Ali Aboutaam of Phoenix Ancient Art in Geneva, Switzerland

Launched on May 1st, 2009, the on-line antiquities auction, gallery, and dealer of ancient art, dubbed e-tiquities, brings the world of antiquities to a broader range of potential collectors than was previously possible. The brainchild of brothers Hicham and Ali Aboutaam, e-tiquities is the virtual adjunct to the Phoenix Ancient Art real-world galleries located in New York City and Geneva, Switzerland.

Purchase prices range from only $500, allowing just about anyone with an interest and a computer with internet to enter the (previously) rarefied world of antiquities collecting. Most objects on display are from the area of the Mediterranean basin and span over 7,000 years of the human pursuit of beauty and refinement. The oldest artifacts come from the Neolithic period in world history, about 6,000 B.C.E., until the middle ages, approximately the 14th century A.D.

Hicham Aboutaam, co-owner of Phoenix Ancient Art explains the importance of e-tiquities for veteran collectors as well as novices.

“In launching e-tiquities by Phoenix Ancient Art, we hope both to introduce a new audience to the cultures of the ancient world, and to give our existing clients an easy way to expand their collections. One of the things which makes Phoenix Ancient Art special in our field is the guarantee of authenticity that we provide to our clients, whether they buy works in our galleries or on our new website. Over the years, we’ve developed procedures to establish provenance (chain of ownership) to ensure that our pieces are both authentic and on the market in accordance with international law.”

Phoenix Ancient Art is an extremely reputable and successful dealer in antiquities, which can be attributed to several unprecedented developments in the revamping of their business model.

Perhaps the most crucial change has been their guarantee: They will grant a full refund on any purchase price, even if you bought a one million dollar artifact, whose provenance turns out to be untrue.

Peter Chavkin of the law firm Mintz Levin, has worked with the Aboutaams in the antiquities market. He explains, “You want a dealer who’ll stand behind the pieces and anticipate potential issues and the Aboutaams have the wonderful approach of not sticking collectors with a piece that turns out to have problems.”

Due to this and other changes Phoenix is doing better than ever before. Those “in-the-know” say that Phoenix has traditionally done more antiquities business than Sotheby’s and Christie’s combined.

Notwithstanding the record sales of the bronze Artemis and Guennol lioness in 2007, Phoenix also had a great year, selling 12 pieces for more than $1 million each in 2006, compared with only 2 pieces selling at that price in 2005, and Sotheby’s selling none for over $1 million in 2006.

Ali Aboutaam explains the philosophy of the aggressive acquisition of antiquities practiced at Phoenix Ancient Art.

“We are buying so much all the time, but it is because these things will not come back. Most people don’t understand, but when you feel that you are not going to see something like this again, you try as much as you can to get it. Sometimes more than you can.”

This philosophy was passed down from Ali and Hicham Aboutaam’s father, the founder of the family business. At the time the brothers took over, the world of antiquities was undergoing enormous upheavals, and what was once a “by appointment only”gallery is now open to the public, in both New York and Geneva.
Phoenix Ancient Art publishes glossy catalogs, and produces curated exhibitions of their varied and extensive collections. The brothers Aboutaam have made every effort to broaden their client base, including speaking out in favor of regulation and courting the press.

Hicham Aboutaam describes to what extent antiquities deals have changed from they way they used to be done:

“We just sold a $150,000 piece over the web,” Hicham says. “We never met. The buyer just wired the money, and we sent the piece. That’s it.”

In a move which will change the way antiquities are traded, Phoenix Ancient Art has launched its unique e-commerce site, www.e-tiquities.com.  This easy-to-use and lovely to visit web-site is designed to make purchasing antiquities more accessible to more people. The goal is to bring the collecting of ancient art within the reach of a much broader base of potential customers.

Demystifying the purchasing process, democratizing the ownership clientele and guaranteeing satisfaction all come together at e-tiquities to make the world of collecting rare, beautiful and history-laden art reachable to anyone with an interest and internet access.

As of May 1st, 2009 e-tiquities will post a large variety of antiquities for sale, some of which are available as a straightforward purchase over the internet and others which can be bid on as in an antiquities auction.

As the president of e-tiquities, Alexander Gherardi commented,

“Many people are intimidated by the thought of purchasing antiquities. They fear buying something that is inauthentic, illegally acquired or overpriced. E-tiquities.com eliminates this anxiety. Our researchers have worked to make e-tiquities an educational site as well as an accessible way to collect elegant, guaranteed authentic antiquities. It is truly an innovation in the field.”

Head of Goddess

Ali Aboutaam, proprietor of Phoenix Ancient Art in Geneva contributed a marvelous Hellenistic Head of the Greek Goddess Aphrodite to the art exhibit sponsored by the French watchmaker Audemars Piguet. The marble bust, dating back to the 4th or beginning of the 3rd century B.C.E. will be part of the exhibit “Art and Watch making, Le Temps au Féminin.” This exhibit is part of the “Association pour l’Art en Vieille Ville – AVV” in Geneva. The exhibit ran from May 1st to May 9th, 2009.