| NYICS ANTIQUES PAVILION OFFERS INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT, REINVENTS TRADITION
The Antiques Pavilion at NYICS featured exhibitors and pedigreed carpets and textiles from Europe, Turkey, the U.S. and Canada. |
NEW YORK -- Retailers and designers at the 12th annual New York International Carpet Show found an international potpourri of antique and vintage dealers at the exhibition's first Antiques Pavilion, which was set in a separate wing to create a distinctive atmosphere.
A view of the Antiques Pavilion at NYICS held at Manhattan's Terminal Warehouse.
In addition to top names from 10 states in the U.S., Antiques Pavilion exhibitors hailed from Italy, Turkey, Germany, the U.K. and Canada. "We've been diligently building NYICS into a destination for meticulous craft, both new and antique," stated Murtaza Ahmadi, NYICS president. "Our mission continues to be to create a platform worthy of telling our industry's incredibly beautiful and complex story."
The mission was furthered with educational opportunities to learn about one-of-a-kind vintage and antique pieces, and with lecturers at the show like Hratch Kozibeyokian, who specializes in rug symbology and iconography.
"I am very impressed with what Murtaza is trying to do to open the eyes of dealers, designers and consumers so they will see these antiques as works of art rather than just commercial items. The stories of the rugs and their weavers need to be told - or their true purpose will be lost," said Kozibeyokian, who also exhibited at NYICS with unique pieces like a large format Afghan War Protest Rug (read full story).
Hratch Kozibeyokian, owner, Ko-Z-Craft and RugLink.com, poses in front of the Afghan War Protest Rug at NYICS.
While most Antiques Pavilion exhibitors dealt exclusively in antiques, a few had both old and new pieces on show. Fred Hazin, for example, displayed antique and collectible rugs in his booth, as well as new designs from his company, Pacific Collection. An expert in the area of Turkoman carpets, Hazin's space was brimming with bold, colorful designs.
Fred Hazin of Portland, Ore.-based Pacific Collection showed his Turkoman antiques alongside new hand-knotted rugs crafted in Afghanistan to recreate classic designs admired by connoisseurs.
Another dealer in antique and new carpets at the show, Abdullah Khaja, owner of Marco Polo Oriental Rugs, presented pieces from an array of weaving cultures, including Turkey, China, India, Iran and Afghanistan. Khaja, whose gallery is located in Alexandria, Va., returned to this year's show after a successful 2015 NYICS.
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Abdullah Khaja of Marco Polo specializes in traditional classics. Both antique and top quality reproductions were on view at the 2016 show.
JUXTAPOSING OLD AND NEW
Attendees got a flavor of the harmonious mix of contemporary rugs and pedigreed antiques upon entering the show, where the first booths on view were those of contemporary rug designer Lucy Tupu and Dennis Dodds, founder of NYICS and owner of MAQAM.
The juxtaposition reinforced the views of top interior designers who personalize the homes of their high-end clients with mixes of old and new carpets. Philadelphia-based Dodds, whose MAQAM was begun 40 years ago, featured abstract, geometric patterns found in village and tribal weavings of the Near East. He gravitates to the early rugs of Anatolia and Central Asia.
Dennis Dodds' MAQAM represents a 40-year passion for village and tribal weavings of the Near East. A sampling of his collection on view at NYICS reveals the caliber of his hand-picked treasures.
Another intriguing display, that of New York City dealer Murat Kupcu of Double Knot, represented a melange of tribal rugs and textiles. The gallery, which focuses on old and antique pieces from Turkey, Iran, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Morocco, aims to promote better understanding of their rich weaving traditions, in these locals in the context of their history, art and culture.
Murat Kupcu of New York City's Double Knot gallery, showed a range of old and antique tribal pieces at his NYICS space. Attention grabbers included shaggy Moroccan textures, bold colors and even draped mannequins.
One of the show's must see exhibitors, Peter Pap, curated a sampling of antiques from his namesake gallery, Peter Pap Oriental Rugs of Dublin, N.H. and San Francisco. Recognized internationally by collectors and designers as one of the country's foremost experts in antique rugs, carpets and tribal weavings, Pap participates in top antiques shows including the New York Winter Antiques Show, the Philadelphia Antiques Show and the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show. He is also a guest appraiser on PBS's Antiques Roadshow.
Peter Pap stands in front of an Oushak carpet from the late 19th c. at the Peter Pap Oriental Rugs booth at the New York International Carpet Show. The 10' 2" x 13' piece, from Turkey, is listed on Pap's website at $52,200.
EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE
Among the must-see dealers at Antiques Pavilion were David Sorgato and Alberto Levi. Based in Milan, art dealer and curator David Sogato specializes in unique pieces, including antique and contemporary carpets, and antique textiles. At NYICS he showed a sampling that ranged from Mbuti pygmy barkcloth from Uganda to a Paul Poiret 1930's Art Deco tapestry from the Aubusson region of France.
Milan-based art dealer David Sorgato presents a 1930s Art Deco tapestry at NYICS.
Renowned Milanese dealer, Alberto Levi, whose gallery is dedicated to the appreciation of antique textiles and carpets as works of art, was also a major draw at NYICS. Levi was Chairman of the much praised 9th International Conference on Oriental Carpets, in Milan and Florence in September, 1999. At NYICS, attendees saw pieces including a rare pair of silk meditation mats from Tibet, c.1900 and a silk and metal Polonaise rug from Persia, c. 1700.
Alberto Levi Gallery's silk meditation mats from Tibet, c. 1900.