NEW YORK.- Anna and Brian Haughton’s celebrated flagship fair – the annual gathering of sixty-five of the world’s top dealers – will again take place at The Seventh Regiment Armory on New York’s Upper East Side for its 18th year, from October 20th-26th, 2006. In 1989, the same year that the Berlin Wall fell, the Haughtons breached the Atlantic barrier by bringing top European dealers in the finest European art and antiques to America’s doorstep, New York City.

With a balanced mix of American and European dealers, the fair was rapidly nicknamed “The International” and immediately set a new standard by introducing rigorous vetting for quality and authenticity of all items for sale. The vetting committees are made up of museum curators and other distinguished specialists in their respective fields.

This year also marks the Haughtons’ 25th anniversary as fair organisers. Their first event, The International Ceramics Fair & Seminar, was launched in 1982, in London, as an international forum for academics and collectors to meet annually, exchange knowledge and buy and sell only the finest and rarest strictly-vetted pottery, porcelain and glass. These standards, and the close relationship enjoyed by the organisers and exhibitors with international museums, soon became an integral part of the Haughtons’ New York fairs as well – three other shows followed “The International” (The International Fine Art Fair in 1994, The International Asian Art Fair in 1996 and The International Art + Design Fair in 1999). All five fairs have become perennial favourites for collectors, connoisseurs, museum curators, interior designers and the general public.

“The International Show” is world-famous for its sumptuous, stylish décor and impressive variety of museum-quality works of art on display and for sale, with furniture, paintings, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, glass, clocks, watches, arms and armour, books, jewellery, silver, antiquities and ethnographic art, representing some of the finest pieces to be found on the market today. The rare and beautiful are commonplace, but not necessarily expensive, priced from a few hundred dollars into millions. Indeed, the fair held the record for the highest priced item sold at a fair when a painting by Bernardo Bellotto sold for around $14m in the early 1990s.

With such quality on offer, it must always be emphasized that the close of the fair is not the close of business. Purchases on the floor are invariably joined by spectacular sales afterwards, both to private buyers taking time to consider major purchases and museums curators who have to go through special procedures before permission to purchase is granted.

The Gala Preview Party benefiting The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center on Thursday evening on October 19th is the glittering charity event not to be missed by what is considered the crème de la crème of New York society. Last year’s Gala again raised nearly $1 million dollars for the Society which is a major source of funding for the volunteer organization, whose mission is to promote the well-being of patients and cancer research. Around 1200 guests attend the glamorous affair which inaugurates the social season in New York.

From its inception, The International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show has been held with the cooperation of The National Antique & Art Dealers Association of America (NAADAA), a powerhouse trade organization, founded in 1954, which is comprised of forty-five elite American art and antique dealers, many representing firms that have been in existence for over 100 years.

Exhibitors at the 2006 fair: A La Vieille Russie, Inc. (New York); Didier Aaron & Cie, (Paris, London & New York); Agnew’s (London); John Alexander Ltd (Philadelphia); Apter-Fredericks Ltd (London); Carswell Rush Berlin, Inc. (New York); H. Blairman & Sons Ltd (London); Blitz Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art (Amsterdam); J.H. Bourdon-Smith Ltd (London); W.M. Brady & Co. (New York); Browse & Darby (London); Ralph M. Chait Galleries, Inc. (New York); Antoine Chenevière Fine Arts (London); The Chinese Porcelain Company (New York); Cove Landing (New York); Kate de Rothschild (London); Ariane Dandois (Paris); Douglas Dawson Gallery (Chicago); Charles Ede Ltd (London); Peter Finer (London & Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire); Firestone & Parson, Inc. (Boston); Goedhuis Contemporary (New York & London); Richard Green (London); Hancocks (London); Harris Lindsay (London); Brian Haughton Antiques (London); Henkel & Nichols (Pennington, NJ); Hirschl & Adler Galleries (New York); Jonathan Horne (London); Hyde Park Antiques, Ltd (New York); Hyland Granby Antiques (Hyannis Port, MA); Jeremy Ltd (London); Kentshire Galleries (New York); Koopman Rare Art (London); H.M. Luther Inc. (New York); Macconnal-Mason (London); Maison Gerard Ltd (New York); Mallett Inc. (New York & London); Fred Moheban Gallery (New York); Lillian Nassau Ltd (New York); Jill Newhouse (New York); Ossowski (London); Pelham (London & Paris); Perrin Antiquaires (Paris); Ronald Phillips (London); Potterton Books (Thirsk, N. Yorkshire); Raffety & Walwyn Ltd (London); James Robinson, Inc. (New York); Maroun H. Salloum (Paris); Alistair Sampson Antiques Ltd (London); Somlo Antiques (London); S.J. Shrubsole (New York); Hollis Taggart Galleries (New York); Tambaran Gallery (New York); Yvonne Tan Bunzl (London); Ursus Books Ltd (New York); Vallois (Paris); Axel Vervoordt (‘s-Gravenwezel, Belgium); Wartski (London); David & Constance Yates (New York).

Returning to the fair: Konrad Bernheimer, returns as Bernheimer/Colnaghi/Bellinger (Munich & London) with Master paintings and drawings from the 16th to 19th centuries and Brame & Lorenceau (Paris) with 19th and 20th century paintings, drawings and sculpture.

New exhibitors: F.P. Fine Art (London) with fine 18th century English and French furniture; Bernard Goldberg Fine Arts, LLC (New York) with American paintings, sculpture and decorative arts 1900-1950 and Galerie Günter Puhze (Freiburg, Germany) with ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian art.