Well, finally after more than 75 years in business, Newel has been honored as a member of the inaugural class of “2016 1stdibs Recognized Dealers”.  Honestly now, do you really want to bestow such an honor on a prop house? A dealer’s inventory trades in a market by different ways and means.  I’m sure Sotheby’s and Christie’s have their favored clients that get preferential treatment in pricing and information.  We now get exclusive benefits from 1stdibs.   1stdibs is in this industry for keeps.  They have endeavored to elevate their branding and image by the smoke and mirrors of upscale promotion.  Tiffany’s maybe, but Tiffany blue is too iconic.  With…

The term “antiques dealer” has an archaic ring, and the image, what image?  Unsavory or crotchety, independent and self-sustaining, passionate but a bit irreverent, this breed of an economic misfit is singular to the art dealer, real estate player, or financial investor.  Owning and controlling a physical inventory, whether in a virtual or brick and mortar location requires a certain knowledge and trading capacity.  Individually, you are being set up for limited possibilities; collectively, has better prospects. The incredible decimation in the base of antiques dealers over the last 2 decades has been staggering in its toll and a rapidity of its results.  When the good times rolled prior to…

The diminishing status of the decorative and fine arts industry has been quite consistent.  Decades of industry scandals and government actions have defamed the reputation of both dealer and auctioneer participants.  The need to re-imagine how a dealer can function is at a point of evolving or perish.  The cross hairs of digital vs. reality have now collided. While I can’t say I prefer having a showroom over a warehouse setting, the physical possession offers the ability to touch, and see texture, color, and form.  It’s something that a virtual presentation can’t quite duplicate even in a 3 dimensional view.  Of course there is the option of consigning and shipping…

No one is more thankful than me as to how 1stdibs single handily took on the industry’s challenge and hijacking by the Sotheby’s/Christie’s auction methods.  The duopoly’s goal was to take away the dealer market by imposing a profit gouging buyer’s premium.  Consumers could pay it as they weren’t concerned about a profit.  Well fast forward and see how successful that approach was for the health of the industry at large.  They got the sales but they killed the secondary market, which was totally dealer supported.  Yes, profits are important for dealers to survive. Given the state of the antiques and decorative arts market, the auction side is equally decimated…

For the last 15 years the mantra of antiques dealers is that “the tide has turned” and antiques are coming back in fashion.  The reality has been a steady decline that seems to never stop trending down.  Yes there are exceptions, but the use of period furnishings in interior design and collectors in general have gone the way of the dodo bird, probably never to return.  Museums house these relics for the public to gawk at but actually living with these things presently has little or no possibility of a recovery.   The fact that there are so few dealers of any consequence in the high end period space perhaps…

Christie’s, in a press release, announced their annualized report of their operations.  They outlined results of their “core categories” in their annual report. Core categories “The Impressionist and Modern Art category (including Modern British Art, American Paintings, and Latin American Paintings) grew by 57% to £1.3bn ($2bn, up 47%) compared with the same period for 2014, continuing the team’s market leadership. The Post-War & Contemporary department also continued to be market leaders with total sales of £1.5 billion, down 14% ($2.2 billion, down 20%). Sales of Asian Art increased 9% globally to £478.6 million ($734.2 million, up 2%), highlighted by the record-breaking Ellsworth sale of Asian Art. Sales in the 20th and 21st Century Culture category increased 9% to £93.7…

At Newel, we work in a most unique environment and perhaps we even take it for granted. For sure, there is nothing like it in the world and the opportunities to share it make it more intriguing.  We know our merchandise that is The Collection covers a broad swath of styles, periods, and mediums.  We want to offer extraordinary possibilities for the public to enjoy the experience of who and what we are.  We don’t pretend to be a museum, art fairs are so predictable, and we certainly don’t endorse the auction format as it presently operates. But first we need to invite you to our show, and hope you…

It’s nice that we get to turn the page of time with a New Year.  For the world of antiques and decorative arts the passage of time holds no limitation. When you are an object from the 20th, 18th, 16th Century, or 2000 BC, it’s all about the item’s style, craftsmanship, and being representative of the period that it was made.  While great fine art was created for the canvas, I’m a decorative art’s guy.  Looking around my warehouse today made me think that my world of furniture and object d’art required a long overdue check-up. Going through aisle after aisle of all kinds and forms of the decorative arts…