The Palm Beach Daily News looks at the American International Fine Art Fair:
“By and large, I did not hear much grumbling,” Palm Beach photography dealer Holden Luntz said. “Given what people could expect in a fiscally challenged world, I think they were pretty well satisfied with the fair and the progress of sales.”
Organizers David and Lee Ann Lester reported a record-breaking opening night attendance of 3,400 and a total attendance of 24,000. [ . . . ]
Palm Beach collector Gilbert Maurer said he found “a few good things” while browsing for paintings, but none priced attractively enough to buy. Sales varied from dealer to dealer. Adelson Galleries was reported to have sold an Andrew Wyeth painting for more than $5 million.
Bill Rau, of M.S. Rau Antiques in New Orleans, said he’d sold a Monet landscape for seven figures and several other things for six figures.
“I couldn’t be more pleased,” he said. “There were many times when we were too busy.”
But even dealers whose sales were disappointing praised the Lesters’ efforts. Antiques dealer Alan Rubin, of the London and Paris-based Pelham Galleries, reported that his sales were “not brilliant,” although he got some good leads for major sales from the fair.
“I thought it was the best organized and promoted fair I’ve seen in America by far,” he said. “It’s vastly improved over when I was here last in 2001.”
American International Fine Art Fair: “It’s Getting Great Again.” (Palm Beach Daily News)
