Red Carpet Bay Area is getting ready for the Gold Rush at San Francisco Fall Antiques Show! San Francisco’s oldest and the most prestigious continuously operating international art and antiques show on the west coast opens with a preview gala on October 22, 2014. Recognized as one of the top five antiques shows in the world, San Francisco Fall Antiques Show features some 60 dealers from across the United States and Europe.
With the future in mind, a look back at the evolution of art fairs in San Francisco from 2011, when there were five high-end art fairs competing for the market. Three of them happened in one weekend in May:
- ArtPadSF, funded by Chip Conley, at the Phoenix Hotel
- artMRKT, launched by Max Fishko and Jeffrey Wainhouse, at San Francisco’s Concourse Exhibition Center
- San Francisco Fine Arts Fair at Fort Mason, produced by Rick Friedman, president of Hamptons Expo Group
Two were in the fall:
- SF20, styled by Stanlee Gatti, in collaboration with Dolphin Productions at Fort Mason
- San Francisco Fall Antiques Show, a benefit for Enterprise for High School Students, the longest continuously operating international antiques show on the west coast, also at Fort Mason
Fast forward to the high-end art fairs of 2014:
FOG Design+Art, January 16 – 18, replaced the SF20/21 events by Dolphin Productions and ArtPadSF from Chip Conley.
Silicon Valley Contemporary Art Fair, April 10 – 14, morphed from San Francisco Fine Arts Fair, was held at the San Jose Convention Center. The opening night preview benefited San Jose Museum of Art. Some 60 galleries from the US, Europe, South America and Asia were featured and it was the first contemporary art fair of its kind in the Silicon Valley.
artMRKT, May 15 – 18, at Fort Mason, opened with a preview gala benefit for Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the de Young and the Legion of Honor. artMRKT presented some 70 dealers that showcased historically important pieces alongside relevant contemporary works.
San Francisco Fall Antiques Show, Rush of Gold: Precious Metals in Art and Antiques, opens October 22nd at Fort Mason; Red Carpet Bay Area is pleased to sponsor the Preview Gala, click here for information and tickets.

Check out Red Carpet Bay Area’s past coverage of the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show Preview Gala:
2013: Jazz Moderne: Art Deco & the Avant Garde
2012: Sea Worthy, inspired by America’s Cup
2011: Hidden Treasures
2009: Egyptomania
Pictured from FOG Design+Art, the newest fair on the block in San Francisco: honorary co-chair Cathy Topham with steering committee members Allison Speer, Katie Schwab Paige, Stanlee Gatti, Roth Martin and Douglas Durkin
Photo by Drew Altizer Photography
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