It was a not-to-be-forgotten evening for art lovers. At very same moment Munch's Scream was bringing the highest price ever paid for a work of art, the Spring Show NYC brought their own impressive audience into the Park Avenue Armory to see what the 63 top-tier international dealers had to offer. Organized by the Art and Antique Dealers League of America (AADLA),  the 4-day Spring Show NYC, which opened on May 3, has in just two years become for antiques and art enthusiasts as much a herald of a new season for beautiful things as the tulips, dogwoods, and redbud trees in nearby Central Park.

"The second year for the four-day Spring Show NYC has truly proven that it is really going places," says Clinton Howell, president of the AADLA, noting the high interest generated by the show, evidenced by both attendance and sales. According to Howell, 90% of the dealers have signed on to return next year.

That enthusiasm was reflected in the turnout of more than 1,300 guests for the show's Opening Night Preview on May 2, an event sponsored by 1stdibs and benefiting the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA®). The Spring Show NYC lent further support to the organization via a novel approach--thanks to participating dealers, a portion of the sale of animal-themed works at the show went to help the ASPCA® continue its mission. 

"Our four-legged friends have a special place in my heart so it was natural to sponsor an event like this benefitting the ASPCA," says 1stdibs Founder Michael Bruno. "It was terrific to see so many people turn out not only for the amazing art and antiques on view at the Spring Show, but also to support such an important cause."

A half-dozen photogenic ASPCA®-rescued dogs greeted Spring Show NYC guests. Among them were the Honorary Co-chairs Amy Fine Collins, Hilary Geary Ross and Wilbur Ross, Jonathan and Somers Farkas, as well as Connoisseur Committee members Michael Bruno, Mario Buatta, Robert Couturier, Ellie Cullman, Duane Hampton, Steven Gambrel, Geoffrey Bradfield, Bunny Williams, John Roselli, Dennis Rolland, Darren Henault, Christopher B. Boshears, Timothy Van Dam and Ron Wagner, Susan Gutfreund, Edward Lobrano, Jean Shafiroff, Deeda Blair, Todd Black, Ronald Bricke, Noel Jeffrey, Bennett Weinstock, Harry Heissmann, and John Robshaw. Also seen perusing the aisles were fashion personalities Carolina Herrera and Allegra Versace.

"Being the Opening Night beneficiary of the AADLA Spring Show NYC was once again a huge honor for the ASPCA®," said Todd Hendricks, senior vice president of development for the ASPCA®. "We are grateful that we were able to participate and would like to thank everyone who made the event such a success." 

Throughout the Armory, acclamation for the event abounded from the participating dealers.

Stefanie Rinza, managing director of Carlton Hobbs, said: "Like last year, we were delighted with the quality and variety of objects on offer, as well as the clients who attended. The fair was particularly well marketed to new collectors, but at the same time we saw all of New York's top decorators, and many of our important clients who had traveled here from out of town. We've already reserved our space for next year."

Said Alan Stone of Hill-Stone, specializing in Old Masters prints and drawings: "Even though there was enormous competition because of the Munch sale at Sotheby's on the night of the Opening, people still showed up in droves, and the evening went off very well indeed." Hill-Stone sold Camille Pissarro's Bord de l'Epte (à Eragny), a pastel signed and annotated by the artist, 1890, $105,000; a Rembrandt etching from 1655 entitled Goldsmith; a Giovanni-Domenico Tiepolo work titled Family Setting Out for the Hunt; and a 17th-century Italian drawing that went for five figures.

"The Spring Show was all the things an antiques fair should be, relaxed and fun," noted first-time participant Nicholas Grindley. "People seemed genuinely interested as opposed to just walking around and looking." Grindley saw purchases for two Indian 18th-century ivory figures of Brahman bulls; a natural wood branch painted to resemble coral, from the 19th century; a pair of large Qing Dynasty hongmu square stools; a suite of American rug beaters from the early 20th century; a forged Japanese iron seaweed gatherer from the late 19th century; a round 19th-century keyaki wood step with two inset lifting handles; an 18th-century calligraphed paperweight; and an 18th-century Chinese malachite brush washer.

Said Michael Pashby, who presented fine English furniture: "Rarely have I seen a level of attendance that high on an Opening Night. And the astuteness and taste of the attendees was outstanding. Pashby sold a painting and a George II mahogany and inlaid chest-on-chest, circa 1760.

"Opening Night was spectacular," said Lawrence Thompson of Sundial NYC, which focuses on fine antique clocks. "This is the first time Sundial has been at the Spring Show, so we have a bit of catching up to do. I spoke to many lovely people and got to know the crowd. I feel I was laying a very valuable foundation for future sales." Among the sales Sundial NYC made during the Spring Show: A circa 1785 English mahogany musical and animated bracket clock, and a pair of circa 1900 giant musical carriage clocks.

Paul Vandekar of Earle Vandekar of Knightsbridge said: "I had very good sales on Opening Night--pottery, Chinese export porcelain, a French red marble urn from the 1830s. The

Opening was such great fun, and there was a young crowd sporting good energy. And they loved what I had to sell, the mixture of it all!"  Additional items sold include: A pair of Irish portrait miniatures by Nathaniel Hone, 1761; a portrait miniature of a young woman, signed C. Tridon, née Sattler, first half of the 19th century; a Darby botanical porcelain plaque from 1825; a Chinese export cache pot depicting pomegranates and bananas, circa 1750-75; a Chinese rose Mandarin cache pot; and three Chinese trade watercolors from 1840-1860.

Howard Rehs of Rehs Galleries had this to say about the Spring Show: "I was impressed that the clientele it draws are serious people who are truly interested, and very knowledgeable." Rehs also feels that the economy is on the upswing. "I can tell people are beginning to feel comfortable about spending their money again," he says, adding, "They know it's not doing anything anywhere else." Rehs Galleries realized several sales, including: Tangible Reprieve and Tough Choices, two oils by Timothy Jahn; Dusk's Prelude to Evening with Moon, an oil by Ben Bauer; and The Constant Gardener by Guy Combes.

Said Susan Jacobson of Leo Kaplan Ltd.: "The Opening was a lot of fun and very well attended. I saw a lot of people I was hoping to see. My feeling is that people came on opening night with the intention of getting a good first-look so they could come back later to buy." For Jacobson, her intuition proved correct, with sales of a Paul Stankard Orb from 2012, five paperweights, and a rare 18th-century English teapot, circa 1760.

"We saw old clients, who brought new friends, which we always like," said Wallace Bowling of Douglas Dawson, specialists in ethnographic arts. "The show had such a buzz about it." Among the Douglas Dawson sales: A 19th-century Burkino Faso bracelet with figures, sold to Ball State Museum, Muncie, Indiana; a Warren Frederick platter with a natural ash glaze; and a 20th-century Nigerian crown.

Said William Luft of John Atzbach Antiques, specializing in Imperial Russian antiques and art objects: "The Spring Show draws the kind of sophisticated crowd you find only in New York, and because of that, I had a lot of interest in my items" Reported sales include several Fabergé enamels, including a box, as well as pieces by Feodor Rückert, who worked for the house of Fabergé.

One of the most exciting Openings ever!" exclaimed Linda Bernell of Linda Bernell Gallery. "It was bustling with all of New York, extremely lively and exciting, and everyone was happy, with a smile on their face as they walked in. They were socializing but also very interested in the booths. Out of all shows, the Spring Show is the most elegant and has the highest level of excitement." Among the paintings sold were: François Gall's oil on canvas titled La Famille Gall sur la Plage de Trouville; two watercolor and ink works on paper by Paulémile Pissarro: Chaumière près de l'Orne and L'Orne à Cantepie; Le Village du Viadre by Bela de Kristo, dated 1955; and a mint-condition 1820s French Neoclassical ormolu clock with Psyche and Venus.

Said Mark McHugh of Spencer Marks: "It was a lively crowd, one who clearly loved the show and came with a great collector mentality. We were very busy. The attendees love the diversity of the merchandise at Spring Show. There's something here for everyone." Among the Spencer Marks sales: A silver Art Deco vase once owned by Andy Warhol; a Tiffany punch bowl with walrus-mask handles; an American silver figurative fish dish from 1884; an 1876 American trompe l'oeil silver plate; an English Regency sterling-silver epergne, circa 1819, by Rebecca Emes and Edward Barnard; and a Tiffany Aesthetic Movement coffee pot from the late 19th century.

Here's a survey of some of the other items sold during Spring Show NYC, which ended on May 6:

Kentshire Galleries: A 17th-century cast-iron sign of a lion passant within a 19th-century wreath, once belonging to Stanford White; a pair of 19th-century earrings by Angela Cummings; a retro Tiffany gem-set watch; and an antique diamond locket from 1870.

Milord Antiques: An important French satinwood credenza inlaid with mother-of-pearl and exotic wood, fitted with four shagreen-clad drawers and gilt-bronze mounts, from 1940; a pair of Philip and Kelvin Laverne amoeba coffee tables with poly-chrome and etched "chinoiserie" decoration, from 1969; a pair of 1955 gilt bronze and glass sconces by Max Ingrand for Fontana; two Venini bottles; and a ceramic vase by Marcello Fantoni.

William Siegal Gallery: A gold ceremonial atl atl (spear thrower) from Peru, 100-700 A.D.; an effigy figure from northern Chile, 2500-500 B.C.; a figure holding a kero and snuff tray, Tiahuanako Culture, 300 B.C.-1100 A.D.; a stone temple, Mezcala Culture, 350 B.C.-250 A.D.; and a figurative celt, Olmec Culture, 1,200-600 B.C.

Yew Tree House Antiques: Two 19th-century articulated artist models, circa 1860; a suite of 43 flying fish in miro wood, 1900-1930; an 18th-century Dutch or Flemish tobacco figure; a 19th-century carved and painted Swedish horse; and a pair of English Aesthetic Movement andirons with sunflower roundels, circa 1890.

Drucker Antiques: A 1789 George Washington inaugural button inscribed "March the Fourth 1789" with eagle and sun design; an important 20th-century Wiener Werkstätte necklace; and a Georg Jensen Art Deco silver tea set from the 1920s.

E & J Frankel: A 17th-century Japanese scroll depicting the god of wealth.

George Subkoff Antiques: An English flame mahogany bow-front miniature chest and a pair of Louis XVI painted stools.

Haynes Fine Art of Broadway: The Celebration, an oil painting by Andrea Landini.

Holster Fine Art: Femme Assise au Luth by Ossip Zadkine, a bronze sculpture with black patina, late 1920s; Les Chatiments, a circa 1880 bronze with green and brown patina by Aime Jules Dalon; and The Puddler, a bronze with green patina by Costantin Meunier.

Clinton Howell Antiques: A pair of Irish crystal urns with lids, from 1795.

Hyde Park Antiques: A pair of George IV brass-inlaid flame mahogany side cabinets, circa 1825.

Jason Jacques: A Gareth Mason pot and William Erhlich jewelry.

John Jaffa Antiques: Several 18th-century English enamel boxes.

Jon Eric Riis: A late-18th-century/early-19th-century silk-and-silver-metallic-thread chamba rumal (offering cloth); an official's winter hat from Manchu, Qing Dynasty, Guangxu period, 1875-1908; and four informal scholar's hats, also Qing Dynasty.

Lawrence Steigrad Fine Art: An early 19th-century Netherlandish painting titled Boats Alongside the Stone Entrance-way of a Dutch City by Jan Hendrik Verheyen.

Lost City Arts: Ceramic hedgehogs for Kahler by Ellen Karleen, Denmark, 1960s; and a monoprint by Harry Bertoia from the 1950s-1970s, ink and rice paper.

Orientations Gallery: A Japanese vase from 1885; a mid-20th century netsuke; and a late-19th-century bronze vase with tiger.

Questroyal Fine Art: A 1906 oil on canvas titled Moonlight by Birge Harrison and Entrance to Old Palace Topkapoo, Soray, Constantinople by Jane Peterson.

Robert Simon Fine Art: An 18th century Spanish Colonial School oil portrait of Doña Andrea Roman de Aulestia y Cedreros y Gomez-Boguetey y Monte Allegre.

Rumi Antiques: A large German terracotta eagle from the last quarter of the 19th century, and a William and Mary center table, circa 1690, with seaweed marquetry.

The Silver Fund: A complete 1960s Mexican sterling-silver chess set by Pedro Castillo and several Jensen pieces, including a "blossom" tray.

Vallin Galleries: A pair of 18th-century phoenixes; an 18th-century frog planter; a large tureen with tray; a pair of small tureens with trays; and a pair of Chinese Imari beakers, circa 1710.

To attract fledgling collectors, the Spring Show NYC invited the young members of 20 prominent cultural organizations for Arts' Night Out, co-chaired by Emily Collins, Margaret Moore, and Abigail Starliper, on May 4, drawing more than 600 attendees from such groups as: Museum of the City of New York Young Members Circle; St. George's Society of New York; The Royal Oak Foundation; Save Venice Young Friends; The Morgan Library Young Fellows; Guild Hall Contemporaries; Christie's Alumni; New York City Opera Young Patrons Circle; Rubin Museum Visionary Circle; Carnegie Hall Notables; American Young Georgians; International Center for Photography, FOCUS; World Monuments Fund Moai Circle; New York Historical Society Young Friends; New York City Ballet Young Patrons Circle; Whitney Museum of American Art, Whitney Contemporaries, El Museo del Barrio Young International Circle; New York School of Interior Design Alumni; and Sotheby's Institute. Sponsored by AADLA, the evening replete with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres brought a fresh audience to the dealers, all of whom enthusiastically shared their expertise and knowledge and kindled passion in these new buyers for beautiful art and antiques.

There will be more of both at the Spring Show NYC, from April 24-28, in 2013, which is already poised to build on this year's success.

Patrick Bavasi: An iron lion-mask architectural element from 1880 and an oak panel carved with a lion head, circa 1820