NEW YORK (ACNI) - The International Asian Art Fair, which was to have taken place March 11-15 at New York's Park Avenue Armory, has been called off. The event's promoters, London-based Brian and Anna Haughton cited the current economic slump as the reason for the cancellation.

An announcement on the Haughtons' Web site states: "Due to the present global economic situation we have regrettably taken the decision to cancel The International Asian Art Fair for 2009 ... Many of the dealers who had contracted to take part are not in a position to go forward in the current climate, and as such we have decided a fair would put an untenable strain on their resources."

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The long-running West Palm Beach Antiques & Collectibles Show has been sold by dmg world media, according to an announcement issued on Friday, Dec. 12 by dmg Senior Vice President Richard Lewis. The show's new owners are veteran show promoters Kay and Bill Puchstein, and Yvonne and Jim Tucker.

The name of the show will be changed to the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival. Both the ownership and name change will take effect with the next edition of the show, which is scheduled for Jan. 2-4.

KNIGHTSTOWN, Ind. - In association with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Grey Flannel Auctions' team of experts will conduct a free appraisal event - Sports Appraisals at Center Court - from 4-8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5 and 9 a.m. till noon on Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Historic Hoosier Gym in Knightstown, Ind. The public is invited to bring in any type of vintage sports collectibles, including but not limited to equipment, apparel, cards and autographed items.

Specialists who will be on hand include Nick Coppola (uniforms) and Joey Esposito (sports cards and programs), as well as all-round sports memorabilia experts T.J. Favila, Michael Russek, and Grey Flannel's president, Richard E. Russek.

During viennaartweek, which is on now through Nov. 23, Vienna becomes a meeting point for international art insiders from all corners. Experts such as Julia Peyton-Jones and Hans-Ulrich Obrist from Serpentine Gallery in London, designer Alfredo Häberli from Switzerland, and Sir Norman Rosenthal, formerly with the Royal Academy of Arts in London, gather to discuss the future of the museum, the connection between art and the design market, and other current topics of importance.  

Many events and interactive visits are part of the week's agenda. Daily at 7 p.m., a panel at the Museum of Modern Art Vienna offers insight into concepts of sculptural work. Among those participating are Helmut Draxler, Rachel Harrison, John Miller, Paulina Olowska and Franz West. Additionally, studio visits capture artists in their working environments, with Dorothee Golz, Peter Kogler, Sonja Gangl and Alois Mosbacher among this year's featured artist participants.

Now in its fourth year, viennaartweek attracts international attention to the Viennese art scene. An important part of a vibrant international art community, artists are at its core. In this context, the two training schools, Academy of Fine Arts and University of Applied Arts Vienna, cover the symbiosis of art and knowledge, as well as explaining educational possibilities.

RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) - If you're in the market for a diamond-studded gold gorilla pendant or an antique watch, the North Carolina Department of Revenue may have just what you're looking for - thanks to busted drug dealers.

The department hopes to auction hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of jewelry - including a $38,000 watch and a $23,000 gold pendant depicting Jesus - confiscated during drug busts over the past year by the department's unauthorized substances division.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (ACNI) - Atlantique City is giving up its Fall edition and reverting to an annual spring show. Dealers and shoppers at the Oct. 18-19 Atlantique City, held at the Atlantic City Convention Center, were advised of the change via printed handouts from the show's management.

Dan Morphy, chief operating officer of Morphy Auctions, is one of approximately 300 dealers who were set up at the October 18-19 event. He told Auction Central News that the notice received "a very positive response" from dealers. "Maybe this will restore some of the excitement and energy that the show had in its earlier days when it was only held once a year, in the spring. We're very optimistic, especially after seeing the surprisingly good turnout of buyers this weekend," Morphy said.

PETERSBURG, Va. (AP) - Historic Battersea and the city of Petersburg are holding an appraisal fair to raise money for the conservation of the 18th-century mansion.

The appraisal event will take place Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the lawn of the Colonial plantation house along the Appomattox River.

People are encouraged to bring clocks, pocket watches, silver, porcelain and military-related items from the Revolutionary War through World War II. They can also bring art and any other antiques they would like to have appraised by a number of experts. For items too large to transport, owners can bring in multiple detailed photographs.
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Information from: Richmond Times-Dispatch,http://www.timesdispatch.com

Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

RHINEBECK, N.Y. - Frank Gaglio of Barn Star Productions has announced the creation of a new fall event, the Autumn Hartford Antiques Show. The new event will be held Sept. 19-20, 2009, at the Connecticut Expo Center in Hartford.

With the recent cancellation of the Fall Hartford Antiques Show, Barn Star can fill the gap left in dealers' fall schedules and endeavor to restore the excitement and fine quality antiques show Hartford had become known for.

"I have been looking for an opportunity to bring New England another Barn Star event, and when the Expo Center presented availability, Hartford became that event. We are thrilled at the number of longtime and high-end Hartford dealers that have already heard about this new show and have requested a contract," said Gaglio.

The Autumn Hartford Antiques Show will present prominent New England dealers specializing in traditional Americana, plus selected dealers in other categories including art, jewelry, garden, pottery, textiles, maps and prints, folk art and Oriental carpets. Dealers will present their antiques in room-style settings.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Speed Art Museum turns its focus to American art in two newly launched affinity exhibits: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, which features American art from the Yale University Art Gallery Collection; and American Art at the Speed.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, which opened on Sept. 7, includes more than 200 paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, furniture, silver, and ceramics from Yale University's renowned collection of 18th- and 19th-century American fine and decorative arts. Considered to be one of the finest American collections in the world, Yale's treasures include paintings by such artistic masters as John Singleton Copley, history painter John Trumbull, portraitist Charles Willson Peale, genre painter William Sidney Mount, landscapists Albert Bierstadt and Frederic Church, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, and many others. Decorative arts highlights include silver crafted by Paul Revere, a gold sword owned by 19th-century naval hero Stephen Decatur, beautiful classically inspired settees and other furniture, and much more. This is the first time Yale's key American works have traveled outside of New Haven for an exhibition. The collection will be displayed through Jan. 4 at the Speed Art Museum.

In conjunction with Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness: American Art from the Yale University Art Gallery, the Speed presents American Art at the Speed, featuring paintings, works on paper, photographs, sculpture, and decorative arts from the museum's American and Kentucky collections.  The exhibition will run through May 2009.

NEW ORLEANS - Over the past 10 days, Auction Company experienced a mandatory evacuation and the loss of electrical services due to Hurricane Hanna. The firm's entire entire staff has now returned to New Orleans, and the gallery and offices are now back to fully operational.

Due to the unforeseen circumstances relating to the recent storm, however, Neal Auction has advised that its annual Louisiana Purchase Auction^TM is being rescheduled. Session I will now take place on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008, commencing at 10 a.m. Session II, on Sunday, Oct. 12, will begin at 11 a.m.

The Louisiana Purchase Auction^TM is a highly anticipated event featuring fine and decorative art and antiques, with special inclusions of regional interest. Visit Neal Auction online at www.nealauction.com.

Eva Zeisel revolutionized ceramic design by bringing her own vision of modernism into American middle-class homes with dinnerware created for Hallcraft, Sears and Red Wing. The prolific designer is the subject of an exhibition by the Erie Museum of Art that will begin a three-stop national tour in September.

The Shape of Life by Eva Zeisel will be at the Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler, Texas, from Sept. 12 through Dec. 9, 2008; the Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, N.C., Jan. 30 through May 17, 2009; and the Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts, New Castle, Pa., October through December, 2009.

LONDON – Now in its fifth year, the Autumn Antiques and Fine Art Fair, held in association with LAPADA (London & Provincial Antiques Dealers Assn.) has become an annual showcase for 60 professional dealers of fine art and antiques. This year the show’s management advises the event will take place a month later than usual, and will be held Thursday, Nov. 27 through Sunday, Nov. 30 at The Centaur, Cheltenham Racecourse in Cheltenham, England.

YORK, Pa. - On Saturday, Aug. 23, Dan Morphy will host the tenth edition of his Antique Toy, Doll, Holiday & Advertising Show at the Memorial Hall, York Fairgrounds, in York, Pa. The semiannual show has developed into a powerhouse event of 350 tables, with approximately 175 topnotch dealers from North America and Europe participating.

“This time it should be a good mix of our regular dealers, who are some of the best names in the business, and new dealers who’ve heard about the show’s reputation for being a fast, friendly selling event with a great selection of merchandise,” said Morphy. “It’s a highlight on the calendars of many dealers and collectors.”

Starting with the August edition, the York Toy Show returns to the Memorial Hall of the York Fairgrounds, the venue where it launched in 2002. Wide aisles, excellent food service and ample, close-in parking are features show attendees can look forward to at the Memorial Hall, Morphy said.