In celebration of our 2nd year anniversary, I’ve chosen Design as the main theme for the week. After all, what will a great interior be without great designs? By design, I mean strictly the decorative arts. The design world has long held much interest for me. I find it alluring, and when a client express a keen interest in acquiring an outstanding piece from the applied arts, I work hard on researching and pursuing the very best for their collection. New York City is a haven for this type of art. While I was compiling the list of dealers for this post, I thought of all the outstanding galleries in this town, some of them have been in business for more than 40 years, others just arrived on the scene. It’s impossible to name them all, so I’ve chosen a few favorites. Some I’ve worked with, and others who remain constantly on my radar.
Above image from Anthony DeLorenzo
Category: Decorative Arts
When Furniture Becomes Sculpture
15 Must Have Art Deco Pieces For Your Collection

Signé et daté en bas à droite
ronde de lunules et cerclé d’une lame en médal chromé
Du réceptacle à la base les lames parallèles ondulent
fleur stylisée sur chaque montant plein.
Signé et marques de l’éditeur.
January’s Key Events on Review
From 18th century textiles from Asia, folk art from the Americas, Jule Leleu’s arm chairs from France, to art deco tea service by Brüder Frank from Maison Gerard, the major antique art shows opened with a brilliant and optimistic note last month starting with the opening night at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea, home to the 2nd Annual Metro Show.
Editor’s Top Picks
Acid signed “Venini Murano Ars” to base
Photo credit and story by Laurence Fayard
High End Weekly’s Year on Art, Design, and Fashion
Audrey Hepburn tops our Number 10 List this year as the most popular post. No surprise there. She was the face of grace and elegance, and everything stylish. And eventhough she exited the world’s stage in 1993, she remains an inspiration and role model for millions of women all over the world.
Other memorable stories were my Q&A with furniture designer John Lyle, my series on the awesome works of Fernand Léger, The Kips Bay Decoration Showhouse, and more.
Greenberg’s Art Deco: The Splendor Of The Sublime
MASTERFUL CRAFTSMANSHIP
The Steven Greenberg collection of Art Deco art, furniture, and accessories represents the magnificence of a time relived through the eyes of this special collector. Capturing the Art Deco zeitgeist through selective acquisition, with an acute eye towards exquisite beauty, Greenberg amassed works by Dupas, Dunand, and Ruhlmann.
A COLLECTOR’S PASSION FOR BEAUTY

Unlike any Eileen Gray I have ever seen, this rare six panel 1923 dark brown colored lacquer screen is a wonderful example of the designerʼs art moderne style. Incised and painted wood panels display linear and arced shapes reminiscent of the De Stijl movement, Grayʼs work shows a sympathetic alliance to the international artists of her time, both in innovation and technique. The work is about as much as the spaces she defined within the lines as it is about the process and genius that these lines distinguished.
Steven Greenbergʼs masterpiece collection of French Art Deco artistry highlights the unfaltering eye of a collectorʼs passion for beauty and genius. Best Wishes! Gail.
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A Doctor’s Best Kept Secret Unleashed!
For over thirty years Dr. Stephen Kelly, a successful ophthalmologist with a Manhattan practice has been quietly assembling a collection of rare and important Art Deco furniture, fine art and design and filling his ca. 1915 landmark limestone and brick townhouse with these treasures. Now in his 60s, Dr. Kelly has embarked on a second career as a gallery owner.
Most of the fine art deco on view are between 1918 and 1939. Dr. Kelly puts particular emphasis on this period in France between the two world wars as one of the greatest and most productive times for fine and decorative arts. Pieces from this period lend a certain elegance and patina of age to a modern interior, without an 18th or 19th century antique look, and work well with all forms of 20th century fine art.
Particular gems from the gallery include a monumental Sèvres urn by Ruhlmann that was one of four from the ocean liner Ile de France – only one other survives and is in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
The gallery features a vast array of vintage silver or alligator photograph frames, crystal and silver perfume bottles and dressing sets, period ceramics and glass, period sterling silver serving pieces, bookends, lamps, classic American guilloche enamel sterling silver doubles cufflinks, 18kt gold doubles cufflinks, shagreen and ivory boxes, cubistic pewter dinanderie vases and other vintage Art Deco gift items that start at around $150, with median prices of $1000 to $10,000.
The space features a spectacular interior that was originally designed by Geoffrey Bradfield and the late Jay Spectre. It includes a large two story solarium and more recently updated by Mr. Bradfield with a parchment-paneled drawing room, Venetian plaster foyer and macassar ebony-paneled library.
The Whimsical World of François-Xavier & Claude Lalanne
Animal Kingdom
My recent gallery tour at Sotheby’s reminded me of how wonderful Lalanne’s works truly is when I saw several of his most iconic pieces on display. The dynamic french duo have won the slow and steady race of producing what some called “the supreme art of living” with their beloved works of art. From monkey shaped fireplaces, rhino-shaped desks to a flock of sheep, Francois-Xavier and Claude Lalanne have created a whimsical world where we can engage with art and design – in a joyful and meaningful way.
In A Class By Herself
If I’m not mistaken, you’re the kind of person who truly enjoy unparalleled design, and that’s why I believe you’ll be pleased to see the striking work of Gae Aulenti splashed all over this blog today. Many of you may already know that Gae (pronounced Guy) was the Italian architect who sadly passed away on November 1st. She was known for, and responsible for some of the most extraordinary designs of the 20th Century. One of which being the famous Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
Virtually every single piece of her iconic furniture and lighting designs are in high demand right now. This is no big surprise since most artists are even more famous after death (I am by no means suggesting that she wasn’t while she was alive). The beloved designer, who died a few weeks after her 84th birthday, was one of the first female Post War Italian architects and is best known for transforming old buildings into modern museums, including Paris’ Musée d’Orsay and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Her undisputed legacy includes a trove of modern residential and commercial furniture designs that showcase her collaborations with such illustrious manufacturers as Poltronova, Knoll, Artemide and Casabella.
Gae Aulenti: “Means” armchair for Poltronova Italy, circa 1967. Metal frame, fabric covering featuring a pattern of orange and brown circles specially designed for this model. Compasso





























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