This January 2019 season of The Winter Show in New York City, Maison Gerard presented a truly gorgeous selection of antiques and some never-before-seen contemporary home furnishings.
The gallery and store space was first founded in 1974 by Gerard Widdershoven. Since its earliest days, the space has specialized in antiques from Europe, specifically of Art Deco period of the early 1920s through the 40s. Over the years, the Maison’s offerings have grown and evolved – all while maintaining its early 20th century European roots.
This Winter Market, the House Tipster Industry team spoke exclusively with Director David Parker of Maison Gerard to hear about how the New York-based gallery has been crafting its signature style for decades.
“Since that time – we’ve been stationed in New York the whole time – we have added contemporary offerings as well,” Parker said. “Today, we have vintage things and feature a lot of contemporary material, including a bit of a revival for a British designer named Mark Brazier-Jones, who was the founder of something called Creative Salvage. He’s done a wonderful set of lighting, and other things as well.”
Taking a look around Maison Gerard’s Winter Market space, guests could get a small sampling of what the gallery’s larger collection consists of.
You will find artists and designers like Barbro Åberg, Niamh Barry, Thomas Boog, Andy Diaz Hope, Jean Dunand, Mario Dal Fabbro, Wilhelm Kåge, Ammar Kalo, Pouenat, Bill Willis, Ermanno Nason, Ayala Serfaty, Hervé Van der Straeten, and many more represented within the Maison’s offerings.
“We have a range of ceramics from various periods and makers, we have a number of Venetian glass vessels from mid 1900s, and I could go on for hours,” Parker explained of the gallery’s never-ending roster of fabulous pieces.
Maison Gerard’s goal is to introduce clients to furniture, lighting, mirrors, artworks, and collectibles they wholly love, but would have otherwise may not even known about.
“We position ourselves as an eye-opener of sorts: we try to find things that are really remarkable, really special,” Parker explained. “It doesn’t mean they are the most famous, or the most established, or the most expensive. And we just try to share them with people.”
Maison Gerard’s pieces also take what’s wonderful about the past, and mesh those qualities with the contemporary features appreciated in modern living.
“We have great pieces that are antiques, or traditional or vintage things, and then maybe some brand new things that people have never seen before,” he added. “We try to find ways of putting things together that people may not otherwise expect and have it be interesting, vital, surprising, and energizing. We also want our spaces to feel comfortable, we want people to feel at home, and find pieces that improve their home – and that they’d be comfortable living with for generations.”
To see even more new projects going on from Maison Gerard’s team, be sure to catch our recap of Robert Levin’s Andy Warhol Photography Exhibition at The Elizabeth Collective, furnished in partnership with the Maison.
