Madison Avenue Gallery Walk Features Phoenix Ancient Art

Posted on May 13, 2010 by admin

For the third year in a row there will be an organized gallery tour along Madison Avenue in order to benefit arts education in New York City. Funds which will be raised by the participants will be donated to The Fund for Public Schools in order to support and promote the education of art in city public schools.

Included among the 50 participating galleries will be the Aboutaam brothers, Ali and Hicham Aboutaam, the proprietors of Phoenix Ancient Art, located at 47 East 66th Street, right off of Madison Avenue. Galleries will have speakers and special talks open to the public, and tours of the galleries will be leaving every hour from 11am until 4pm.
There will also be an organized, family-friendly scavenger hunt, winners receiving discounted tickets to the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Hicham Aboutaam and Ali Aboutaam hope to see you at this special event which benefits New York’s children while providing a great activity for the whole family.

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New Face of Antiquities

Posted on March 9, 2010 by admin

Antiquing today has certainly changed from years gone by. Many antique galleries, such as Phoenix Ancient Art, owned by Ali and Hicham Aboutaam, used to be appointment-only galleries. Now, their offices are open to the public and welcoming to all. The Aboutaams publish beautiful catalogs and work to broaden their client base.

Interestingly, the sale of antiques over the internet has also blossomed. As Hicham Aboutaam says, “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.”

Many of these antiquity companies are seeing their businesses taking off more than ever before. For instance, Phoenix Ancient Art, owned by the Aboutaam brothers, sold 12 pieces in 2007 for more than $1 million each. This is compared to 2005 when they only sold two pieces. In comparison, Sotheby’s didn’t sell any antiquities for over $1 million in 2006 and sold six of this sort in 2007.

This is certainly good news for the antiquities field – and for hard working companies that want to publicize the important of antiquities.

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Early Greek Figurines

Posted on March 2, 2010 by admin

Should you be looking for a beautiful example of Early Greek antiques, this “Psi” idol from Phoenix Ancient Art is an outstanding choice.  Decorated by hand with brownish red paint, this statue represents a woman with arms uplifted and a flat head.

This type of figure first appeared in Mycenaean tombs beginning in the 15th century B.C.  As reported by a number of archeologists, these figures represent a Neolithic mother goddess.  Some posit, therefore, that they should be grouped with ritual objects that were intended to help with fertility and female needs.

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A Mycenaean Terracotta Cup

Posted on February 23, 2010 by admin

The Mycenaean Terracotta Cup is an exceptional example of Early Greek antiques.  Available through the Phoenix Ancient Art galleries, owned by Ali Aboutaam and Hicham Aboutaam, this one-handled cup includes delicately painted spirals.  The cup is made of a fine clay and the general shape suggests that the artists were influenced by metal types.

The cup has been beautifully preserved and is relatively rare.  It was produced between 1600 BC and 1200 BC, during a time of great cultural exchanges and contact.  It represents a time when connections were growing between the Mycenaean world of mainland Greece and the island civilization of Crete, creating the Creo-mycenaean culture.

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Background to the Brussels Antiques Fair

Posted on February 16, 2010 by admin

The Brussels Antiques and Fine Arts Fair recently concluded, and Phoenix Ancient Art was proud to be part of this successful event.  With its central location, in the heart of Brussels,  the fair had 130 exhibitors including Phoenix Ancient Art. This fair is  a must-see in the antiques world as it allows dealers like Ali Aboutaam and Hicham Aboutaam to display their exceptional works, while allowing visitors to see a vast selection of antiques all in one location.

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Brussels Antique Fair

Posted on February 9, 2010 by admin

Phoenix Ancient Art was excited and proud to be part of the 55th Brussels Antiques and Fine Arts Fair.  It took place from January 22nd to January 31st and included 130 of the world’s best known antique dealers.

Antique dealers, such as Ali Aboutaam and Hicham Aboutaam came from many different countries.  Such locations represented included: Belgium, France, Germany, Great-Britain, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Portugal, Russia, Spain, USA and Switzerland.

36,000 visitors were expected to come to see the vast selection of available antiques including Oceanic art, African art, Oriental art, silver, antique jewelery, ceramics, earthenware and porcelain, drawings, and much more.

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Aboutaam: Passion and Knowledge Essential for Collecting Antiquities

Posted on February 2, 2010 by admin

Asserting that ancient art objects can be an excellent way to diversify assets when considering investment vehicles, Hicham Aboutaam also believes that the prospective investor must also possess passion for and knowledge about the antiquities he is acquiring.

Collecting antiquities is obviously not like other ways of investing, explains Hicham Aboutaam.  Collectors of rare and beautiful objects display them in their homes and never tire of looking at them.  Besides having an aesthetic appreciation, collectors also must be informed about the market, so that they can make appropriate purchases at the correct price.

Phoenix Ancient Art and the Aboutaam brothers, Hicham and Ali, make collecting antiquities a most pleasant and rewarding pastime. They love to educate buyers and they guarantee that anything purchased is authentic.

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Owning a Piece of History

Posted on January 23, 2010 by admin

According to Hicham Aboutaam of Phoenix Ancient Art, collecting and owning antiquities has always been an interest to people throughout history. Antiquities are appreciated for their beauty as art objects as well as their role as repositories of the cultures of the progenitors of western civilization. For this reason collecting antiquities is a growing interest, and if the number of objects can never get larger, as demand increases and supply is static, prices will rise. This fact makes investing in antiquities a pretty safe bet.

In other words, as Hicham Aboutaam puts it,

“Especially antiquities originating in the area of the Mediterranean basin are the essence of our western civilization.”

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Investing in the Past Brings Dividends to the Future

Posted on January 13, 2010 by admin

Art collecting has always been a source of joy and satisfaction for many people, from the rich to the not-so-rich. Until relatively recently, however, collecting art was not thought of as a primary means for investing. In recent times works of art have been more and more reliable as a haven for funds, rewarding the collector with larger and larger profits on the resale at auction of the collected objects.

For instance, in a recent sale at Christie’s in New York, over $325 million in sales was enjoyed, the second highest total sales at a contemporary art auction since the 2nd World War.

In the antiquities marketplace, especially in the realm of ancient art, this fact is even truer. Considering that there is a limited amount of ancient art, (no one is producing any more of it) items are therefore rare and in demand, and demand continues to grow.

According to Hicham Aboutaam of Phoenix Ancient Art, antiquities can be the perfect blend of a satisfying hobby or interest with an excellent way to diversify one’s portfolio.

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Phoenix Ancient Art Pleased with Sales at International Show

Posted on December 6, 2009 by admin

Phoenix Ancient Art, along with the large gathering of other art dealers, were pleased with the turnout and results of the 21st International Fine Art and Antique Dealers fair which was held this past October at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City.

Not sure what to expect from collectors this year due to the economic turn down, Anna Haughton, one of the organizers of the fair commented that sales were better this year than they have been in the most recent past.
According to Ms. Haughton, “Some dealers have said they’ve seen clients they haven’t seen in two or three years,” and she added that they detected a “sea change in the mood when dealers were clearly apprehensive” about sales

Especially pleased with the sales at the fair, Ali and Hicham Aboutaam of the New York and Geneva branches of Phoenix Ancient Art, described sales at their booth as “feverish.” The Aboutaams accepted six different bids for a unique Roman figure of a female dating back to the first century. They had strong sales for other pieces, including a head-vase in the shape of an oinochoe (wine jug) dating to 450 BCE, which sold for $300,000 and for $120,000 Phoenix Ancient Art sold an early Roman bust.

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