Winter Antique Show Update

Amy Page of Art Info has an article on the Winter Antique Show, and the report is not one of gloom and doom. I gather from the article that many dealers went into the show with low expectations and tried to maintain as much value in their pricing strategies as they could. Others brought their typical Winter Show quality items and prices as well. According to the article, both show strategies seem to be paying off. Many of the dealers are saying that mid-way through the show, they are pleased.

Page opens her article with In response to the sour economy, some dealers in this year’s Winter Antiques Show in New York (January 23 – February 1) scaled back their booths, bringing less expensive objects than they had in the past. New York dealer Leigh Keno, for example, typically shows pieces of American furniture priced in the millions. This year his top work was a carved maple chest of drawers made by the workshop of Major John Dunlap, New Hampshire (c. 1790), priced at $490,000 (it sold on the opening weekend), and nothing else in the booth was valued above $100,000.

“We thought about the economy,” said Keno, “and brought pieces that are useful and buyable.”

Page continues with some additional dealer comments:

London antiquities dealer Rupert Wace said that he made sure his pieces were priced as well as possible, a task made easier by the weak pound. But while some dealers had stocked their booths with less expensive items, others continued with business as usual, saying that their regular prices were always reasonable enough. Spencer Throckmorton, owner of New York’s Throckmorton Fine Art, brought “what we usually sell at the gallery, which is good material at good prices. We did no downsizing. Overall, those dealers who came with low — or no — expectations were pleasantly surprised. Bernard Karr, the president of Hyde Park Antiques, said that the fair was doing better than he thought. “We all had trepidation,” he said, “but the world has not stopped spinning. Everyone did a bit of business.”

This is good news after a substandard showing at the American Week auctions. The Winter Show runs through Feb 1st, so there is still time for more sales. Many of the dealers say they have had a lot of interest and have numerous items pending. Lets hope the trend continues.

Perhaps this indicates there will be a bit of stability in the antique market. Have we have reached the bottom, and now interest and sales are starting to turn toward a positive run. I will try to get more information as the show proceeds and concludes.

To read the ArtInfo article, clikc HERE.