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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

ASIAN ART IN THE SPOTLIGHT AT THE ART AND ANTIQUE DEALERS LEAGUE OF AMERICA SPRING SHOW NYC, April 28 - May 2 at the Park Avenue Armory, New York

Visitors to the inaugural Art and Antique Dealers League Spring Show NYC, which opens on April 28-May 2, will be transported east this April...and we're not just talking to the Park Avenue Armory. Asian art and antiques specialists abound at the fair, sharing a treasure trove of artifacts that hail from China to the Caucasus-and everywhere in between. Here are some highlights to look for:

The material wealth of imperial East Asia is apparent in a Manchu man's embroidered silk court robe, crafted in China during the first half of the 19th century. On display from Atlanta dealer Jon Eric Riis, the robe bears an intricate dragon motif in gold against a cerulean ground, with fine satin and Peking knot stitching throughout.

Exquisite works in jade, meanwhile, can be sourced from Robyn Turner. A 19th-century Chinese jade vase measuring seven inches tall is graced with masterfully carved trellis ornamentation, and a miniature mountain landscape in jade measuring just eight inches tall centers on a seated luohan, or Buddhist disciple. Rounding things out, NAGA Antiques showcases the elegance of the Japanese court with a late 18th-century, six-panel screen, "Moon and Grasses on the Plains of Musashino," executed in gold leaf and mineral pigments on mulberry paper.

If instead you're looking for a little "relief," explore the sculptures on offer at Arnold H. Lieberman who will bring the helmeted head of a goddess (possibly Athena). Dating from 4th-century Afghanistan, this stucco piece still sports traces of its original gilding and polychrome. A substantial, carved limestone stele finial from Indonesia's Sumba Island dates from the 18th century and can be found at the booth of Chicago's Douglas Dawson gallery. Kevin Conru, from Brussels, offers a selection of exotic tribal artifacts from Africa. And finally,E&J Frankel presents the ceramic figure of a Persian rider astride a large Bactrian camel, from the early Tang Dynasty (7th-8th centuries CE).

Other Asian art specialists include: Peter Vallin offering a pair of Chinese three-color glaze Ming Dynasty Buddhist lions, 1368-1644, and Orientations Gallery which will present an exhibition titled Reflections of Japan: Glowing Metals, Brilliant Enamels. This exhibition will feature traditional ceremonial forms by Imperial Court Artists including censers and containers for precious incense, sake ewers, and tea ceremony requisites. Unique to Japanese culture, many of these exquisite objects are formed in rare alloys of gold, silver and bronze. Complementing these are jewel-toned enamels and silver ribbons are fashioned into spectacular cloisonné artworks.

With a roster of sixty top specialists from all over the United States, the AADLA Spring Show NYC - at the heart of New York's Art & Antiques Week - will offer something for every collector's taste, whether scholarly or decorative. Visitors will be lured into the Armory's grand exhibition hall with a dramatic mise-en-scene created by interior designer and tastemaker Lars Bolander, the Swedish designer recognized for his signature style of mixing the old with the new.

ABOUT AADLA
The Art and Antique Dealers League of America, Inc., is the oldest and principal antiques and fine arts organization in America. The purpose for organizing the league was to bring the various members of the art and antiques trade closer together to promote a greater understanding among themselves and with the public, and generally to devote itself to the best interest of dealers and collectors of antiques and works of art.
1stdibs.com, the Spring Show NYC sponsor, is an online luxury marketplace that presents a carefully curated selection of highly coveted items from the most prestigious dealers in high-end antiques, 20th- and 21st-century design, estate- and fine-jewelry, vintage couture, and fine art.  Founded in 2001 by Michael Bruno as a way to bring Parisian flea market finds to the world, today the site now lists over 2,000 new items each week, totaling over 100,000 pieces annually and sells everything from Venetian windows to classic Eames furniture.
ABOUT ASPCA
Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is the first humane organization established in the Americas and serves as the nation's leading voice for animal welfare. One million supporters strong, the ASPCA's mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. A 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. The ASPCA, which is headquartered in New York City, offers a wide range of programs, including a mobile clinic outreach initiative, its own humane law enforcement team, and a groundbreaking veterinary forensics team and mobile animal CSI unit.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Spring Show NYC opens with a benefit preview for the ASPCA, at the Park Avenue Armory, Park Avenue and 67th Street, on Wednesday, April 27, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM by VIP invitation or $250 at the door. After 7 PM admission is $75 and the preview continues to 9:00 PM. All proceeds from preview tickets go to the ASPCA. The Honorary Co-chairs of the Connoisseurs Committee are Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. The Committee co-chairs include: Michael Bruno, Mario Buatta, David Patrick Columbia, Celerie Kemble, Brian McCarthy, Miles Redd, Ellen and Chuck Scarborough, Michael Smith, Bunny Williams, and Vicente Wolf.
The show opens to the public on Thursday, April 28. Hours are Thursday, April 28: 11:00 AM to 7:30 PM; Friday, April 29: 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM; Saturday, April 30: 11:00 AM to 7:30 PM; Sunday, May 1: 11:00 AM to 7:30 PM; and Monday, May 2: 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. General admission is $20 per person; a five-day pass is $40 per person.Arts' Night Out, celebrating New York's Art and Antiques Week with young new collectors, is slated for Friday, April 29, from 5 - 9 pm. The $30 ticket available at the door includes that day's admission to the AADLA Spring Show NYC plus beer, wine and ABSOLUT cocktails beginning at 5 pm. Arts' Night Out is sponsored by Doyle New York, Antiques and Fine Arts Magazine, and ABSOLUT Vodka.  For additional information, visitspringshownyc.com.

ABOUT THE ART FAIR COMPANY
The Art Fair Company, founded by Michael Franks, the former COO of dmg world media, and Mark Lyman, Founding Director of the Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fairs (SOFA), now produces SOFA fairs in Chicago, New York and Santa Fe, the leading contemporary decorative art and design fairs in the world. They also produce The Intuit Outsider and Folk Art Fair, in Chicago. The company also provides professional promotional and operational support to other art and antique fair producers.


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