Ali Aboutaam

Ali Aboutaam, co-owner of Phoenix Ancient Art, specializes in various different time periods of historic art.  One such era is the Geometric and Orientalizing Greek Era.  This spans the 9th and 8th centuries BC and was produced throughout Greece, especially Athens.  In fact, in Athens during this time, much geometric pottery was being produced.  In fact, since people seemed to desire good quality dishes around 900 BC, potters really focused on what they were making and put much more detail into their pottery than they had done previously.  Vases with geometric and animal designs are typical of the Geometric Era whereas the Orientalizing Era typically depicts near-eastern motifs through metalwork.
Geometric Art Sold Through Phoenix Ancient Art

The Aboutaams currently have five pieces of art from this time period on sale through e-Tiquities as well as a number of catalogues.  These gems are: a Geometric bronze bird stamp seal; 2 Geometric bronze bulls; a Geometric bronze pendant Pyxis; and a Geometric bronze spherical pendant. This last piece – the pendant – sells for $1,600 and comprises three parts: vertical incisions in the middle; triangle incisions both at the top and bottom; upper stem pierced and curved.

Ali Aboutaam, co-owner of Phoenix Ancient Art, lives in Switzerland. He is about to put on an exhibition, (with his brother Hicham), of the company’s art entitled “Horse in Antiquity.” The exhibition will run for two months from April 30 to June 30. The exhibition will take place at Geneva’s gallery. The company also had an exhibition in Brussels in January at the Antiques and Fine Arts Fair.

Art Exhibitions and Phoenix Ancient Art

Art exhibitions are a great way of promoting art. Thankfully for a successful company such as Phoenix Ancient Art, this is not so necessary. The company has an online site, e-Tiquities which sells many antique art objects. But art exhibitions will usually focus on a specific period in time.

The buzz was felt by all at the recent International Fine Art & Antique Dealers Show at the Park Avenue Armory in October. Apter-Fredericks of London, which sells 18th-century English furniture, had a fantastic opening night. London book dealer Bernard Shapero sold a large “Ricci map” which is one of seven copes of the map fo the world that was made by Italian Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci in 1602.

Certainly, Phoenix Ancient Art, with Ali Aboutaam and Hicham Aboutaam, was there, showing their exceptional antiques. At the opening, the Aboutaam gallery sold a Greek oinochoe-shaped head vase that dated from the 5th century B.C. It went for $300,000. They also sold a large fragment of a basalt turtle from Egypt or Mesopotamia from around 3000 B.C.

Another antiques dealer, James Ede, sold 13 pieces on the opening night and had three more on reserves. A great success for everyone!

Certainly, it’s not always easy to know how to go about purchasing an antique. There are a number of precautions that you can take to make sure that you get a legitimate antique and one from a reputable company.

Take a look at the U.S. State Departments website where you’ll see which countries have bilateral agreements on antiques or emergency rulings. The site also offers an image database where you can see pictures of restricted artifacts.

You can also check images against the Art Loss Register which is an international database of lost and stolen art. Certainly, the more that you know about the piece that you are buying, the more valuable it will be. Make sure to work with a reputable auction house and that you buy from auction houses that offer money-back guarantees. Ali Aboutaam and Hicham Aboutaam, for instance, offer this money-back guarantee at Phoenix Ancient Art, which makes a tremendous difference in the dependability of the purchase.

Today, the market is showing an exciting growing interest in antiques. As Hicham Aboutaam explains, “There are antiquities available for purchase that are considered among the finest five in the world. Compare that to an Impressionist painting or the Old Masters, where the top 20 or 30 are off the market – in public institutions – and it’s obvious why there’s so much interest in antiquities.”

There is a great deal of opportunity with antiques, and a chance that some of the world’s most amazing antiques could still become for sale. The Vatican, for instance, has a massive store of antiques in their possession. Ali Aboutaam, as another example, recently returned from a visit to a Delaware family that has antiques simply sitting in their warehouse.

This all makes for exciting opportunities in the ever-changing field of antiquities.