DEFINING A DECADE

Coin Reid, Colour Saturation; Open Eye, 2021, featured at Adrian Sassoon at Parham House. Photo: Sylvain Deleu Parham

Moderne Gallery’s Robert Aibel was among the first dealers to participate in Modernism, the fair established by Sanford Smith in November 1985 and from which Salon Art + Design emerged 25 years later. “That show was the breakthrough in the recognition of the role of Modernism in design in America, as a marketplace,” Aibel says. And it didn’t only change the collecting landscape. “Doing the Modernism show shortly after we opened the gallery made my business,” he says. Today, he is the foremost dealer in Nakashima and studio furniture in the United States.

Primed for access to a New York audience close to Park Avenue Armory, Modernism covered objects spanning 1860 to 1960. Smith (aka ‘Sandy’) brought Jill Bokor in as director in 2011 to launch Salon, opening it out to include international design from every decade since 1890.

Todd Merrill, who specializes in postwar American work from vintage designers, such as Paul Evans, to international contemporary work by emerging designers, also shares a long history with Salon. He values its “highly focused” audience comprising international curators, interior designers and collectors. “It’s worth it every time,” Merrill says.

Aibel remains a regular. “Thirty-five years later, there’s still a level of excitement and interest in the show to see what’s happening in modern design,” he says. “From my perspective, that’s what we want.”

After a break, the contemporary Asian and Western art specialist Michael Goedhuis, from London, is returning as an exhibitor in 2021. He describes Salon as “a reservoir of aesthetic versatility,” and its diversity is another key point for participants.

“We normally have to choose between a contemporary art or a design fair,” says Miriam van Dijk-Trebels, whose gallery, Priveekollektie in The Netherlands, is based on a personal approach to combining disciplines. “With Salon, we can create the ideal combination.”

The fair has, in its first decade, reflected the zeitgeist on this point, as boundaries between art, craft and design have become ever more indistinct. The fair’s life has also coincided with a seismic shift in consumption and communication – the rise of social media. For Merrill, this is a good thing. “The fairs wind up generating invaluable grassroots marketing,” he says. “Knowledgeable tastemakers [are] frequently as influential as traditional press.”

There’s something special, too, about a show in November, says Marc Benda of Friedman Benda, known for supporting innovative young interdisciplinary artists such as Misha Kahn, Faye Toogood and Adam Silverman. “It’s just before Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it’s a moment you can take in and share work with the public before we all slow down,” he says. Benda adds a tribute to the fair organizers. “Jill is quite a special person,” he says. “She thinks like a collector, she understands galleries, and she’s interested in our actual work.”

Salon’s 10th anniversary comes after a break from the physical fair due to the pandemic. But for newcomer Laurence Bonnel, who established Galerie Scene Ouverte in Paris in 2016, this provided some welcome latitude. “I’ve always known I wanted to exhibit at Salon,” she says, “but we had to grow with our artists. During this exceptional year, we had the opportunity to take time to think about special, specific works with them, and to collaborate with new, young, amazing creators.”

First-timer Benjamin Macklowe of Macklowe Gallery also feels now is the time to join. “The re-emergence of New York City establishments like Salon after such a trying year is something we could not pass up the opportunity to participate in,” he says. It helps that Salon chimes with the beliefs represented by his roster of Art Nouveau masters, “that art is object, that materials matter… We aim to display our remarkable works in environments that celebrate the totality of art. That’s what Salon can do for us.”