Free and open to the public, the lectures will be headlined by industry experts such as Robert Mintz, associate curator of Asian art at The Walters Art Museum and Grant Walker, education specialist at the United States Naval Academy Museum. Also lecturing will be exhibiting dealers including Janet Drucker of Drucker Antiques; Robert Lloyd of Robert Lloyd, Inc.; Timothy Stevenson of Carlson & Stevenson Antiques and Art; Jacqueline Smelkinson and Marcia Moylan of Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room; and John Forster of Barometer Fair.

In his lecture, Hunting for East Asian Treasures: Fine Art, Collectables and Exotica, taking place Friday, Sept. 3 at 3:00 p.m., Mintz will examine some of the trends in collecting Asian arts and antiques that have contributed to today’s ever-growing interest in all things Asian. Looking at examples drawn from museum collections of fine arts, private collections of decorative arts and neighborhood flea markets with seemingly endless arrays of Asian curios, he will explore what inspires people to collect Asian things and will speculate on the future of Asian collecting in the ever-shrinking world of the 21st century.

“We are thrilled to welcome specialists from The Walters Art Museum and the United States Naval Academy Museum to this year’s lecture series,” said Kris Charamonde, co-owner and show manager.  "It has always been our goal to provide an environment that fosters an understanding and appreciation of art and antiques, and we believe that the lectures that will be presented by this year’s diverse group of speakers will be greatly enjoyed by both guests and exhibitors.”

The Baltimore Summer Antiques Show, featuring 550 international dealers including a 70-dealer antiquarian book fair, will take place Sept. 2-5, 2010 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Md. Hours are Thursday, Sept. 2, from 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.; Friday, Sept. 3, and Saturday, Sept. 4, from 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.; and Sunday, Sept. 5, from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Tickets are $12.00 and are good for all four show days. For more information, please visit www.baltimoresummerantiques.com.

About Robert Mintz

Robert Mintz is the associate curator of Asian art at The Walters Art Museum. He received his B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1989 and earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 1995 and 2002 respectively. His principal area of expertise is 18th-century Japanese painting. His dissertation was entitled Manifestations of Cultural Hybridity in Yosa Buson’s Bunjinga. Mintz has traveled widely through Asia, exploring the artistic connections that have united and divided this continent. Prior to joining The Walters, Mintz taught at various universities in the Pacific Northwest. His classes have explored a wide range of topics, including Japanese paintings and prints, Asian Buddhist arts, contemporary East Asian performance art and Chinese film.