Private Clubs in New York City Welcome Members During Antiques Weekend
Decorative Arts Trust members delved in the artistry and tradition of a number of renowned private clubs during the New York Antiques Weekend program on January 24-25, 2025. The itinerary also included a sneak peek at an upcoming auction, a guided tour of the hallowed Winter Show, and access to a stellar private home and collection.
Friday Touring Clubs
The weekend’s adventures began at the University Club, famed for its McKim, Mead & White décor, guided by Head Librarian Ralph Baylor and Assistant Librarian Scott Overall. The vaulted library beautifully painted by Henry Siddons Mowbray is a breathtaking space. The group continued to the Yale Club for Head Librarian Caroline Bartels’s tour, focusing on the W. & J. Sloane Company furniture and Edward F. Caldwell & Co. light fixtures. At the New York Yacht Club, Curator of Collections Alice Dickinson introduced Whitney Warren’s majestic Model Room, and the club’s splendid holdings of maritime art and extravagant silver trophies. After dining in the Yacht Club’s Commodore’s Room, members enjoyed Club Archivist Nancy Johnson walk through the Lotos Club’s French Renaissance Revival townhouse, designed by architect Richard Howland Hunt. We concluded the afternoon at the Explorers Club, where Executive Director Will Roseman shared the extraordinary collection of artifacts from pioneering expeditions.
The evening concluded with a reception at Freeman’s | Hindman’s gallery, where their team of experts shared insights into stellar objects, books, and maps that went to auction the following week in New York and Philadelphia.
The New York Yacht Club.
The Yale Club.
The Lotos Club.
Saturday at the Winter Show and a Private Collection
The second day of the program began at the Park Avenue Armory, where members enjoyed expert-guided tours of the Winter Show before it was open to the public. Kelly Kinzle from Kelly Kinzle Antiques, Frank Levy from Levy Galleries, Jim McConnaughy from S. J. Shrubsole, and Kevin Tulimieri from Nathan Liverant and Son led groups on an exploration of the impressive variety of furniture, silver, glass, and ceramics at the beautifully presented booths.
Following an intimate lunch in the Armory’s Board of Officers Room, the striking mahogany-paneled space designed by the Herter Brothers, participants strolled to a nearby 1880s townhouse restored by David Scott Parker Architects. The private home was brimming with exquisite Aesthetic Movement furniture, ceramics, paintings, and design.
Sara Blumberg from Glass Past.
Jim McConnaughy at S. J. Shrubsole.
Frank Levy from Levy Galleries.
New York Antiques Weekend paired well with the Trust’s 9th Annual Emerging Scholars Colloquium on the morning of Sunday, January 26. Recordings of select lectures are available on our YouTube channel. Interested in future Trust programs? See our calendar of events or sign up for our email list.
About The Decorative Arts Trust Bulletin
Formerly known as the "blog,” the Bulletin features new research and scholarship, travelogues, book reviews, and museum and gallery exhibitions. The Bulletin complements The Magazine of the Decorative Arts Trust, our biannual members publication.
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