The second annual Naples International Art & Antique Fair (NIAAF), Naples premier international fine art fair, will return February 23-28 to the Naples International Pavilion at Immokalee and Livingston Roads.

The 2012 Fair will showcase an array of international galleries exhibiting works for sale including painting from all periods, antique objet d’art, modern and mid-century Murano glass, sculpture, haute and period jewelry and decorative art and design.

EXHIBITOR HIGHLIGHTS:                    

Unique new designs will be presented by leading jewelry houses including one of the prominent pearl designers of the new millennium and returning exhibitor Yvel (Jerusalem).  Rosenberg Diamonds (Boca Raton), Emsaru (New York) and Jewels by Viggi (Greenwich | Great Neck) will also be among the exhibiting dealers. 

 A collection of fine period jewelry will be showcased including J.S. Fearnley (Atlanta) and Spare Room (Baltimore) whose collections include period 20th century signed jewelry by David Webb, Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Buccellati and Seaman Schepps.

Established international dealers will present paintings of all periods including 18^th, 19^th and 20^th Century master works.  Among the artists represented will include Chagall, Picasso, Klee, Lichtenstein, Dubuffet, Warhol and Calder.

NIAAF will feature a collection of antique furniture and unique objet d’art.  Mark Helliar 20th Century Design (Los Angeles) will present Modern and Mid-Century vintage Murano glass and from the far reaches of Turkey, Gallery Afrodit will bring a collection of unique Oriental rugs.

The Silver Fund will be bringing an outstanding collection of Georg Jensen silver. In addition to the comprehensive collection of Georg Jensen holloware, the gallery will also bring an inventory including exceptional 20th century silver designed by Jean Puiforicat, William Spratling, Antonio Pineda and many other great 20th century designers.

 This year the fair will feature a special design exhibition of local Naples artist and designer Chad Jensen, brought by AVANT Gallery (Miami, FL).  Jensen has mastery level training in woodwork and fine furniture making, representing over 15 years of experience in mixed-media design and manufacturing.

LECTURE HIGHLIGHTS:

 The Fair will continue its successful format of a full lecture and panel series to coincide with the exhibitions.  Lecture highlights include “The Experts Eye”.  Tim Corfield, Art Advisor of Corfield Morris (London & New York) will present works of art from the fair’s exhibitors and discuss how an art and antique expert assesses the quality of the work, researches it’s provenance and determines it’s investment value. The presentation will include estate jewelry, paintings, furniture, object d’ art and carpets.

 David Setford, Executive Director, The Hyde Collection, NY will present “From Monet to Pollock”.  The lecture will discuss how Impressionism and Realism in Paris led to Abstract Expressionism in New York City and what happened in the period between 1900-1960.  The presentation will provide listeners with a curatorial perspective on a selection of works featured in the fair. Each piece will highlight a varying element within the vast transformation between European Modernism and American Abstract Expressionism.

 Joyce Jonas, Expert Appraiser, will present “Jewels of the American Heiresses”.  This lecture and presentation will trace the American legacy of estate jewelry throughout the ages from the glamorous Gilded Age with “American Royalty”, the Vanderbilt and Astor families, those who formally bought their way into English nobility, and even American possession of the highly coveted French Crown Jewels. Precious gems have been regarded as the ultimate status symbol, and in the 1960s, turned Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly into Hollywood Royalty and Americans Mona Bismarck, Doris Duke, Millicent Rogers into international Heiresses.

“Naples Cultural Landscape: From Boat Captains to Captains of Industry” will be presented by Dr. Lois Bolin, Old Naples Historian. Dr. Bolin has been the leading voice behind the economic and sociological value of local history, virtually transforming the consciousness of the Naples community.  This educational and entertaining lecture presentation encapsulates the visual and special relationship of this area to an identity that captured the imagination of boat captains and Captains of Industry – all equally important in creating the magic in this paradise that many now call home.
PREVIEW EVENING:

The Preview evening, February 23, will honor the Patty and Jay Baker Naples Museum of Art and Naples Philharmonic. The evening will commence with a by-invitation-only First View from 5:30-7 PM, followed by the Collectors Invitational from 7-10 PM.

FAIR HOURS AND INFORMATION:

 NIAAF is located at the Naples International Pavilion at Immokalee and Livingston Roads.  Easily accessible parking and valet will be available. Fair hours will be February 24 – 26 from 11am to 7pm and February 27th and 28th, from 11am to 5pm. Tickets are $15 for a one-day pass, $20 for a multi-day pass or can be purchased in advance at a discounted fair price on the NIAAF website.

 For more information on exhibitors and programming for the 2012 Naples International Art & Antique Fair visit www.niaaf.com or call 239.949.5411.

Check it out…NIAAF made the Naples Daily News Sunday Cover!

That’s not all.  NIAAF was ALSO featured in the Sunday Local section Neapolitan!

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Courtesy of Hammer Galleries, New York

NAPLES, FL- Naples International Art & Antique Fair, in collaboration with Graff Diamonds, will bring the largest collection of the finest jewelry in the world to Naples in February.  In addition, the Fair will feature an exceptional exhibition of works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir presented by Hammer Galleries.

Graff Diamonds, established in London in the 1960s by Lawrence Graff, has long been considered to house the finest jewels in the world.  With worldwide operations from cutting raw stones to retailing them in one of their 26 locations around the globe, Graff Diamonds is unsurpassed in the quality and excellence of their stones.

At the Naples International Art & Antique Fair Graff Diamonds will present an extraordinary array of rare jewelry in a specially built version of their London Bond Street premises. During the week of the Naples fair, Graff will present the largest and most extensive collection of haute couture jewelry to be found in any single location.  The stunning collection includes fabulous gemstones from treasured, century old stones rich in intrigue and legend, to newly found gems discovered and polished by Graff.

The exhibit will include diamonds, rubies, and exquisite gems- in every color imaginable-

Dehn, Harmon Meek Gallery

individually picked for their quality and excellence ranging in sizes up to 132 carats.  The presentation will be unlike anything seen before.

Featuring other prestigious international jewelers from London, Paris, and Milan, as well as the United States, the fair will be a truly special experience for those who appreciate the very best in contemporary and period jewelry as well as art & antiques.

Hammer Galleries Renoir exhibition will be featured at the American International Fine Art Fair in Palm Beach, before continuing on to the Naples International Art & Antique Fair.  The show will include approximately 20 paintings, pastels, and drawings, dating between 1885 and 1912.

Courtesy of Graff Diamonds

A connoisseur of beauty, and especially feminine sensuality, Renoir’s paintings are celebrated for their vivid color and vibrant light, often focusing on subjects in intimate-settings.  In his mature works Renoir returned to classical and timeless subjects, focusing on his immediate family as well as the female nude. Pierre-Auguste Renoir was perhaps one of the most influential artists of the 19th and 20th centuries.  The warm sensuality of Renoir’s style made him an artist whose works are among some of the most well-known in the history of art, sought after by both museums and private collectors throughout the world.

These two remarkable presentations are only a taste of the caliber of art that will be exhibited at the Naples International Art & Antique Fair in February.  Gathering the most prestigious galleries from around the world, this first class event will be the premiere fair Naples has been waiting for.

Naples, FL- International Fine Art Expositions (IFAE), organizers of the debut Naples International Art and Antique Fair (NIAAF), released highlights for the upcoming event, which will be held February 24 – March 1, 2011 at the spectacular new Naples International Pavilion on Immokalee Road.

The premier Fair will gather 60-70 carefully selected prestigious art, antique, and jewelry dealers of the highest caliber from around the world to Southwest Florida for the first time.  A full schedule of daily activities will coincide with the exhibitions including informative lectures from respected museum curators and art experts as well as collector panel discussions, assuring the debut fair will be the cultural event of the Naples season.

The Collector Preview Gala on February 24th will be an event to benefit the Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts and the Naples Museum of Art.  The non-profit Center, founded by Chairman and CEO Myra Janco Daniels in the mid-1980s, is a cultural destination in Southwest Florida, home to the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, performing arts shows and the Naples Museum of Art. The museum will provide special tours to coincide with the event.

Naples International Art & Antique Fair has been designed to continue the high standard of other IFAE fairs in Palm Beach, Miami, and London.  Gathering a diverse assembly of some of the world’s most prestigious and respected galleries, the Fair will feature fine art and antiques from all periods, object d’ art, estate and fine contemporary jewelry, modern design and paintings from 17th century to contemporary 21st century paintings.

Among the distinguished jewelry exhibitors at the fair will be Graff Diamonds, London (UK); Sabbadini, Milan (Italy); Yvel, Jerusalem (Israel); Michael Haber, Wynnewood (USA); J.S. Fearnley, Atlanta (USA); Jewels by Viggi, Greenwich (USA); and Scavia, Milan (Italy).

Graff Diamonds has long been considered one of the most prestigious jewelers in the world, known for the unsurpassed quality, rarity, beauty, and excellence of their renowned collection.  At the February fair we will get a glimpse of this outstanding collection with an exhibit including over 500 million dollars worth of gemstone quality diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and the world’s finest colored diamonds.  Recently Graff Diamonds purchased a 44 million dollar pink diamond, the record price ever paid for a gemstone.

Yvel has become one of the leading pearl designers of the new millennium.  Their unique and fashionable designs, which can be seen all over the red carpet, have bridged the gap between the ages and brought forth sophisticated, classic styles with a dash of sensuality, making them perfect pieces for any age.

Naples International Art & Antique Fair will bring some of the most esteemed antique dealers in the world, exhibiting furniture, sculpture, textile, lighting, porcelain and paintings from the 19th and 20th century masters; among them include 19th Century Shop, Stevenson (USA);Toulouse Antique Gallery, Manhattan Beach (USA); Harmon-Meek Gallery, Naples (USA); A.B. Levy Antiques, Palm Beach (USA); The Silver Fund, London (UK); Michael James Fine Art, London (UK); and Gallery Afrodit, Ankara (Turkey).

A historically significant portrait of President Abraham Lincoln will be presented by the 19th Century Shop.   This portrait was the first presidential portrait of Lincoln, inscribed by Lincoln to Fanny Speed, the wife of his most intimate friend, Joshua Speed.  This portrait is considered one of the most valuable Lincoln photos in existence.  Also among the gallery’s highlights is a photographic view of Sherman’s campaign by George Barnard. Taken in 1866 this photo is part of Barnard’s Photographic Views, one of the rarest and most sought-after Civil War photographic collections.

Toulouse Antique Gallery will exhibit an exceptional array of antiques from the 19th century including works by Alexander Cabanel, one of history’s most celebrated academic artists.

Harmon-Meek Gallery, who will be celebrating its 48th season in Naples, will be among the exhibitors at NIAAF.   The Gallery will present a major exhibition on the American master, Adolf Dehn (1895-1968).  Although known first as an “American Regionalist” painter and printmaker, Dehn spent much of his career in New York City, which will be the theme of the exhibit, along with some rare images of Florida. Dehn has works in over seventy museums and holds the record for invitations into the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Annual and Biennial Exhibitions.

A.B. Levy’s exclusive selection of originals is unparalleled. They specialize in the world’s finest antiques including, collections of 19th Century French furniture, rare art glass by Tiffany, Rene Lalique, Galle, and Daum as well as objets d’art from the Japanese Meiji Period, also Chinese ivory, jade, porcelain and snuff bottles, 19th Century German, French and English porcelain and beautiful 19th century paintings.

Never before has there been a fair of this caliber in Southwest Florida.  The Naples Art & Antique Fair will bring the opportunity for local residents and art enthusiast to admire artwork from some of the finest galleries in the world for the first time.  “It’s a ‘sleeping giant’ art market, with a significant and well-attended museum that’s a major community force, commented Robert Fishko, Forum Gallery.  Naples has been waiting for a fair like this”.

Black River Caviar, a sponsor for the fair, will be serving caviar canapés to the VIP guest at the opening evening.  This service will continue into the fair with a daily “caviar and cocktail” hour in the Black River Caviar VIP Lounge.

More highlights will be forthcoming.