The New Connoisseurs: Collecting With Personal Style

A Panel Discussion with Leading Design and Style Influencers at the AADLA Fine Art & Antiques Show Saturday, November 2

When the AADLA Fine Art & Antiques Show opens its doors for its five-day run on Thursday, October 31, visitors will have the opportunity to cast their eyes on an alluring bounty of fine and decorative arts treasures. On Saturday, November 2, at 1:00 p.m. they will be treated to a panel discussion, The New Connoisseurs: Collecting With Personal Style, that considers how those treasures might be collected––and coveted. Moderated by noted design historian and author Emily Eerdmans and antiques expert Michael Diaz-Griffith, the panel includes Caleb Anderson, co-founder of the innovative multi-disciplinary interior design partnership Drake/Anderson, Hadley Keller, senior editor of House Beautiful, and Adam Lippes, the renowned fashion designer.

With the public's interest in antiques on the rise once again, eclectic interiors are filling the pages of glossy magazines, Instagram and design websites. For the first time in a generation, it is universally cool to be a collector––whether it’s sneakers, ceramics, contemporary art, or antiquities. While this new wave of collecting recalls past eras, it is distinctive in its 21st-century focus on individual taste and style. The ABCs of connoisseurship are as important as ever, but today's collectors want more than a guidebook knowledge of "good, better, best"––they want to cultivate a distinctive "eye" and form collections that are uniquely their own.

How did the new connoisseurship emerge? Where is it headed? And what effect will it have on the art market, interior decoration, and the future of antiques? To answer these questions, Eerdmans and Diaz-Griffith have assembled a stellar panel of experts who will share their insights and experiences from the vanguard of the design world.

"We are delighted to convene this long-overdue conversation about the rapidly changing collecting practices we see in our work every day,” say Eerdmans and Diaz-Griffith. “A new style of connoisseurship is emerging, blending object-oriented expertise with a more liberated, pluralistic focus on individual taste.”

Notes Diaz-Griffith, “We believe the future of antiques is bright, and that today’s emerging collectors will form increasingly dynamic collections, more meaningful interiors, and, ultimately, support a stronger market for historic arts and material culture––one based on passion rather than trends.”

Adds Eerdmans, “The greatest connoisseurs have always collected with personal style, but beginners often think they have to follow the rules, assembling sequential collections with an eye cast on the market and their peers. That era is ending, and we are so excited to discuss what’s next.”

About the panelists:

Caleb Anderson, co-founder of the innovative, multi-disciplinary interior design partnership Drake/Anderson, brings a polished sensibility and unique design vision to the New York City-based firm. Known for the effortless skill with which he pairs custom creations with furnishings of seemingly disparate styles and periods, Anderson’s work consistently results in rooms that are witty, elegant, and unexpected. Drake/Anderson projects include sophisticated, glamorous interiors in residential towers from New York to Shanghai, as well as sprawling Hamptons estates, cutting-edge medical facilities, and non-profit foundation headquarters. In 2018, Drake/Anderson was once again included among the top designers and architects in both Architectural Digest’s AD100 list and the Elle Décor A-List.

Michael Diaz-Griffith advises art galleries, auction houses, and non-profits on strategy, communications, and design through his multi-disciplinary consultancy, Material Cult. In January, he co-founded the New Antiquarians, a community of interest for the next generation of art and antiques enthusiasts. In April, he made his debut as co-host of The Magazine ANTIQUES's podcast, Curious Objects. He writes about art and architectural history under his Instagram handle, @michaeldiazgriffith. 

Emily Evans Eerdmans is an acclaimed design historian and founder of Eerdmans Fine Art in New York City. Her books include monographs on Madeleine Castaing and Mario Buatta, and the catalogue raisonne of Wendell Castle.

Hadley Keller is the Senior Editor at House Beautiful, where she works across the magazine’s print issues, website, and video initiatives. She served as Associate Market Editor, Design Reporter, and News Editor for Architectural Digest and AD PRO before joining House Beautiful, where she continues to cover the work of talented interior designers. Hadley is a staunch maximalist whose shelves are always overflowing and who can never resist adding a new vintage find to her apartment. She loves travel, cooking, entertaining, art, and a good—elevated—DIY project. 

Adam Lippes is rethinking the traditions of American sportswear through his luxury lifestyle brand. Inspired by his personal aesthetic for unhurried elegance and understated design, Adam's work communicates ease and confident luxury through cut, fit, color, and details. The brand is committed to quality above all else and supports the finest fabric mills, craftsman and ateliers worldwide.

Adam began his career in fashion at POLO Ralph Lauren before moving to Oscar de la Renta, where he grew to be one of the youngest creative directors of a luxury fashion house. Widely published for fashion, interiors and travel, Adam's position as a tastemaker and influencer provides an authenticity and point of reference for the brand's audience.

His inspirations and passions include art, architecture, interiors, antiques, textiles, gardens, travel, philanthropy and dogs. Adam is a graduate of Cornell University and splits his time between Brooklyn Heights in NYC and a farm in the Berkshires in Southwestern Massachusetts.

About the AADLA

Founded in 1926, The Art and Antique Dealers League of America, Inc., now with 86 members, is the oldest and principal antiques and fine arts organization in America. The mission of the league is to bring the members of the art and antiques trade closer together and to promote a greater understanding among themselves and with the public, and generally to devote itself to the best interests of dealers and collectors of antiques and works of art.

The participating dealers are leaders in their respective fields and have been in the business for many years. They’ve seen collecting trends come and go and aren’t rattled by the whims in taste. With its boutique-style fair, collectors—veteran or neophyte— can purchase a broad spectrum of beautiful objects at far more approachable prices.

For more information, visit: www.aadlafair.com or contact info@aadlafair.com

About The Gallery at 200 Lex

The Gallery at 200 Lex is a revolutionary space that showcases 50 of the finest vintage and antique dealers, and changes the dynamic of this once design-trade-only building into a progressive, all-inclusive design resource. An eclectic mix of dealers from all over the country, as well as several international dealers, occupy the entire tenth floor of 200 Lex with 33,000 square feet of fine antiques, vintage and 21st-century design. The floor is powered by inCollect, offering an innovative way to shop. The Gallery at 200 Lex is open Monday to Friday from 9:30a.m. to 5:30p.m. For more information call 646-293-6633 or email thegallery@nydc.com

The AADLA Fine Art & Antiques Show wishes to thank The Gallery at 200 Lex for generously underwriting the champagne brunch.

Please note: Seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. Admission to the AADLA Show is $20 per person which includes entry to the panel discussion.