Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/699462
ART NOUVEAU ENCOUNTERS THE ATOMIC AGE Alluring, august objects always attract pedigreed people, and so it was at the spring iteration of the reborn Houston Antiques + Art + Design Show, staged at George R. Brown Convention Center. Dolphin Promotions, which purchased the storied HADA Show in 2014 then gave it a fresh polish, was represented by Rosemary Krieger, the woman at the top, and colleagues Gordon Merkle and Charlie Walter. (Dolphin also puts on the Palm Beach Modernism show and plans to groom HAADS along those lines, including the addition of more purveyors of mid-century design to the dealer mix.) In this direction, one of our fave booths in this spring's show was Seeing Pink Elephants, curated by owner Kris Tinkham, based in Bellaire, who stocked barware, cocktail accouterments, books of recipes for adult beverages from the past and everything you'd need to give a nifty party circa 1963. Also making brisk sales for everything from jaw-dropping pearls to exotic-skin bags, tribal baskets and Art Deco fashion illustrations was Really Good LLC, manned by Howard Price and Jason Robinson, in from Panama. Houston dealers acquitted themselves nicely, especially Josie and Fred Nevill of Antiques of River Oaks, David Lackey (where this writer acquired a Scottish art glass vase) and Robert Alker's acre of paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries. In from Dallas, Alan Barnes, whose family-owned gallery dates back to London in the mid-19th century, was also quite pleased with the interest, as was California dealer Douglas Morse, who proudly displayed a rare Japanese Edo-period screen front and center in his booth; admired by designer Charlotte Hill, it once held court in the living room of Charlton Heston. Ardent antiquarians: Lou Cushman, Jeff Britton, Garrett Simmons, Amelia de Landa, Linda Green, Steve Vetters, Julie and Blake Pratz, Nancy Robbins, Elaine Koons, and keynote speaker, decorative arts denizen Reyne Hirsch. Save the date, September 9 –11, for the HAADS fall show at its new venue, Silver Street Studios. JULY/AUGUST | PAGE 46 | 2016 CATHERINE D. ANSPON REPORTS. PHOTOGRAPHY DANIEL ORTIZ. ROMANCING THE PAST AT HOUSTON ANTIQUES + ART + DESIGN SHOW Blake Pratz Julie Pratz Gordon Merkle Alton LaDay David Lackey Norma Pineda Nick Duchene Fred Nevill Amelia de Landa Douglas Morse Elaine Koons Josie Nevill Robert Alker Joli Alker Howard Price Jeff Britton Charlotte Hill Garrett Simmons Linda Green Nancy Robbins Rosemary Krieger Reyne Hirsch Irina Lingard Charlie Walter Steve Vetters MATTHEW RAMIREZ REPORTS. PHOTOGRAPHY DANIEL ORTIZ. SIGNING BOOKS AND SINGING PRAISES WITH FLORENCE DE DAMPIERRE AT HOUSTON DESIGN CENTER F urniture historian, decorator and designer Florence de Dampierre garnered beaucoup praise at Fabric House showroom in The Houston Design Center, where she signed her latest book, French Chic Living (Rizzoli). Fabric House owner Connie LeFevre greeted designers as they settled in for a talk peppered with sage French advice, flutes of Moët & Chandon in hand. De Dampierre, a Parisian native, now lives in Connecticut, where she leads Florence de Dampierre Design. Francophiles: Sheri Roane, Alton LaDay, Tom Alkusari, Fred Baca, Denzil Hollingsworth, Angela Juarez, Ronda Rice Carman-Whitaker, Janie Higgins, Vanessa Beckemeier, Connie Schlageter, and Catherine Johnson. Alton LaDay Sheri Roane Misty Chambers Connie Schlageter Florence de Dampierre Connie LeFevre Samantha Johnson Vanessa Beckemeier Juliana Bruno Martha Graff Janie Higgins Selina Ponniah Angela Juarez Natalia Nikitina Jennifer Spencer Catherine Johnson Priscilla Keener Kristin Louviere Fred Baca Tom Alkusari Amanda Griffin Fariba Abedin