For the first time, Park Avenue Armory hosted the Salon: Art + Design, a combination of contemporary art and design, mixed with ethnographic pieces from around the world. Exclusive dealers and antique shops from Paris joined producer Sanford L. Smith and other American art companies to organize what, for many, was considered the premier design and antiques event in Manhattan. New Yorkers and visitors had access to the best of European and American art under the roof of the Armory building on Park Avenue.
The fair reflected today’s predominant trend among collectors: eclecticism. The era when collectors looked for works from a single, specific style or period is long gone. The fact that buyers are interested in different genres has not gone unnoticed by the Salon’s organizers, who cleverly combined contemporary art, pieces from the 18th century, as well as exquisite Japanese and African artworks.
The Salon placed great emphasis on diversifying the offer of postwar and ethnographic art in this year’s selection. The exhibit showcased stunning jewelry starting at $1,500 and artworks valued at millions of dollars.
More than 50 entities participated in the Salon, 31 came directly from the very successful Paris Biennale des Antiquaires, which featured ground breaking design by Karl Lagerfeld at the Grand Palais. The New York event marked the first opportunity for many of these dealers to present their collections stateside, and it probably will not be the last.
The Salon hosted many illustrious galleries, such as Galerie Beres, Galerie Boulakia, Galerie Robilant + Voena and Brand & Lorenceau, among others. The fair also included British, Austrian, Belgian, Swiss and Swedish galleries.
The Mayoral Gallery d’art from Spain brought wonderful works by Dali, Picasso and Miro. A special mention goes to Kraemer Gallery, Paris’ oldest, which specializes in 18th century works, some of which have been introduced to the collections of prestigious museums like the Louvre in Paris, the Metropolitan in New York, the J. Paul Getty in LA, the White House, the Palace of Versailles, as well as private collections, including Karl Lagerfeld’s.
Kraemer Gallery is headquartered in the family palace at 43 rue Monceau in Paris. It boasts a wonderful collection of contemporary art, alongside period pieces from the reigns of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI.
