Sep
30
The New York Times
More from Bonita Springs
Art That Follows the Money
Greenwich, Conn.
STROLLING through the galleries on the SeaFair’s Grand Luxe, a lavish new yacht selling fine art, antiques and jewelry, Deborah and Chuck Royce looked at paintings by Marc Chagall and Fernando Botero and were “seriously distracted,” Ms. Royce said, by a glittery butterfly pin of colored gemstones.
On another deck, they asked about the provenance of a Mary Cassatt pastel, considered an oil by John Henry Twachtman and admired two works by Frederick Carl Frieseke.
“These are things we would definitely be delighted to have in our collection,” said Ms. Royce, who lives in Greenwich. “It’s pretty incredible what they have assembled here.”
The Royces were among about 100 people attending a black-tie gala, the yacht’s debut event, on Tuesday at a dock by the Delamar Hotel here, down the hill from the Bruce Museum. Mr. Royce, an investor and trustee and former chairman of the museum, for which the gala was a benefit, said the couple had been skeptical before boarding but were quickly impressed by the quality of the dealers.
“It’s a grand idea,” he said. “This could be a very unique venue.”
Sep
27
Greenwich Post
More from Bonita Springs
Sep 27, 2007
Floating art show sets sail in Greenwich Harbor
By Ken Borsuk, Staff Reporter
Below, event co-chairman Leah Rukeyser, Bruce Museum Executive Director Peter Sutton and SeaFair co-founder LeAnn Lester posed aboard the 228-foot mega yacht before the traveling art and antique exhibition kicked off with invitation-only fundraiser Tuesday. — Ken Borsuk photo
It was “welcome aboard” for art and antiques lovers Tuesday night as a first of its kind event began in Greenwich Harbor behind the Delamar Hotel.
What is usually reserved for museums and galleries became a seagoing experience when SeaFair launched its first international fine art exposition on board a 228-foot, three-dock mega yacht. The Grand Luxe yacht, which is the fourth largest in the world, had its world debut on Tuesday night and will remain in town until Sept. 30 offering everyone a chance to view 28 different art and antiques galleries or dine at two gourmet restaurants before it begins a 44-week tour of 38 ports along the eastern seaboard.
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Sep
25
Greenwich Time
More from Greenwich
Paintings and antiques show makes yacht its home
Sep 25, 2007
By Michael Dinan
Staff Writer
Published September 25 2007
Though he’s worked all over the world, Picadilly art dealer Peter Mitchell said lovers of paintings and antiques will flock to Greenwich Harbor like never before for a first-of-its-kind show that opens tomorrow.
“You can’t afford, in Greenwich, to go to Matilda’s cocktail party and say you haven’t been on the yacht,” Mitchell said with a smile. Behind him hung a Dutch still-life from the 1620s that’s expected to fetch nearly $1 million during a five-day, floating art and antiques emporium.
The brainchild of a Florida couple that founded the Palm Beach International Fine Art & Antiques Show a decade ago, the show will be set aboard the 228-foot SeaFair Grand Luxe yacht, docked through Sunday at the Delamar Greenwich Harbor Hotel.
More than 40 dealers from as far away as Munich and Paris yesterday afternoon were transporting art, antiques and fine jewelry ranging from $500 to $10 million per piece from a bustling waterfront to the massive yacht. David Lester, a veteran show organizer who with his wife Lee Ann Lester launched a new company to organize the show, said he wanted to give dealers and appreciators an exciting new place to view, sell and purchase fine works.
“If we were imagining the perfect setting to launch this project, Greenwich really is the perfect setting,” David Lester said.
The ship’s crew, bar staff, caterers and dealers were hard at work yesterday, scuttling through the $30 million ship’s 28 ample exhibit booths, hanging paintings and tapestries, placing first-edition books and Chinese porcelain on shelves and carefully rolling in antique and Art Deco furniture.
The Grand Luxe is the first of five boats that SeaFair ships has planned. It’s accompanied by a smaller boat with a 60-person crew. The boat is expected to visit 36 affluent eastern U.S. communities each year, and charity events and fundraisers are planned for nearly every port the vessel enters.
Two benefits are scheduled for the Bruce Museum’s education programs. One event is a black-tie dinner aboard the boat tonight with tickets starting at $1,000 that’s expected to draw 110 guests. Another is a cocktail reception tomorrow night with tickets starting at $250 that’s expected to draw 500.
Lee Ann Lester said the charity events are designed to support the arts in each community the show visits.
The current tour is scheduled to make three stops after Greenwich –Êin Port Washington, N.Y., New York City and then finally in Norwalk’s Veterans Memorial Park next month. Jim Hill, an owner of the Manhattan-based, family-run Berry-Hill galleries, said the show’s mobility was part of what attracted him to the show.
“We’re going to be going to several different venues, which is attractive,” Hill said, standing beside a Jackson Pollock painting, “Man Bull, Bird,” from about 1938-1941, that’s valued at $4 million. “It’s just a very unique concept, and we’ve been friends with David Lester for many years and always considered him an extraordinary entrepreneur.”
Alexander Acevedo, owner of Manhattan’s Alexander Gallery, a specialist in 18th and 19th century historical paintings, said he’s shown as far away as Hong Kong, but never in a setting like the Grand Luxe.
Visitors who want to board must apply to become a member of the SeaFair Society at www.expoships.com. There’s no cost to join, though reservations are required.
Copyright © 2007, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc
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