NEW YORK.- The tenth International Asian Art Fair opened to the public Friday April 1 and continues to Wednesday April 6, 2005. From its inauguration in 1996, Anna and Brian Haughton’s groundbreaking fair helped to reshape the way Asian art is appreciated. It opened up a cultural meeting ground for the many Asian collecting fields and broke down barriers between previously segregated categories. More recently, the fair has promoted an intriguing dialogue between the antique and contemporary, showing, side by side, the important traditions and innovations of Asia through the ages. Exhibitors from the Far East, Europe and the United States will present Asian art of every kind and age, from India, China, Japan, Korea, the Middle East, the Himalayas and South East Asia.

The International Asian Art Fair has received rave reviews over the years. The New York Times called it “a visually exhilarating experience”, The Times of London “phenomenally successful” Art and Antiques acclaimed it an “…unqualified success…” , The International Herald Tribune “A wonderland fair”.

The 58 exhibitors are highly-respected and knowledgeable in their fields and, as a further safeguard for buyers, each item for sale on the stands has been strictly vetted for quality and authenticity by other recognized specialists.

The fair draws exhibitors from as far afield as Japan where Uragami Sokyu-Do Co. Ltd is known for Chinese, Korean and Japanese antique ceramics and Hokusai prints and Hiroshi Yanagi offers Japanese paintings, screens, ceramics, sculpture and lacquer. Grace Wu Bruce has outstanding Chinese Ming furniture at her galleries in London and Hong Kong. Both Andy Hei (Chinese furniture and works of art) and Galaxie Art (ancient Chinese art) come to the fair from Hong Kong; Mehmet Hassan, with Himalayan, Chinese and Silk Road material, is based in Bangkok, Thailand. Leslie Kehoe from Australia has attracted great interest with Muromachi Period (1333-1573) to contemporary Japanese works, including dramatic screens by contemporary artists who are re-interpreting this traditional art form.

John Eskenazi, Doris and Nancy Wiener, Terence McInerney and Simon Ray are considered some of the world’s most distinguished experts in the fields of Indian, Himalayan, Gandharan and South East Asian Art. These dealers from London and New York present stunning, varied and important works that are coveted by museums and private collectors alike. For instance Simon Ray of London shows two large and important Indian textiles: one a huge painted temple hanging depicting scenes from the life of Krishna which include, in intricate detail, hundreds of figures of gods, humans and animals (watercolor on cotton, circa 1820); the other an embroidered tent panel circa 1700 of red quilted cotton embroidered in polychrome silk threads with a design of a cusped arch containing an elegant flowering plant in a vase. This was exhibited in 1982 at the Victoria and Albert Museum in The Indian Heritage, Court Life & Arts under Mughal Rule.

About half of the exhibitors represent Chinese works. For instance S. Marchant & Son, Roger Keverne, The Chinese Porcelain Co., Blitz Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art and Berwald Oriental Art are best known for antique Chinese ceramics, although they also offer other objects. Michael Goedhuis is a dealer in contemporary Chinese art. Chinese textiles are the specialties of Cora Ginsburg of New York and Francesca Galloway, Jacqueline Simcox and Linda Wrigglesworth from London. Carlo Cristi from Milan brings Tibetan, Nepalese and Indian bronzes, sculptures and paintings, Southeast Asian sculptures, and textiles from China and Tibet and A. & J. Speelman present Chinese sculpture and works of art, as well as Tibetan bronzes.

Japanese art has grown in demand over the last few years as, in general, have later works of art and objects from the 19th and 20th centuries and even the 21st century. Among the eminent Japanese art dealers is Joan B. Mirviss of New York whose stand is a mix of antique Japanese screens, prints and objects and contemporary pottery. A wonderful Late Meiji period group of grey herons is one her highlights (below). Kagedo Japanese Art from Seattle focus on the early 20th century, with an expert selection of wonderful designs in Japanese ceramics, basketry, bronzes, lacquer and painting. Malcolm Fairley of London and Flying Cranes of Manhattan have been a major influence in the developing market for the best 19th century Meiji art. Eric Thomsen from Germany brings Japanese screens, paintings, tea ceramics and signed bamboo baskets and Brian Harkins is a leading London dealer in Japanese and Chinese works of art and Japanese paintings. Liza Hyde (New York) is a foremost dealer in beautiful antique Japanese painted screens that look superb wherever they are placed, as pictures on a wall or standing in a space of any period style. Gregg Baker (London) deals in Japanese and Chinese screens of great rarity as well as other works, both Chinese and Japanese.