton!

Exactly. They are very seldom worn. They were worn when the Queen had receptions, more often then not the women were required to wear tiaras. They’re not a sign of rank at all, it’s only the high rank of the circumstances. So if you went to a very grand dance where it was white tie, it would be implicit that the women would wear head ornaments. And now there is no white tie at all. There is black tie but that is not the same thing and it’s not at all appropriate [to wear a tiara]. There is still a deep fascination with them because they’re the biggest, best, most eccentric, most glamorous of all types of jewelry. They transcend everything from necklaces to earrings, and they’re just better and more fun. That’s why we like them. On the stand we have one in the form of a pair of diamond wings.

It is by Chaumet, platinum and diamonds.

What is the date?

About 1890, 1900 when the concept of flight didn’t exist. Flight was a much more exotic, magical thing to talk about. Today we zoom around the world like Ariel from Shakespeare in a second. But in those days travel was very cumbersome and slow and so here you have wings. It’s also the wings of love without a doubt. It’s a reference to Mercury.

It’s very modern in its simplicity.

People do love it. Winged jewelry isn’t very easy to sell, if it’s a brooch or something like that, but this for somehow or another has captured everyone’s attention.

Dealer Spotlight: TAI Gallery/ Textile Arts

2010-10-24T10:40:00.001-07:00

EEE: I’m here with Everett Cole of TAI Galleries/ Textile Art, one of the show’s new exhibitors. Why did you decide to come out to New York?

Everett Cole: The reputation of the show is really fantastic and it’s something we’ve wanted to do for awhile. The opportunity presented itself for us to come and so we jumped on it. We’re really happy with the results.

Your booth really stands out and a lot of people are talking. When you turn the corner, you see these bright turquoise walls and incredible baskets which are unlike anything else on the floor.

They’re all contemporary pieces by Japanese artists working in bamboo. This evolves from a 1000 year old tradition. It was after World War II that the sculptural tradition started and the artists stopped working with pure vessel forms and started experimenting with sculpture and non-functional objects as well. This is where it’s evolved to today. We represent all the artists in Japan who are working on the masters level and there are maybe 50 left.

You represent Japanese crafts, yet the gallery is in New Mexico which has the tradition of Native American arts….

Santa Fe is an art destination for people all over the world which is one reason why it works so well for us. It’s also a great place to live. Rob Coffland and Mary Hunt Kahlenberg, the gallery owners, who were previously in Los Angeles, made that choice rather than having this gallery in New York or someplace like Chicago which would be great also. But it was a quality of life choice.

The baskets are all made of natural fibers.

Yes, all out of bamboo with a little bit of rattan.

Do they dye it in different colors?

They’re dyed and lacquered. Some artists use synthetic dyes, other only natural ones.

This basket caught my eye immediately – it’s almost like a giant slinky.

Honda Syoryu, the artist, is from the Oita prefecture in Japan. He actually had his start, like many of these artists do, making vessels. And he was always frustrated by the process and never could get something to really work. He said to Rob, the gallery owner, “I’ve got this idea, but I just don’t have time.” He was barely scraping by so he was always scrambling to make something to support himself. So Rob got a collector to agree to sponsor him for three months.

After that three months, Honda said “I’m this close, but I’m not there yet!” Rob knew he couldn’t go back to this collector and say "I need three more months" so the gallery sponsored the artist for the final three months to make it happen. And when he came back to Japan, Honda was so nervous that he couldn’t actually show Rob the piece himself. He sent it with a friend to show Rob and Mary and they were just blown away and that was the start of this series.

So then it became a series.

He’s been working with this concept for probably 8 years and playing with ideas and scale and things like that. He’s also working with other techniques, but still always exploring the medium and innovating which is exciting.

How recent is this piece?

This piece is from this year.

What are these stacked wooden boxes for?

The Japanese tradition is that because the homes are smaller, they rotate the objects and so they always have a box for storage. You’ll find that true for Japanese ceramics as well. Some of the artists will use cardboard, others the traditional wooden boxes. Inside the lid, the artist writes the title, and then signs the piece and stamps it, because obviously you can’t stamp the bamboo art itself. So it’s part of the piece and part of the tradition.

Christopher Spitzmiller Selects

2010-10-24T08:59:00.000-07:00

A Late 19th Century Japanese Hare from H.M. Luther

Christopher Spitzmiller, whose fine hand-made ceramic lamps grace many of the residences of the Show's attendees, was kind enough to share a few of his personal favorites on the floor.


One from a pair of George III carved giltwood tables of dogs who are delightfully captured with their tongues hanging out. Kentshire.


An English Pearlware Botanical Dessert Service, c. 1810-1815 from Brian Haughton

Each is inscribed on the underside with the name of the specimen depicted.

One from a paper of papier peint panels of Les Rives du Bosphore by Dufour, c. 1812, at Mallett

A faience boar's head tureen from Brian Haughton. Boar could only be hunted by those above the rank of an earl so to serve it was a status symbol indeed. Imagine the steam of the stew pouring out from the boar's mouth - pure theater!

Dealer Spotlight: Koichi Hara of Japonesque

2010-10-22T16:59:00.001-07:00

EEE: I am here with Koichi Hara of Japonesque from San Francisco who is exhibiting here for the first time. What brought you to the International Show?

Koichi Hara: Originally I showed at the Haughton’s International Asian Art Show here in New York, and 2008 was the last one. I have wonderful clients here and it’s nice to stay connected to the East Coast. Also, Izumi Masatoshi, one of our artists is exhibiting eight pieces at the LongHouse in East Hampton. So we always have relations with the East Coast.

You are renowned for mixing works of all periods and style.

I think it is easy to do one category, but I like the ability to understand the aesthetic of old and the new. We can learn from the old piece and find excitement in the new. When you combine them, a very interesting energy comes out that you can’t get with just the old or just the new.

Your installation is beautiful. Did you have an inspiration or start with one piece as a focal point?

We call it shitsurai - - things are not so much important. It’s about the relation between the person and things, and if you treat things special, you need space around them. It is a respect to special things -- which was a challenge since we have a small space here! The shipping people were shocked at how we were able to get everything in!

A red gouache ground reveals itself underneath a layer of black graphite on this finely carved screen

Everything here is special, but what is one highlight of your stand?

This carved wood, red gouache and pencil graphite work. It’s not just black and white, but behind the black there is a wonderful red hidden, like the blood in our bodies. So it’s kind of interesting. It’s monochrome, yet it’s not monochrome. As the light changes, the painting changes – it’s between sculpture and painting. It’s difficult to appreciate the power of this piece immediately, you have to live with it and observe it over time.

Are there things you could never sell?

Everything I’ve liked I’ve liked to sell. Very important.

the photograph of the fragile Buddha which stays perrmanently presserved on paper

You don’t have an attachment…

No attachment. Over here we have a photograph of a Buddha. Many people liked this Buddha sculpture in our gallery, but it was so fragile. Then we had an idea to photograph it and it is beautifully destroyed, but not destroyed.

Very clever! And now everyone can enjoy it.

Exactly.

Opening Night

2010-10-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

Maureen Footer is greeted by hospitable pineapples and porcelain in Brian Haughton's stand

Antique Ceramics dealer Brian Haughton showing a rare oyster barrel

Marc Jacobs

Peter Marino outside of Erik Thomsen Asian Art

Christopher Spitzmiller next to one of his collaborations with Claire Potter on display at Mallett

Around the Buffet - the heaps of maple bacon were the hit of the night

Alex Papachristidis and Nancy Corzine

The end of the evening....

Moving in: The Grease Paint behind the Glitter

2010-10-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the International Show's preview benefit party before the official opening Friday morning. Plenty of satin, sequins, and stones will be strolling through the aisles at what is one of the premiere society events of the Fall. (Click here for ticket information.)

Galerie Lefebvre assessing the lighting

But just a mere 24 hours before, the Armory was a construction zone, with carpeting still being rolled out over the worn wood floor boards, dealers standing on 12 ft ladders to perfect their lighting, and others taking a break after a long day of unpacking, installing, and refining.

A naked jewel case waiting to be dressed at Sandra Cronan, Ltd.

Ginger Ale and Polish - essential tools of the trade at The Silver Fund

Lacquer, ceramics, and tool boxes at Bernd Goeckler's stand

A well-deserved break: Il Quadrifoglio and Foster-Gwin

The Park Avenue Armory: An Aesthetic Movement Moment

2010-10-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

The Park Avenue Armory is the home of the International Show. Join us on a tour of its exquisite aesthetic movement decoration and fascinating history.

If your last name was Harriman, Belmont, or Schermerhorn in the 19th century, you were probably a member of the Seventh Regiment, a volunteer militia of the National Guard who were the first to answer Lincoln's call-to-arms. This silver stocking brigade was culled from the top echelons of New York society and as the Manhattan swells continued to push the northern boundaries of the city uptown to escape the masses, they brought their Armory with them to Park Avenue between East 66th and 67th street.

As much a gentleman's club as a venue for drill and rifle practice, this sanctum of the elite was lavishly kitted out between 1877-79 by the same decorators that created the opulent interiors of their own homes: Louis Comfort Tiffany, Stanford White, Herter Brothers and others.

Today many of these schemes are intact and are rare survivals of the American masters of the Aesthetic Movement - which isn't to say that in some cases they aren't hidden under layers of paint and not in need of extensive excavation and restoration. Lucky for us, they are in the hands of the Conservancy of the Park Avenue Armory, who are approaching their mission of preserving this important piece of history with erudition and sensitivity.

The Veterans Room, better known as the Tiffany Room, was decorated by Louis Comfort Tiffany, Associated Artists, and architecture by a young Stanford White and is the most expensive room in the building. Although they are cropped out of the picture, used wallpaper rollers were used for the capitals of the columns flanking the fireplace above. Armchairs and spitoons furnished the room which was used by older members as a lounge. Metallic paint and upholstery (by Candace Wheeler) ensured that this room glittered and gleamed in the flickering gaslight.

The very top photo is a detail of the frieze that ran around the perimeter of the room and tells the story of soldiers through the ages set between tracery incorporating the weapons of the respective period.

In the hallway they recently cleaned the paneled wainscoting (above) and found an inset Congressional medal of honor dating back to the Civil War buried under layers of wax. Hanging above is the portrait of the honored Colonel. Our guide noted that the Regiment loved to put brass dedicatory plaques on everything, even radiators!

Next to the Tiffany Room is the Library which then became the Trophy Room....

The basket-weave painted ceiling by Stanford White was probably originally a salmon-color which would have evoked the sunset in the gaslight.

The glass trophy cases were originally filled with books with sliding lattice screens, like this last remaining one.

The ladies reception room labeled the Mary Divver room and the work of the Herter Brothers is paneled with paler prettier maple - elsewhere the more manly mahogany and oak were employed.

Its fireplace has tiles recounting scenes from the Arthurian legends. All the fireplaces in the building had beautiful tiled surrounds and floors.

The Herter Brothers also did the sensational Commanders Room. The turquoise walls are handpainted with gilt daisies, and the ceiling retains much of its original decoration.

Upstairs are the company rooms. The Seventh Regiment had 10 companies in the 19th century - A though K (J was excluded because it looked too much like I and could cause confusion on the battlefield). Each company took great pains to decorate its own room.

Company K was by far the richest company. They turned to Sidney Stratton of McKim, Mead and White who chose the Queen Anne style with sumptuous oak and mahogany paneled lockers.

The room leads to a balcony looking over the drill room - which is now used throughout the year for art and antique shows...

Company H's room by the Herter Brothers....

Company G's room....

With its fabulous armor chandelier by Mitchell Vance and Co.

Click here for more information on the Armory. Many thanks to the Institute of Classical Architecture for arranging the tour.

Originally posted on EEE

The Best of the Best.

2010-10-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

This Friday, the twenty-second International Show will open at the Park Avenue Armory. Since the show's founding by dealers Anna and Brian Haughton, there has been a tremendous proliferation of new shows, many of which have survived but a year or two. What makes this show a stand-out and in fact one of the stars of New York's cultural scene year-in, year-out? It is simply the best of the best.

Anna and Brian Haughton, founders of the International Show

Forget "good" and "better" - everything on the floor is Top. And most likely, rare. When you come to the show, you are sure to see things that will never be seen again in public (and perhaps were never in public before).

Study of the bedroom ceiling in the Reines Meres apartment at Fontainebleau, Watercolor and Pencil on Paper, by Eugene Delacroix, courtesy of Jill Newhouse

Many of the exhibitors hide away their most spectacular pieces just for the show, and if a private collector purchases it instead of a museum, one may have to wait an entire generation before it surfaces again.

Pair of Oiseaux de Marbre armchairs by Francois-Xavier Lalanne, courtesy of Galerie Lefevbre

The scope of what is on display is dazzling. Arms and armor, rare manuscripts, furniture from the 17th century (and before) all the way to Lalanne. It is truly like walking through the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Victoria and Albert except everything is for sale and the exhibitors, who are as knowledgeable and passionate as a curator, are available for questions and conversation.

A Charles II Black and Gilt Japanned Cabinet, c. 1685, courtesy of Hyde Park Antiques, Ltd.

One of my favorite aspects of the fair is seeing the elaborate booths many of the exhibitors create. Axel Vervoordt, who has redefined Belgian design, always transforms his space into a modern castle while Apter-Fredericks might tent theirs, worthy of the Prince Regent's Carlton House. As renowned interior designer Charlotte Moss has said, display is about giving ideas and there are a lot of ideas to be gathered here.

An Ancient Egyptian Black Granite Torso Fragment, c. 1900 BCE, courtesy of Axel Vervoordt

Finally, the International Show is deeply glamorous. Opening night of course is something to see (and be seen!), but whether you visit at noon or after work, the glamour is undeniable. Is it the international flair of the show, where over half of the exhibitors hail from Europe, or the high style and superlative caliber of works on display? You must go and see for yourself.