notes

We don’t hear ‘How much is it?’ fractionally as often as ‘Is it in original condition?’ Presumably this is Les and Leigh Keno’s personal legacy, by way of ‘The Antiques Roadshow’, to all antiques dealers. Frankly, given the muddy appearance of many of the items over which some dealers and collectors wax eloquent, I now sometimes think French polishing has a lot to recommend it.

Not really… In fact, what the Kenos are trying to communicate is that original condition means that a furniture item has not been either altered or improperly restored. Pardon my Anglo-Saxon, but the vernacular term we use for bad restoration is ‘buggered’. This can mean, variously, a poor use of materials, using, say, a plastic varnish over a proper shellac and wax finish, or a piece that has been completely stripped by chemical and mechanical means down to the raw wood, or the ‘improvement’ of a period piece with, for example, the addition of marquetry and inlay where none existed before, or, tragically and too often seen, a combination of all of the above.

Frankly, our mantra is the littlest possible restoration is the best restoration. Certainly for English furniture, the best pieces were meant by their makers to be shiny and brightly colored. Two or three hundred years of use, and natural oxidation, always do their work, and nothing, even under optimum conditions, will look exactly as it did when it first entered the dwelling of the original purchaser. We are, as we speak, working on the paint finish of a wonderful Regency period chair, whose original decoration is still largely intact- together with 200 years worth of furniture wax, soot, and poor retouchings. Even with painted furniture, the term ‘patination’ is frequently used, a catch-all meant to lionize, rather than apologize for, the effects of age. As I think about it, Keith McCullar’s birthday is coming up- I think I’ll tell him, by way of compliment on his natal day, that he’s becoming nicely patinated.

The point of all this is, despite the frequency of the query ‘Is it in original condition?’ the question rarely indicates what the buyer really wants to know- nor does it imply particular criteria for a buyer’s purchase. While we like minimal restoration, we also like pieces that show well. For an antiques dealer, there is just the slightest commercial imperative- we do have to sell something from time to time, and pieces with a tired, ‘original’ appearance do not have much commercial appeal. This is the irony, of course- a prospective buyer might ask about original condition, but then actually find more appealing, to the point of purchasing, something with some restoration. There is nothing wrong with this, because, when asking about original condition, what they really mean to ask is ‘Is this piece in serviceable condition, and how close is it to how it originally looked?’ When we acquire items for inventory, condition is critical, as we want to accomplish any required restoration to put it in saleable condition without having to reinvent the appearance of the piece in our workshop. Consequently, when asked about original condition, we nearly always are able to respond- ‘We’ve had to do very little to it.’ This has always proven to be a satisfactory response.  In fact, our own rules about  condition and restoration pretty generally accord with the vetting guidelines of the better antiques shows: a piece must be substantially the same as when new- very little restoration, but not necessarily in unrestored ‘original’ condition, and it must also be ‘show worthy’, that is, of pleasing, saleable appearance. Maybe that’s what I’ll tell Keith on his birthday- that he’s passed vetting and is of show worthy appearance.

The Los Angeles Antiques Show goes on and on in my blog entries, and well it should. For nearly everyone who’s participated, the follow-on business from the show has been phenomenal- certainly, the hallmark of a great antiques show, and something that bodes well for the future. You heard it here first- book your 2009 tickets as soon as you can!

This year, wonderful adjuncts to the show were the designer vignettes set up in the pavilion housing the show entrance. Unfortunately, the space allowed for only four, but those four were really lovely. Disparate, too, in terms of style, but unified in their use of materials that, by in large, a collector or another designer could have purchased at the show.

Joe Nye, our old friend, general gadfly, and, I hope, soon to be guest blogger, had a pleasing vignette suggesting an urban dining room. The use of the word ‘pleasing’ might seem dismissive, but, frankly, the appearance made one feel, well, pleased. As with everything Joe does, it presented a jolly mix of colors- in this instance a warm, Christmassy red drapery setting the tone that was repeated subtly, not shouted, throughout. Don’t get me wrong, though- a number of elements in the vignette were significant items on their own, including a pair of John Dickinson anthropomorphic low tables from the late 1970’s.

Next to Joe Nye was probably the most expensive installation, a terrific marble-floored bathroom with a large soaking tub, with green trellised walls surrounding. All this from the inventive mind of Windsor Smith, it struck within me a particularly responsive chord, as I’m a luxurious bather in my old age. Windsor’s tub would even accommodate my gangling frame. Who doesn’t love a tub where your legs can be outstretched, and not rucked up on the wall like a contortionist?

Opposite Windsor Smith’s bath was an installation by Oliver Furth. A gentleman’s office, designed, of course, by a gentleman, Oliver’s vignette was a wonderful mix of the new and the old. An Empire style writing table and Russian and French Empire seating furniture were backed up by, naturally, shelves laden with books and bibelots. The shelves, though, were contemporary industrial metal shelving that Oliver had made into striking pieces of furniture by having them chrome plated.

The final vignette of the four was a fascinating installation from Laurie Ghielmetti and Doug McDonald, whose San Francisco-based firm always includes a touch of quirky amidst some fascinating, fine quality furniture and artwork. For their antiques show vignette the quirky was supplied by a tin and glass occasional table, with the base in the shape of a date palm, with green malachite ‘dates’. This bit of whimsy was acquired from Jackson Square Designs, the 20th century gallery of Chappell & McCullar (who are they?)

In spite of the column inches, my blog-point is not really to recite encomia for the authors of each vignette, whose reputations precede them and need no boost from me, but to praise the very fact of their inclusion in the show. No question, as I’ve written ad infinitum, in the best antiques shows, engagement of the design community is essential for success, and, frankly, the vignettes, extremely well done, can set in motion a chain of events that yield productive results for everyone. Certainly, eclecticism is how everyone lives and, frankly, how every really talented designer designs. But when a designer uses their talent to mix extraordinary items, like Dickinson low tables, with the less extraordinary, design and collecting move further within the experience of more people- and increased show attendance, and sales, is the result. One might have an extraordinary collection of contemporary art, akin to the fine paintings in Laurie Ghielmetti and Doug McDonald’s installation, but including in the same setting a well-loved though intrinsically less vaunted item, like the ‘palm tree’ table, personalizes the setting, and, personalized, it becomes welcoming and, consequently, more inclusive. It occurs to me that what I’ve overlooked is that, despite their disparate appearance, all the vignettes had one tremendous feature in common- all were clever, artful, and certainly exuberant, but importantly, they were also, all of them, fun.

Mr. Trace Mayer, our good friend, antiques colleague, and one of Louisville, Kentucky’s first citizens, pulled himself away from the punchbowl during derby weekend long enough to give us some idea of the art and antiques show at The Merchandise Mart in Chicago that ran at the same time as the Los Angeles Antiques Show. Herewith Trace’s remarks:

The Merchandise Mart Properties in Chicago may have stumbled on a really sensational business.  Hosted in the historic building in Chicago’s Loop, The Mart hosts 5 fairs which run simultaneously on three floors.  It is staggering to behold the amount of merchandise and the organizational effort necessary to pull off this event.  Four of the five fairs are focused on contemporary and modern art.  The fifth show, and arguably the odd man out is the antique show- for which I have now exhibited for the third consecutive year.  135 antique dealers filled half of the eighth floor.  The breadth and quality of items offered was quite nice, and for the most part approachable.  The only thing lacking this year was enough people with the rare combination of timing, interest, and funds to make the floor a lively place filled with happy dealers.  Not enough interior designers were present to drive this process.  For the regular spectator who hasn’t been in training to visually process thousands of items with a critical eye, it is truly overwhelming.  It takes a Herculean effort to see everything exhibited in a day- and then, it is hard to believe that one might be able to return to find that one item they truly might wish to acquire.  For that reason it is a sensational show for the visitor- but unfortunately this year at the expense of many of the dealers.  Hopefully the show will continue to work to find a balance so they can keep the quality of merchandise offered at a level that won’t require having to make any sacrifices in the years that come.

Best,
Trace Mayer

It appears that biggest is not necessarily the best. While attendance and buyer selection is important, clearly choice and size can at some point overwhelm even savvy art and antiques buyers. As well, designer attendance anymore is crucial to a show’s success. The Mart does a fantastic job of promotion, but it appears the show just completed was too much of a good thing. With all that, I’m sure Trace Mayer, as do we, look forward to the smaller October antiques show at The Mart.

When we participate in an antiques show, we know the show will be an overall success if we see interior designers shopping with their clients. At some point in the future we might be able to systematize this, but suffice to say there is a direct relationship between the frequency of designer-client ‘shopping units’, shall we call them, and the number of sales on the show floor.

Certainly, this applies to the recently completed Los Angeles Antiques Show, and, frankly, the show was generally considered a financial success. By the by, the financial distribution followed the typical curve- some dealers had terrific at-show sales, and some not at all, and varying degrees of sales success in between. My sense is, though, that the bell curve is a bit lopsided, with the sales distribution tilted toward the successful end.

Given the look of the show, its success should come as no surprise. I know that Los Angeles is the home of ballyhoo, but, in a word, the show looked fabulous. The material at the show is always great, but, this year, many more people than in the past cottoned on to the notion that to sell, a dealer’s stand has to look inviting, and they did. Show chairman Ray Azoulay was a notable showman amongst these, with black lacquer walls adjacent to redwood bat and board making a striking backdrop for the eclectic mix of material his gallery, Obsolete, is known for. Ed Hardy was a new exhibitor, though hardly new in the trade. One of the highlights of the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show is Ed’s booth there, always a feast for the eyes. In Los Angeles, Ed’s signature grass cloth walls and rough plank flooring joined with butterfly cleats, made the perfect setting for some magnificent period pieces, in the midst of which was a 20th century Fornsetti center table in faux malachite.  All wonderful!

I’ve nearly lost my train of thought, and will wax lyrical in tomorrow’s blog about other dealers, other stands. The digression, though, just goes to point out how potentially successful a designer junket to an excellent fair can be- for the designer, the client, and the dealer.

Keith McCullar and our gallery manager, Eric Liebau, are setting up our booth at the Los Angeles Antiques Show as this is written, with my own self heading to the south land later this afternoon. Poor Eric- he will have to return later today, to mind our denuded galleries during the run of the show. We’ve pulled rank, I’m afraid. With all that, Eric’s contribution is tremendous, certainly during the setup of our booth. Keith and I, when we work together at set-up- well, it gets ugly, not just occasionally, but invariably.

My Pasadena-based sister Karen Tremper telephoned yesterday to say she saw a full page ad for the show in yesterday’s LA Times and the TV channels have provided, and hopefully will continue to provide, coverage. The second largest city in the US, Angelenos are not short of things to do, so frequent media blasts insure that those who might attend are motivated to attend. Still, we do hope for slow news days, as a couple of years ago, our promised TV coverage was squeezed out by the frenzy generated by the death of Anna Nicole Smith. A great lover of the arts….

A couple of real bright spots for us at the LA Show will be the return to the show of Imari, a fantastic dealer in Japanese art, and the brand new participation of Hollyhock, the venerable West Hollywood antiques store owned by one of the mavens of design, Suzanne Rheinstein. Hopefully, Suzanne will have some period soft furnishings upholstered in her extraordinary new line of fabrics, designed for Lee Jofa.