Paris Set for 24th Biennale des Antiquaires
Perhaps the mostly highly anticipated international antiques and fine arts fair, the 24th Biennale des Antiquaires, will open in Paris on September 11 and run through the 21st. The fair is housed at the Grand Palais — a grand open space with Art Nouveau ironwork and glass-topped ceilings — located just off the Champs-Elysées.
This year, the Biennale, organized by the Syndicat National des Antiquaires, will showcase 8,000 objects in every decorative style from the seventh century to the 1970s. Highlights include 15th-century Flemish manuscripts, 17th-century Louis XVI armoires, jewelry from Van Clef & Arpels, and paintings by de Kooning and Picasso.
Ninety-five galleries and dealers from Europe and North America will present their works in booths. Some dealers have hired designers such as Annabelle Selldorf, India Mahdavi, Peter Marino, and Jacques Grange to arrange their displays.
Newcomers to the fair include jewelers Dior Joaillerie and De Grisogono, rare book and manuscript dealer Librairie Jean-Claude Vrain, 18th-century French decorative arts specialists Kraemer & Cie, furniture dealer Michel Guy Chadelaud, Modern and Contemporary decorative arts dealer Willy Huybrechts, ceramics and glass dealer Galerie Bertrand de Lavergne, and the Modern and Contemporary drawings gallery A.L.F.A.
Also showcasing their work at the Biennale will be 11 of France's favorite chefs, each of whom will cater for one day of the fair. Gardens have been arranged inside the Grand Palais: This year, the gardens have a winter theme and are subdivided into chocolate, coffee, tea, and fruit themes.
September 11-21, daily 11 a.m. — 11 p.m., Grand Palais, Avenue Winston Churchill, Paris, France, $31; for more information, call 011-33-144-517-474 or visit bdafrance.eu.
