Metro-area antiques and art collectors can hunt for collectibles Thursday-Saturday in support of the Central City Opera. The 29th annual Denver Antiques Show and Sale is an annual three-day fundraiser where patrons can attend a cocktail party, a lecture luncheon or simply spend the weekend browsing for treasures.
This year’s event has a new, local focus. In the past, the fundraiser featured designers and dealers from across the country, but the 2011 show takes place at The Collection, a 15,000-square-foot store at 899 Broadway, where local artists, antiques dealers and interior designers rent space.
“There is a certain amount of snobbery surrounding antiques,” says Bryan Pulte, a Denver-based interior designer who keeps a space at The Collection and also sits on the board of the Central City Opera Association. “But you don’t have to go to New York or L.A. to find good stuff. There is a lot to be found right here.”
The Collection houses more than two dozen vendors, ranging from antiques and collectibles to art, jewelry, rugs and lighting accessories. Several guest vendors from the region also will participate in the show. There is no charge for general admission to the show (a luncheon and patron party are ticketed events), and 10 percent of all sales will benefit Central City Opera.
Pulte describes his collection of furniture and accent pieces as “bold, masculine and tribal,” with items such as a pair of leather-backed chairs made from African water buffalo and impala horns. Pulte believes the chairs once belonged to actor Gary Cooper. “I have a photo of the chairs in Cooper’s home,” he says. “That’s important, because well-documented antiques have a much higher value.”
Carol Goldstein has a doctorate in nursing and also runs Asian Treasures, an antiques dealership located inside The Collection. She will be the featured speaker for the Friday lecture luncheon, where she’ll talk about her passion for Chinese antiques. Goldstein specializes in 18th- and 19th-century furniture and accessories, making twice-annual buying trips to China to seek out the best pieces.
“I love the simplicity and integrity of Chinese antiques,” Goldstein says. Collecting also offers a much-needed break from her academic career. “It enlivens a different part of me,” she says. “I only buy what I love.”
Often, Goldstein finds it difficult to let go of her finds. One piece, a red lacquered, tapered cabinet, spent years in Goldstein’s “inventory,” happily located in her family room. “Sometimes I’m my own best client,” she says.
Shoppers who want the first look at available items can get a head start during the patron party, held at The Collection from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $150 per person ($60 for ages 35 and under). Tickets to the Friday lecture luncheon at 11 a.m. run $60, both available through the Central City Opera website, .
For Susan Hildebrand, owner of The Collection, hosting the fundraiser for the opera makes perfect sense. “It’s all about creativity and visual awareness, whether you’re talking about design or the arts,” she says. “This is a perfect union.”
The Denver Antiques Show and Sale runs Friday through May 1 at The Collection, 899 Broadway, 303-623-4200.
