Last Week’s Art & Antiques Show Gala Was Highlight Of Fall Season

The San Francisco Fall Art & Antiques Show

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography

One of the fall’s most anticipated events occurred last week and everyone who is anyone in San Francisco was there. The 36th annual San Francisco Fall Art & Antiques Show preview gala drew an impressive crowd of socialites, interior designers, PYTs, and dapper gentlemen dressed in their best florals. This year’s theme was Flower Power: Floral Imagery in Art, Antiques & Design. “The inspiration springs from the beauty and romance of blooms and blossoms, and their iconography throughout the ages. Floral imagery has long been part of a rich visual symbolism in art,” Ariane Trimuschat, the show’s director explained in a statement. “Textiles, furniture, paintings, works on paper, jewelry, ceramics, objets d’art have involved flowers and botanicals on some level, be it mythological, religious or romantic. From Watteau to Warhol, Flower Power is fertile ground for cultivating a uniquely curated assortment of art and antiques that will appeal to a wide audience, from the contemporary collector to the antiquities affcionado.”

Photo Credit: Ando Caufield for Drew Altizer Photography

The event benefited Enterprise for Youth, a local nonprofit that empowers a diverse group of Bay Area youth to pursue passions after high school. Students who are in the program staffed the gala, acting as waiters, busboys, and servers while wearing white coats. 50 dealers from around the world participated in the show offering an unparalleled range of fine and decorative arts. Paintings, prints, books, gold, silver, jewelry, rugs, precious metals, photographs, textiles, and ceramics were all found in the richly decorated booths. Think everything from leather armchairs to original works by Calder to a booth of antique American flags to miniature woven baskets from Central America to a spiral-shaped diamond ring from the Victorian era. Luxury sports cars were parked out front.

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography

Riccardo Benavides of Ideas Event Styling created a breathtaking floral exhibit for the entryway into Fort Mason. Hundreds of amazing cascading flowers fell from the ceiling. Four designers—Kendall Wilkinson, Edward Lobrano, Pamela Babey, and Jay Jeffers—were chosen to create vignettes inspired by the season with bespoke wallpaper brand, de Gournay, creating custom wall coverings.

Jay Jeffer's vignette — Jay Jeffer’s vignette

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography

The entire event was a visual feast for the senses. Everywhere you looked there was something eye catching. This week’s crowd felt larger than last year’s event—guests could hardly move around the space, but it was fantastically festive. There was a caviar table, donuts and milk passed as sweet appetizers, dim sum, sirloin, and mashed potatoes.

Photo Credit: Ando Caufield for Drew Altizer Photography

Design tastemakers from across the US were in attendance including House Beautiful’s editor in chief, Sophie Donelson, acclaimed New York designer Miles Redd, Los Angeles designer Mark D. Sikes, beauty maven Aerin Lauder, and fashion designer Andrew Gn. Local luminaries Denise Hale, Vanessa Getty, Dede Wilsey, Alexis Traina, and Allison Speer, were also supporting the cause. Other notable guests? Lisa Zabelle, Hannah and Rachel Gurney, Mariel Hemingway, Adam Lippes, and Yuka Uehara.