The Best of the Best.

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.