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| Grand Palais, Paris, built in 1900. |
GARDEN OF OLD--Through
Sunday, Sept 21, the 27th Biennale des Antiquaires (read: posh antique fair) is
being held at the Grand Palais in Paris.
This year designer Jacques
Grange was tasked unleash his iconic green thumb to evoke images of the gardens
of Versailles to enhance the jet set gathering of the greatest French and
foreign antique dealers, decorators, jewellers and rare book store owners. Held under the famous glass roof of the Grand
Palais, the event extraordinaire is a collection of pavilions, gardens and
fountains. The New York Times’ Brooke
Bobb describes only a few of Grange’s touches, which include “carpets that look
like flower beds, an imposing fountain at the entrance and topiary art placed
in pots that flank the vendor booths.”
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The design theme of
the 26th Biennale des Antiquaires (shown here in 2012) was designed and
installed by Karl Lagerfeld.
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Organized by the founders
Syndicat National des Antiquaires in 1956, the idea of an “antique dealer fair”
was the brainchild of SNA chairman (National Union of Antiques Dealers),
Pierre Vandermeersch. The SNA website
points out the dream was to create an event where the beauty of the objects on
show could compete with that of the women who come visit the exhibition, a
venue where elegance, prestige and celebration would await a host of art lovers
and collectors.
It was André Malraux who
opened the path to the Grand Palais, a legendary Parisian landmark built for
the Universal Exhibition of 1900. The first International Biennale, in its
present form, was held in 1962.
Celebrities such as André
Crivelli, Jean-Raphaël Millies-Lacroix, Pier-Luigi Pizzi, Jean-Michel Wilmotte
and Christian Lacroix brought their talent to the show, over the years, an
event that the world’s greatest collectors flock to see.
sna-france.com.
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