International (print edition)

Renovation of a key venue and repair work following last year’s extreme weather have not deterred exhibitors from the annual migration to Florida for the state’s mega and niche fairs...

The picture dealer element of BRAFA is substantial, but increasingly these days the emphasis is on works from the 19th century onwards, be they Impressionist and modern or post-war and contemporary art.

Brussels gears up for its major art and antiques fair this month with the latest edition of BRAFA.

While BRAFA understandably dominates much of the cultural headlines during this period, it is not the only show in town.

BRAFA has long been a fair with a speciality in early (medieval and Renaissance) works of art, which is something that dates back to the years when it was a Belgian National fair in the city centre. It thus serves a venerable collecting tradition drawing in buyers from the local area and further afield.

Tribal art has long been a Belgian speciality due to the country’s colonial history in Africa. So it is not surprising to see this area well represented at BRAFA, with around a dozen participants in this field hailing from Paris, Brussels and as far away as Montreal.

Antiquities is one of BRAFA’s strong suits in terms of exhibitor volume. Around 10 specialists in this field are standing, plus a number of others that mix antiquities with, for example, Asian art.

Some of the works on offer at BRAFA are simply too quirky to fit into any time-honoured collecting category, but they are often responsible for creating an eyecatching draw to a particular stand.

Venerable event has broadened out from Americana to offer an extensive range of items

Macklowe Gallery is a leading dealer in 20th century decorative arts and has recently relocated to an impressive new gallery space on Park Avenue. It has been exhibiting at the Winter Antiques Show for over 20 years. Ben Macklowe describes the enduring appeal.

Carolle Thibaut-Pomerantz, the New York/Paris-based specialist in vintage and antique wallpapers, returns to the Winter Antiques Show this year in collaboration with another Paris dealership.

Carol and Stephen Huber from Connecticut deal in antique embroideries and are stalwarts of the Winter Antiques Show, having exhibited there for 25 years.

Jason Jacques’ eponymous Manhattan gallery specialises in art pottery, especially works from the 19th century and Art Nouveau period and work by modern studio potters. It is exhibiting for the first time this year at the 'Winter Antiques Show' in New York.

Peter Finer and his two sons Roland and Redmond specialise in antique arms and armour from the Bronze Age to the 19th century and they have been crossing the Atlantic to exhibit at the Winter Antiques Show for over 30 years. Here, they explain why.

The market for works by Ernst Wilhelm Nay (1902-68) was pushed into a new dimension at recent German auctions.

Paintings by major exponents of Expressionism almost invariably occupy many of the top slots in the modern and contemporary art sales staged in late autumn across Germany and Austria.

The potential star of the show at the sale of Selected Works held by Grisebach (25% buyer’s premium) in Berlin on November 30 lived up to its expectations.

In addition to the 'Winter Antiques Show', another long-standing event on the January fairs scene in the Big Apple is the 'New York Ceramics & Glass Fair', which celebrates its 19th staging this year.

Realistically modelled crib figures are a particular speciality of southern European countries – the Santons of Provence being one well-known example. Another is the famous presepe figures from Naples.

The photographic archive of Emile Zola (1840-1902) was offered by Artcurial (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) on December 4 with over 90% of the 75 lots changing hands.