San Francisco Fall Art & Antiques Show Promises To Dazzle & Delight

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer

One of the most amazing parties of the fall season is around the corner and if you don’t have tickets yet, you better get them now. The 37th annual Fall Art & Antiques Show opens on Wednesday, October 10 with a sensational preview gala followed by a weekend of thrilling design-related events. “We’re bringing it up a notch this year, which is hard to do because I think the show is always so beautiful,” Ariane Trimuschat, the director of the show told Haute Living by phone earlier this week. “We have some really fun things in store. We’re bringing back the designer vignettes and we have the most amazing designers this year.”

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer

Trimuschat is referring to four rooms created by a quartet of renowned local designers—Paul Wiseman, Charlotte Moss, Ken Fulk, and Madeline Stuart—who are invited to participate in the show. The designers work with the vendors and luxe wallpaper maker de Gournay to realize a one-of-a-kind space. Trimuschat says the vignettes are important because they “demonstrate how to create a look in one’s home from what you see on the show floor. All of the vignette designers take pieces from the dealers to incorporate into their vignettes. It’s a way of bringing the art and antiques to life and showing people how it can be done.”

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer

Another thing the designers include in their vignettes? The show’s unique theme—The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. “Celestial lore has held mystery, symbolism, and deep fascination forever and it will be great fun to see what each dealer from antiquities to contemporary will be exhibiting with the theme in mind,” Suzanne Tucker, the show’s chair told Haute Living. “Whether glittering, glowing, or geometrically powerful, celestial objects have been eternal motifs in the decorative arts, design, and literature for centuries. There is immense depth to explore—the sun as a symbol of life, power, and rebirth; the phases of the moon symbolizing immortality, eternity, and purity; the stars and constellations charmingly named for gods and animals they resembled. The stars alone represent the knowledge of good and truth, inspiration, imagination, dreams, and divine guidance—so prepare to be dazzled on opening night and beyond!”

The theme will be represented in a series of fascinating lectures and cocktail hours that take place over the long weekend. Listen to Jay Jeffers and Suzanne Kasler discuss curious collections or learn about the intimate partnership between fashion and the decorative arts with Maureen Footer.

Photo Credit: Ando Caulfield for Drew Altizer Photography

This year, there are two new events. First, is a champagne brunch on Sunday, October 14 from noon to 2 p.m. “The board of directors for Enterprise For Youth, which is the non-profit that the show supports, is doing a champagne brunch and it’s a big, beautiful buffet brunch,” Trimuschat explains. “It’s an opportunity to learn a little bit more about Enterprise. There won’t be a lot of talking, but there’ll be a few remarks so that people who are interested in the work that Enterprise for Youth does can learn a little bit more about it.”

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer

The second new event also takes place on Sunday, October 14 at 2 p.m. It’s a world premiere preview of Lautrec! His Muses & Their Music, a new theatrical concert from Emmy-Award winning conductor and producer George Daugherty. The musical features rare and rediscovered songs that transport the audience to Toulouse Lautrec’s Paris of the Belle Epoque era. The preview is a prelude to the world premiere at the San Francisco Opera on January 31, 2019.

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer

From music to art, there is something for every taste at the SF Fall Art and Antiques Show. Tucker likens the five-day long fair to a massive treasure hunt. Designers, art enthusiasts, and antique collectors come together in search of the perfect piece. As she puts it simply: “for anyone interested in the decorative arts—buying, collecting, or simply learning about art and antiques—the show is not to be missed.”

Tickets for the event are now on sale.