Art Fairs, Art Industry

Auction Daily Returns to The Winter Show, 2020

Published on Jan 31, 20

A week after our team got a sneak preview of New York’s Winter Show, we headed back to Park Avenue Armory one last time to see how the event is wrapping up. The Winter Show is an antique and art fair that has brought dealers and collectors together for 66 years. The public’s last day to visit the event is this Sunday, February 2nd.

One of the big takeaways from our return to The Winter Show is how much success the event’s vendors are experiencing. We had the pleasure of talking to Frank Levy of Bernard & S. Dean Levy on our first trip to this year’s Winter Show. At the time, one of his featured pieces at the event was a clawfoot sofa once owned by Henry Ford. That piece sold on The Winter Show’s opening night.

Frank Levy is the owner of Bernard & S. Dean Levy, Inc. In New York City, New York. — Frank Levy is the owner of Bernard & S. Dean Levy, Inc. in New York City, New York.

Fellow Americana dealer Taylor Thistlethwaite of Thistlethwaite Americana believes The Winter Show is the premier event to sell his high-end items. “I found out about getting into the show about six months ago,” Thistlethwaite told us at the event. “So the minute I found out, I was like: ‘pedal to the metal, we gotta find some treasure.’”

W. Taylor Thistlethwaite owner of Thistlethwaite — W. Taylor Thistlethwaite

Thistlethwaite founded Thistlethwaite Americana in 2013. He wanted to share both his knowledge and enthusiasm for antique collecting with the public. Among his highlighted pieces from this year’s event is The Quintet by African-American artist Ernie Barnes. But Thistlethwaite told us that he already has a piece in mind for next year. “You’re always on the hunt for the best pieces…you always have this nagging little thing in the back of your mind going: ‘What am I going to bring to The Winter Show?'”

The Thistlethwaite Americana booth at The Winter Show.

Thistlethwaite Americana isn’t the only company that organizes its noteworthy pieces around The Winter Show. Spencer Marks is an antique dealer founded by Mark McHugh and Spencer Gordon in 1987. McHugh and Gordon told us that they save pieces year-round for The Winter Show. “And we don’t advertise them until we get to the show,” they said, “so [attendees]… have their first opportunity to see them.”

Alan Adelson is the Director of Adelson Galleries in New York City, New York.

Many have already written about The Winter Show’s new direction, as it tries to include more contemporary voices into the fair. That change influenced what some dealers brought to this year’s Winter Show. “We’re mainly known for our American Impressionist and Modernist painters…But we do show a few contemporary artists…that are a bit wilder,” Alan Adelson of Adelson Galleries told us. Among the highlights from Adelson Galleries, this year is Federico Uribe’s sculpture Selfie Esteem (2019). Uribe uses various medical instruments to craft a woman who is in the middle of taking a selfie.

Selfie Esteem 2019 — Selfie Esteem (2019)

Those who have not made it to The Winter Show this year still have a couple of days to head to Park Avenue Armory. But Alan Adelson, along with virtually everyone else we spoke with, promised they would return next year. As The Winter Show evolves, it appears many collectors and dealers are ready to learn and grow with it.

Stay tuned to Auction Daily for more auction industry news and previews. Are you hosting an event for collectors, dealers, or auctioneers that you would like Auction Daily to cover? Contact us today.