Date: Fri 14-May-1999

Publication: Ant

Author: LIZAM

Quick Words:

AsianArt

Full Text:

The International Asian Art Fair At The Park Avenue Armory, March 25-30, 1999

By Karla Klein Albertson

NEW YORK CITY -- The International Asian Art Fair came to the 7th Regiment

Armory for its fourth annual visit in late March with a strong presentation of

high-end offerings which upped the ante of an already competitive Asia Week.

The auction houses are aware of the stakes. Two major shows, numerous auctions

-- Sotheby's did sales and a "for sale" exhibition of Tibetan ritual objects

-- and numerous private gallery offerings put a vast banquet on the table,

from which an ever-larger number of buyers could pick and choose. The market

has become more selective all around.

After his sale at Christie's, where he heads the department of Indian and

Southeast Asian Art, Dr Hugo K. Weihe commented: "The sale did well overall,

but there is perhaps a bit too much material on the market in a sense, with

the other shows and sales in town. Southeast Asian is a very popular field,

which has finally come into its own and is reaching the prices it deserves,

compared to Chinese art, for instance. At this point, there is a level of

saturation; there is a lot of material for potential buyers to view in New

York." No kidding.

The old saying holds true -- "the best sells" -- but the dealer better have

the best, because the heat is on. The International Asia Art Fair is very

successful at bringing together dealers with outstanding offerings in their

respective fields. Both private collectors and museums come to buy, but

everyone agrees that they take their time thinking things over.

Quality, price, condition, and guarantees of authenticity are all weighed in

the balance.

As London dealer Alexander Gotz put it, "Things linger in people's minds for a

couple of days -- no hasty decisions." As a specialist in ancient South and

Southeast Asian art, noted as the focus of Dr Weihe's comments above, Gotz

agreed. "This year's tidal wave of Tibetan merchandise was overwhelming. In

Sotheby's catalogue, three-quarters of the catalogue was Tibetan art plus the

exhibition plus the fair."

New York dealers Bodhicitta and Art of the Past were other strong presences in

this up and coming field at this year's show. At Bodhicitta, Pemba Tsering

pointed out, "Tibetan art is getting extremely popular now, especially with

the renewed interest in Tibetan Buddhism. The Dalai Lama has actually given

his blessing for institutions and private collectors to buy this art as a

means of preserving Tibetan culture." Although a political solution still

seems a long way off, preservation would hold out hope that some objects could

be returned to their proper monastic setting in the future.

Harking back once again to comments at Christie's, Weihe had also noted an

increased interest in Indian paintings and this boded well for new fair

exhibitor Sam Fogg from London, who sold well from his gallery of works in the

$10,000 to $100,000 range. He offered a fine image of Krishna piping, Northern

Deccan, circa 1640, for $22,000. As he explained, "The market is cyclical --

it also happened 20 years ago in the 1970s."

Carole Davenport, a private dealer in New York who had a very good show in her

third year at the fair, seconded the idea that Asia Week is not a time for

impulsive purchases. "Some people come, look, and ask questions. Then they'll

go away, make their decision and come back." She was reluctant to part with

her Japanese Kuan Yin, a Twelfth Century work which showed strong Chinese

influence. "It was so wonderful. In a way, I was sorry to see it go because

I'd lived with it such a short time." She also did well with her

beautifully-mounted Noh masks from the Japanese theatre, although she regrets

that they are getting harder to find.

Contrasting with the selection of early, archaeological material on the floor,

such as the numerous examples of sculpture from the Gandharan culture, were

several dealers presenting the fresh look of contemporary Chinese painting.

Art Forum of Singapore had brought over the show "Beyond Tradition: Art of the

New Migrant Chinese," which presented five artists achieving modern effects

from the ancient ink brush painting technique. Michael Goedhuis, who also has

wonderful Meiji period bronzes, uses modern Asian painting to provide an

effective contrast and brighten his booth.

As always, the strictly-vetted Fair was a delight to the eye, from the

tasteful use of garden oases of Asian flowers and foliage to the flamboyant

red tent at the rear which housed the show's buffet restaurant. The fair's

directors Brian and Anna Haughton added five new exhibitors this year,

including the Singapore Art Forum and La Galliavola Art Orientale from Milan.

The show's English-speaking roots are still very much in evidence however,

with 44 of the 57 dealers coming from either London or New York City.