The Salon: Art + Design is returning to New York’s Park Avenue Armory, from November 12 to 16. Now in its fourth year, the collectors’ fair features art and design from the 20th century, as well as contemporary pieces. The 55 exhibitors include six new attendees (among them, Richard Green of London; Nilufar Galleria from Milan; and Thomas Fritsch Artrium from Paris), and returning galleries Gabrielle Ammann, L’Arc en Seine, Bernard Goldberg Fine Arts, Cristina Grajales, and others. Jill Bokor, executive director of the show, shares with EAL her insights into this year’s show.

Which are some of the most exciting exhibitors, new or returning?
Each year we look for new galleries that will round out the already staggering array of material offered at The Salon. This year we welcome Italian newcomers Nilufar and Galleria O. Between them they bring the best of Italian mid-century through contemporary material including works by Gabriella Crespi, Gaetano Pesce, Gino Sarfatti, Gio Ponti and Ettore Sottsass to name just a few. Demisch Danant of New York also joins this year, bringing French design from the  60’s and 70’s, a collecting category that’s gaining a lot of attention. Featured designers include: Arnal, Hiquily, and Pergay. Finally, on the design side Thomas Fritsch-Artrium of Paris showcases French decorative arts with a specialization in ceramics. His sculptural installations are breathtaking and sure to invite great interest from design enthusiasts.

New art galleries include Richard Green of London, appearing at their first New York fair in many years. Their booth will include paintings by such 20th century masters as Josef Albers, Auerbach, and Marc Chagall. Patrick Derom Gallery from Brussels brings an early René Magritte oil along with a selection of European modernist works.

We’re excited to see the Friedman Benda booth which will produce a solo show of the works of The Campana Brothers, who have created works specifically to be seen at the Salon. Carpenters Workshop also shows the work of a single designer—fabricated in aluminum and marble—a stunning collection of recent works by Robert Stadler.

Do you have any favorite pieces?
I haven’t seen everything by a long shot, but have already fallen in love with The Campana Brothers’ whimsical Pirarucu Buffet, a console constructed of leather, wood and straw. It looks like it’s going to gambol away with a wink!  

Chastel-Marechal is bringing a fantastic Lin Vautrin Mirror: "Crête de Coq" in gorgeous vermillion and black, which is sculptural and intriguing! Gabriel Amman, a second-year exhibitor from Cologne is showing a tree trunk bench by Bo Young + Wols that you’d just like to put in the center of a room and look at, or maybe occasionally sit on!

What can attendees expect?
The magic of The Salon for attendees lies in how beautifully each booth is curated, in such a way that you’re really able to see each piece as an object while also understanding how it could work in a larger context.  It’s no accident that top interior designers and architects shop at this fair. There’s a kind of synergy in the mix of design and art, and the visitor really has the opportunity to consider the whole. It’s always thrilling to see the work of vintage masters such as Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann, Jean-Michel Frank, Alberto Giacometti, Finn Juhl, Jacques Adnet, Charlotte Perriand and Jean Prouvé side by side with the greatest creators of design working today.

Aside from the newly added exhibitors, are there other new-this-year features?
Not to be missed is the jewelry exhibition by Temple St. Clair, held in the historic library of The Armory. This is the second showing by St. Clair at The Salon. This year she has created nine extraordinary masterpieces: the second chapter of her "Golden Menagerie" trilogy, "Wings of Desire."  

When visitors walk onto the floor of The Salon, they are first going to see a loan exhibition by Paris’ oldest and most elegant trunk maker, Maison Goyard. The installation will highlight luggage of fame, formerly owned by The Duke and Duchess of Windsor and Coco Chanel to name just a few. There will also be a photography gallery showing great portraits of glamorous celebrities wearing their Goyard bags. It’s a great space from which to start the tour of The Salon.