The Art, Design, & Antiques Show at Wallace Hall

January 25th, 2015

Brad Reh and Debbie Turi transformed Wallace Hall into a small boutique show with 34 dealers.

Six China trade watercolors of Chinese sampans and junks, each 14½" x 18", circa 1850, were $15,000 from Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge. The frames are contemporary.

Need to seat 16? The George III three-pedestal table, 48½" x 103" (closed), 150" (open), was $24,000 from Roger D. Winter of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It had two original leaves in mahogany, gun-barrel columns, and a tilt-top center. The set of eight George III mahogany chairs with foliate carved seats and Marlborough legs with egg-and-dart carving, English or Irish, circa 1800, was $16,500. The 19th-century Imari punch bowl with a scalloped edge, 18½" diameter, was $4800.

The mother and three baby skunks sculpture was carved in cherry by a folk artist by the name of Martin of Murphy, North Carolina. It dated to 1900-15 and came with a photo of Allen Hendershott Eaton (1878-1962) holding the skunks; it was once in his collection. Eaton is the author of Handicrafts of the Southern Highlands, published in 1937. A Bird in Hand Antiques asked $1500.

The 1877 edition of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen with inlaid binding was $2500 from Imperial Fine Books, New York City.

New York City

“I’m putting it in the win column,” said Debbie Turi several weeks after the inaugural Art, Design, & Antiques Show at Wallace Hall in New York City had closed. The January 23-25 show, produced by Turi in partnership with jewelry dealer Brad Reh, filled Wallace Hall, located at St. Ignatius Loyola Church on 84th Street and Park Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, less than 20 blocks from the Winter Antiques Show.

“Brad and I always wanted to go back to Wallace Hall as dealers—we had both done shows there,” said Turi. “We were working with the facility, and all of a sudden we found ourselves in January. I said, ‘Brad, it’s Antiques Week!’ and he said, ‘Oh yeah.’ We were very lucky in getting the dates, and then it all sort of fell into place.”

Once the dates were planned, Reh Turi Shows set about to fill the hall with 34 hand-picked dealers. Because it is a small show, Turi and Reh felt it was a necessity to limit the number of dealers in each discipline, presenting a diverse group of dealers. “We wanted to pick and choose,” said Turi, “and I think we did a pretty good job. There was no overabundance of anything.”

And when it was all over? “I thought it went pretty well actually—most of the dealers were really happy.”

The pair is already planning to do the show next year, albeit with a few minor changes. “We’re going to tweak the entranceway next year. We’re going to make it more inviting,” she said. The entranceway—even though signs pointed the way—required going down stone steps to a dark lower level. It was a little confusing.

Turi also said there would be a food vendor in the show next year, something that was missing this year and the subject of some criticism. “It’s necessary for everyone—both the dealers and the public,” said Turi.

Food will come at a cost—in order to make room, one dealer space will be dropped. “You have to make sacrifices sometimes,” Turi added. Another criticism by dealers was a lack of storage space in the hall.

The show looked good, and space was utilized effectively. “I thought my dealers really stepped up. They did a great job. The show exceeded what Brad and I had expected.”

Ron Bassin of A Bird in Hand Antiques, Florham Park, New Jersey, said, “I thought the show turned out to be far better than I anticipated. I knew the place was going to be a nightmare to load-in to, but the guys did a phenomenal job. Getting in and out of there was probably one of the easiest shows I’ve done in a long time. They had a crew of fourteen porters that helped everybody, and they managed the traffic on Park Avenue. There were a couple of hiccups, but for a first-time show, they did a really good job.” Bassin added that he sold 28 pieces.

Deidre Healy of Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge, New York City, noted, “The show was well attended; there were people lined up to get in every morning, which is nice to see. It was really lovely; the hall is a great venue. There was a good blend of different types of dealers. As for sales for us? We didn’t really do what we wanted to do there, but I know a lot of other dealers on the floor sold well. Clients liked it and were very complimentary about the show. It has a good foundation; it has legs. I think it will become a destination.”

Roger D. Winter of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, said, “I thought it was an interesting show. It was quite well attended for the first time. It was a reasonable mixture of antiques and folk art and—what can I call it?—miscellaneous. The balance was interesting. I think Brad and Debbie initially did a good job. I’m sure they realize there are a few things they have to play with. I did some business there—I would have liked to have done a little more—but I did enough that I will be going back. I would have liked to have seen more traditional furniture in the show.”

“I liked the show very much and probably will return,” said map and prints dealer Denise DeLaurentis of Philadelphia. “The booths were affordable, and there was a steady stream of people. My things were well received by both young and old buyers alike. I sold, but I did not hit it out of the park. I was a little disappointed in my sales and thought I would do a little better, but I had a ton of interest, and who knows—maybe it just wasn’t my weekend.”

“They know what they are doing,” said DeLaurentis of Reh and Turi. “They are professionals; there wasn’t one glitch as far as I could tell…. I think the show should get good reviews; I believe in it,” said DeLaurentis.

Reh and Turi gave some thought to mounting a show in Wallace Hall during Columbus Day weekend in October, but that show will not happen, Turi confirmed. The next Reh Turi Show event will be in November in Bedford, New York. Turi will single-handedly promote a show in June in Ridgewood, New Jersey.

For more information, contact Reh Turi Shows on line (www.rehturishows.com), call Debbie Turi at (973) 464-9793, <[email protected]>, or call Brad Reh at (516) 971-7710, <[email protected]>.

The Samuel Gragg chair is one of a pair priced at $7600 by Andrew Spindler Antiques & Design, Essex, Massachusetts. Deaccessioned from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, one (shown) was in original paint and the other was in later paint.

The 17 ceremonial hats from an Odd Fellows lodge in Long Island were being sold as a collection by Frank Gaglio of Rhinebeck, New York. He asked $2500 for the set. They each had their original labels—they were made by C.E. Ward—and also had homemade labels for lodge use; one was marked “Vice Grand.” The blue-painted fan louvers above them, New England, were $5200. “I think Brad Reh and Debbie Turi did an excellent job of putting together an interesting group of dealers. They certainly couldn’t have picked a better week…. I liked my booth location— everything was as I expected it to be. If there’s one thing I can say in the way of constructive criticism is that they didn’t have any food or beverage service. I think they will get that corrected for next year. When the show opened on Friday, I had an excellent day.” Gaglio said a family emergency forced him to leave his booth unattended on Saturday and Sunday.

This rusted sheet-metal cat, circa 1960, was $2800 from Brennan & Mouilleseaux, Northfield, Connecticut. It sold. “We were pleased with the response to flaky folk art,” Tim Brennan said. “It seemed that across the board, mid-century modern and folk art were the most sought after…. Debbie Turi did an outstanding job. She knocked it out of the park.”

The large (27½" x 21½") steel pen calligraphy on paper, “In Memoriam/ General Grant,” by William Erickson was $2800 from Kevin Garvey Rita of West Hartford, Connecticut.

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