This Week’s Major Events: LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair, London Design Festival, Painted Furniture in Philadelphia & More
SEPTEMBER 13-19
LONDON
LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair, Berkeley Square, London
September 13-18, 2016
The prestigious LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair is widely regarded as one of the leading international showcases for art and antiques. Held in historic Berkeley Square in the heart of London, the fair features over 100 exhibitors offering everything from fine art and furniture to jewelry, tapestries, clocks, ceramics, and silver. Known for its gracious atmosphere and wide range of exceptional offerings, the LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair draws collectors, enthusiasts, and industry professionals from across the globe. Exhibitors at this year’s fair include Trinity House Paintings and D. Larsson Interiör & Antikhandel. Click here to continue reading.
London Design Festival, Various Locations, London
September 17-25, 2016
Launched in 2003, the London Design Festival aims to promote the city’s creativity by bringing together the area’s top thinkers, practitioners, retailers, and educators. The massive celebration of all things design includes over 400 events and exhibitions hosted by a swathe of partner organizations across the city. Highlights include Decorex, a renowned design show and the only one of its kind for the UK luxury interiors market; design installations at the Victoria & Albert Museum; and the Global Design Forum, the festival’s annual program of talks led by a bevvy of design leaders and innovators. Click here to continue reading.
PENNSYLVANIA
Classic Splendor: Painted Furniture for a Grand Philadelphia House, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
On view through January 1, 2017
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is currently exhibiting a suite of painted furniture designed in 1808 by the British Neoclassical architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe for the house of Philadelphia merchant William Waln and his wife, Mary. Located a block from Philadelphia’s State House, the Walns’ grand residence was demolished in 1847 and is only known through the surviving furnishings, a small watercolor, two fire insurance surveys, and a handful of descriptions. The ten pieces on view in Classic Splendor are all part of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s collection and have undergone a comprehensive research and conservation treatment. Click here to continue reading.
HOUSTON
Houston Antiques + Art + Design Show, George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, TX
September 16-18, 2016
Held at Silver Street Studios—a sprawling complex in the heart of Houston—the Houston Antiques + Art + Design Show will feature forty exhibitors from the United States and beyond. Local dealers, such Antiques of River Oaks, Atelier 1505, David Lackey Antiques & Art, and Golden Chances, will mingle with exhibitors from further afoot, including Art Link International of Lake Worth, Florida, and Los Angeles’ Jacob’s Diamond & Estate Jewelry. In addition to antique furniture, fine art, and modern design, the Houston Antiques + Art + Design Show will feature a stunning selection of jewelry, including masterpieces by David Webb from Benchmark of Palm Beach. Click here to continue reading.
MASSACHUSETTS
Taking Shape: Sculpture at Addison, Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, MA
September 17, 2016-March 19, 2017
Organized as a complement to the traveling exhibition, Making It Modern: The Folk Art Collection of Elie and Viola Nadelman—a monumental show culled from the New-York Historical Society’s collection of folk art objects acquired by the avant-garde sculptor Elie Nadelman and his wife, Viola, which is currently on view at the Addison Gallery—Taking Shape also highlights the institution's significant sculpture collection. The show explores the boundless possibilities of three-dimensional art by presenting a range of objects, including weathervanes; carved signs; figurative works by such luminaries as Chaim Gross, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and Paul Manship; and contemporary pieces by Louise Nevelson, Martin Puryear, and Carroll Dunham. Click here to continue reading.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Red: Ming Dynasty/Mark Rothko, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, D.C.
On view through February 20, 2017
This small yet profound exhibition places a fifteenth century imperial Chinese porcelain dish alongside a painting by the hugely influential modern painter, Mark Rothko. Despite their 500-year age difference, the works are linked by their rich tonalities and moving use of color. To create the deep red of the dish, potters masterfully controlled copper—the most difficult of all glaze colorants—to achieve the desired hue and unique, velvety texture. Showcasing his own command of material and color, Rothko layered red pigments to create a canvas that seems to vibrate with life and emotion. Click here to continue reading.
NEW YORK
Carmen Herrera: Lines of Sight, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
September 16, 2016–January 2, 2017
This long overdue exhibition celebrates the Minimalist painter Carmen Herrera who, at 101, continues to create new works. Known for her crisp compositions and arresting use of color, Herrera did not sell her first canvas until she was 89, though she has been painting since the 1940s. Lines of Sight will focus on the years between 1948 and 1978—the period during which Herrera developed her signature style. Over fifty works, including paintings, three-dimensional pieces, and works on paper, will be on view. Herrera was also the subject of a recent documentary titled The 100 Years Picture Show—Starring Carmen Herrera. Click here to continue reading.
CALIFORNIA
Gardens, Art, and Commerce in Chinese Woodblock Prints, The Huntington, CA
September 17, 2016-January 9, 2017
Gardens, Art, and Commerce in Chinese Woodblock Prints brings together forty-eight exquisite works from the National Library of China in Beijing, the Nanjing Library, the Shanghai Museum, and institutional and private collections across the United States. Made during the golden age of woodblock printmaking, which spanned from the late-sixteenth century through the nineteenth century, the works on view explore the art, craft, and cultural significance behind the versatile medium. The exhibition includes delicate, painterly depictions of flowers and birds as well as architecturally elaborate garden scenes. One of the highlights is the Huntington’s own edition of the Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Calligraphy and Painting (circa 1633–1703), which was acquired in 2014 and is on public view for the first time. Click here to continue reading.