Mexico's autumn antiques shows: A lot of fun
When I was growing up in New England, the autumn months were always full of weekend antiques shows. This type of event is not as common here in Mexico, but the coming months do offer collectors some sure-to-be fun filled new shows.
The Fifth Annual National Antiques Show
Saltillo, Coahulia - September 15th - 19th, 1999
The Fifth Annual National Antiques Show in Saltillo, Coahulia, tops the list. Scheduled to run September fifteen through the nineteenth in the Salón Candilejas, this year's antiques expo promises to be even bigger and better than ever. Fifty-two exhibitors from Mexico and the United States will be present, offering everything from porcelains, antique bronzes and European cut crystal to carved ivory and jade, Mexican colonial and contemporary art and antique furniture. The extravagant five day event is also hosting a Saturday evening auction featuring some of Mexico's finest in antiques and contemporary art.
The National Antiques Show is organized by the state run Voluntariado Coahuila. A portion of all proceeds from the event are slated for public assistance programs, with special attention placed on the state's more remote areas. The organization's mission is two-fold-- to help promote Mexico's rich cultural traditions and to encourage volunteer service in the community by promoting cottage industries through training and educational programs, similar to the Peace Corps.
For reservations or more information contact the Voluntariado Coahuila offices in Saltillo at (84) 10-23-14. To receive a copy of this year's auction catalog write to:
Voluntariado Coahuila,
Quinta Muestra Nacional de Antigüedades,
Blvd. Coss y Manuel Acuña,
Colonia Centro,
C.P. 25000 Saltillo,
Coahulia, Mexico
or e-mail: mantigua@mcsa.net.mx
Primer Salon del Anticuario
Guadalajara, Jalisco - October 28th - 31st, 1999
Guadalajara is gearing up to host its first ever national antiques show and auction. Scheduled to run in conjunction with the city's famous Fiestas de Octubre, the event expects to provide space for thirty dealers from Mexico City, Monterrey, Puebla, San Luis Potosi and Saltillo.
Show organizer, auctioneer and antiquarian Eduardo Chavez, is enthusiastic about the possibilities this event will offer to area dealers. Chavez comments that "many Mexican collectors feel the success seen in recent years at similar events in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon and Saltillo. Coahuila is due in part to these cities proximity to the U.S. border."
"Mexico's northern cities have much more access to information than we have here in the central part of the country." Chavez says. "This is part of the reason that local gallery owners and dealers have been uneasy about attempting to put together such an event. Not only does the general public know little about antiques, but even many of our area antiquarians are ill-informed in regards to what they carry. More often than not, these shop owners aren't purposely misrepresenting their wares, they just really don't know what they are selling."
Chavez hopes that with the development of national antiques shows in central and western Mexico this will change. "I want to encourage the participation of people who are not necessarily collectors, but are curious about antiques in general. There are not a lot of books or programs on antiques available here, not like in the northern cities or the United States. A lot of our information comes by word of mouth. The best way to learn more is by listening to a dealer or collector who knows more than you do about a particular area or item. I think that by bringing some of Mexico's most respected antiquarians together with the general public in a place where people can buy, sell, swap and discover-- that the antiques market in Guadalajara will really improve."
The show will be held this October twenty-eighth through the thirty-first in La Galería de Arte Moderno on the corner of avenues Mariano Otero and Chapultepec. A Saturday evening auction is scheduled for the thirtieth of that month in the same hall. The show, Primer Salon del Anticuario, is expected to become a yearly event. Booth space is still available. For more information contact: Magnolia Angel or Eduardo Chavez at 642-5339.
Ex-Hacienda de Tlalpan Antiques and Latin American Art Show and Sale
Mexico City - November 18th - 21st, 1999
Anyone planning on a trip to Mexico City should make plans to visit the Ex-Hacienda de Tlalpan Antiques and Latin American Art Show and Sale this November 18th through the 21st.
Organized by Jose Luis Cazares, this new show promises to have all sorts of interesting items for collectors and dealers to take home. Fifty antiques dealers and gallery owners will be present, offering everything from hand woven textiles, colonial artifacts and sterling silver jewelry to black and white photographs and original contemporary art. For more information, or to reserve a booth space, call Sr. Cazares in Mexico City at (5) 526-4979 or (5) 514-7750.
Antiques shows are a lot of fun, you don't have to be a knowledgeable collector to enjoy them. All three of the events organizers stress that both top quality antiques and items for the novice collector will be on sale. One of the reasons that make these shows so exciting is that unlike visiting a museum, one actually has the opportunity to take home a treasure from the past.
For more information on any of these events, or for a free brochure in English on the Saltillo antiques show, write El antiQuario Magazine. El antiQuario is a bilingual publication dedicated to Mexican art, antiques and folk art. Offices are located at:
Argentina #73,
Colonia Americana,
Guadalajara, Jalisco,
Mexico
Telephone: (011-52-3) 827-1990 and (011-52-3) 827-0378
E-mail: elantiquario@infosel.net.mx
Website: http://www.elantiquario.com
While you're at it, be sure to get a copy of their newly released issue number seven.