We had never been to the Biennale Antiquaire, which we always assumed was a showcase for the ultra rich, but we were encouraged to go by Shelli and Gene. We met them there, and voila -- it was exactly as we had assumed. But as Shelli had promised, it was both enormous fun to people-watch those ultra rich, and also enlightening to see the art that was making its way into private hands, perhaps never to be seen again. We marveled at the Botticelli madonna, the Bonnard and even a couple of Monets. The gentleman with the odd collection of antique naval items announced to us that sadly we could not take his 7' narwal horn back to the US, or any of his other ivory treasures, for that matter. Tom priced one of the smaller jewelry offerings, a yellow diamond ring at $248k, and he could not help but ask the price of a bronze horse from the Han dynasty, circa 200 BC: 5 million euros. I enjoyed the reaction of one rather petulant jewelry customer who was quite vocal when told that the pink diamond necklace, bracelet, ring, and earring suite -- enough to make Liz Taylor happy -- had been sold.
Plus it gave us a chance to return to the main space of the Grand Palais, which we had last visited when it reopened 2007. And for me, the buildings that house these events are usually as interesting or more so, than the shows themselves.
Shelli and Gene were exactly right, the Biennale was quite the event, and we will make a point of returning.
Near the entrance, with the rose-scented fountain.
Shelli promised people-watching...
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