On the eve of tomorrow night's VIP Preview and Collectors' Invitation for Naples International Art & Antique Fair, Bonita-based International Fine Art Expositions has reported that its American International Fine Art Fair (AIFAF) opened earlier this month to numerous substantial sales. That bodes well for the international dealers and galleries who are rushing to complete preparations for NIAAF, which is expected to draw record crowds during the 5-day event, which takes place at the Naples International Pavilion from February 23-28, 2012.
American International's brisk sales may have been induced, in part, by AIFAF's dramatic new design for 2012. This year, American International featured a sleeker, more modern look with LED lit fascia and black and grey toned wall coverings. The revamp was well received with positive comments from attendees and press. “It was clear - this wasn’t going to be your grandmother’s antique show,” commented ARTINFO.com journalist Janelle Zara in an article appearing the Monday following the fair opening. She continued, “a new hipness was palpable.”
ARTNET headlined its review “AIFAF Palm Beach - Super-Chic Design and More…”
Within the first two hours of opening night, Holden Luntz Gallery of Palm Beach sold the signature AIFAF Fair image, Girls in the Window by Ormond Gigli, for $30,000. Additional prints of the photograph were sold throughout the following days along with multiple other works.
Also experiencing early sales was London gallery, Richard Green, which reported several seven-figure sales including a work by French impressionist Alfred Sisley priced at $2 million, a painting by Le Sidaner priced at $1.2 million, and a major Montague Dawson, Battle of Trafalgar, as well as four Grimshaw works from a special featured exhibition of the artist’s work. Galerie Terminus of Munich sold an original Richter from 1986 for an undisclosed seven-figure sum, a major Tom Wesselman cut-out priced at $485,000, as well as additional works including an original Zhuang Hong Yi.
Waterhouse & Dodd of London sold an original work by American sculptor and artist Alexander Calder as well as a Picasso drawing and various other works; Michael Goedhuis – a long-time exhibitor specializing in Chinese and Asian contemporary art and antiques - reported numerous sales with mid six-figure range; Mark Borghi Fine Art reported the sale of a Sam Francis acrylic painting, Untitled, 1994, a Jules Olitski pastel, Untitled, and a George Condo work on paper, Untitled, 1983; Imperial Fine Books sold an extremely rare collection, Records of the Federated Convention, 1787, signed by the signers of the Constitution for $160,000; and Wick Antiques reported the sale of a French Dieppe ivory dagger from France and multiple other works.
Among other dealers reporting sales were Alexander Gallery, Arcature Fine Art, Art Link, Avant Gallery, Christopher Kaufmann, Faberge, Garrido Gallery, Gladwell & Company, Guarisco Gallery, Jewels by Viggi, KM Fine Arts, Mallett, Mark Helliar 20th Century Design, Peter Finer, Rehs Galleries, Richter’s, Rosenberg Diamonds, The Silver Fund, Stern Pissarro, Thomas Colville and Yvel.
In addition to significant sales, AIFAF attracted a diverse group of attendees including prominent collectors, museum curators, and New York press.
The American International Fine Art Fair returned February 6 – 10 with a new more compact six-day format designed so that the fair could offer visitors a full week of day and evening activities including a larger fair, a new educational Symposia, a Gala Charity Vernissage on February 5th, two Culinary Arts evenings with prominent visiting celebrity chefs, and visitors and fair guests had the opportunity to attend prominent Palm Beach charity balls at landmark locations on Friday, February 8 and Saturday February 9.
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