Arts in Metal Show - Stresa 2014

I really like these two:
07-Steve-Johnson.jpg


15-Yoshindo-Yoshihara.jpg
 
gga357 said:
I really like these two:
07-Steve-Johnson.jpg


15-Yoshindo-Yoshihara.jpg
Click to expand...

Fantastic knives. I would have to agree with you on both.

Completely different, but both appeal to me. Johnson and Hands really put out stellar collabs.


I would love to see what furniture and fittings the tanto/wakasashi gets.
 
Bigfattyt said:
Fantastic knives. I would have to agree with you on both.

Completely different, but both appeal to me. Johnson and Hands really put out stellar collabs.


I would love to see what furniture and fittings the tanto/wakasashi gets.
Click to expand...

I am also curious if it will be fully dressed or get a shirasaya.
 
Hi Folks, and thanks to Emmanuel for making some of the hottest knives at the show.
Let me share some more pics of , mostly people:
We recently attended the all new Arts in Metal show in the beautiuful lakeside town of Stresa, Italy.



It was a great event attended by some of the best knifemakers and most trend setting collectors in the world.
S R Johnson was an invited maker, and he asked me to collaborate on this piece with him:
"La Divina Proporzione"




Here is a link to the rest of the knives and makers:

http://artsinmetal.com/?p=23

The location, the Regina Palace Hotel , on the shores of Lake Maggiore,is in the centre of Stresa and faces the Borromean Islands. This hotel represents a fine example of prestige both in the hotel world and historically speaking. The four-star Regina Palace hotel opened in 1908, and still preserves its Art Nouveau period decoration.The unique combination of charm and modernity will render a stay in one of the 214 rooms or suites – all furnished with period pieces and equipped with every facility – totally unforgettable.
It had an AWESOME pool area.


A view from the rooms:


One of the major attractions of the Lake Maggiore/ Stresa area is the Isola Bella, an Island with a palace, a group of the collectors and exhibitors went together on a day tour, to see the sights of the island.

The boatride from the Hotel to Isola Bella,


The entrance hall (mudroom) of the Borromeo palace on the island:



The Fracassi family enjoying the tapestry hall:



Saddle silver Italian style:





A very ornate table:



Looks like a great spot to wet a line:

 
Yes, there was a lot of great socializing going on, there was an outdoor reception with drinks and hor'doeuvres the first night which many makers and collectors attended.
Here are some pics:


Rick Appleton the maker and Daisy, the collector:



My friend Dan with Michael Walker



myself with the Facassis




Ed with Yoshindo Yoshihara and friends


SR Johnson and friends, including an artist who sculpts ivory





 
The morning of the show, The excitement builds!
in the room as the show is opened, as the invited buyers begin to enter:


World renowned knife makers and exhibitors Ron Lake and Jurgen Steinau leave there tables for a few minutes to visit the other tables and examine the brilliant work by Firmo and Francesca Fracassi on an Emmanuel Esposito knife:



 
Barry, thanks so much for posting those pictures. It looks like you guys had a blast. I think it will not be easy to top that show.
 
The Virginian said:
Barry, thanks so much for posting those pictures. It looks like you guys had a blast. I think it will not be easy to top that show.
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Not easy to top a show that features that variety of makers....but the AKI comes close and is more accessible for US collectors who still represent the vast majority in the knife world....in terms of spending money, the Russians and Chinese have some heavy hitters, as well as a few from the Middle East region.

Phil Lobred went, and he got the Fuegen Roman piece "Max". There are things to love about it, to like about it and not maybe love so much(it doesn't lock for one thing, it is sort of a friction folder).....details like that matter to me. The fittings and the overall feel are extremely impressive.

This stuff really seems to trip your trigger, Ken....you should try to make it to the next show....as for me, I'd have to say that Blade and The Gathering fit the bill perfectly.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
The fist thing that came to mind with Larry's knife is a Roman Hoplite soldier...the blade shape would fit right in with that theme in that is the case. This show looks completely unbelievable, just WOW!!!
 
My old engraving friend Joseph stopped in, I had not seen him in ten years. . .



As the time neared for the drawings the tempo built. . .



Esposito shows his fine work. . .



The excellent young engravers Amin Bundschuh and Simone Fezzarde stop by... Simone I have dubbed the current king of pornstar bulino, if you want a hot girl in steel, he is the man . . .




Simone takes a closer look at the S R Johnson dagger. . . .



As a drawing ends, Fogarizzu congratulates the winning collector on his bid, with paparazzi recording the event. . .



Fracassi taking in the S R Johnson dagger. . .



S R Johnson with a lucky collector. . . .

 
what a look inside the highest of the high end! A privileged view, even on the internets.
Thank you so much for the inclusion, digital as it is :)
 
Kohai999 said:
Not easy to top a show that features that variety of makers....but the AKI comes close and is more accessible for US collectors who still represent the vast majority in the knife world....in terms of spending money, the Russians and Chinese have some heavy hitters, as well as a few from the Middle East region.


This stuff really seems to trip your trigger, Ken....you should try to make it to the next show....as for me, I'd have to say that Blade and The Gathering fit the bill perfectly.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

Hi STeven,
Stresa was great, but for me, AKI is the top art knife show, still. . . and the Gathering is, well, the Gathering!
 
Barry Lee Hands said:
Hi STeven,
Stresa was great, but for me, AKI is the top art knife show, still. . . and the Gathering is, well, the Gathering!
Click to expand...

Hey Barry,

Stresa looked like a boatload of fun, don't get me wrong(and thank you so much for posting the candids)! The AKI is the grandaddy of them all, and I attended my last show as a book holder in 2011.

I think right now, the "action" is at The Gathering.....a lot of the older guys don't get it.....and at times, my friends and I don't get it either, but it is super fun, and I know that more than 1/2 the makers there sell out or come close.....and this is a "new" show, 6 years old......it keeps building momentum. This is in the US market, not necessarily sure that it translates to an international movement like art knives do.

If I was going to travel outside the US for a show, the only one that would currently interest me is the Seki Cutlery Show in Japan.

Great seeing you last weekend, hope you have a great close to the year!

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Thanks for the additional pictures, Barry. So many familiar faces. Great knives, great people, great setting. Hard to beat.

And make no mistake, I have been fortunate to attend AKI the last few years and have obtained some treasured knives there. And as long as they keep letting me attend and I have the health and means to do so, I will always be honored to attend AKI. It is by far my favorite show as anyone here who has seen my detailed reviews could probably tell. It just seems to me that maybe the knives at Stresa at the high end were even a notch above. But maybe AKI 2015 will top it! Still, if they have another show in Stresa and I could get an invite, I would definitely be saving my pennies to try to get something special there.


Kohai999 said:
This stuff really seems to trip your trigger, Ken....you should try to make it to the next show....as for me, I'd have to say that Blade and The Gathering fit the bill perfectly.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

Yep, no doubt I am particularly attracted to embellished knives with a high artistic value. But that only represents a fraction of my collection. I appreciate and own all kinds of knives, including a lot of more utilitarian pieces. So in additional to the engraved, gold inlaid, pearl, and mammoth ivory pieces, etc., I also own beautiful but relatively unembellished big fighters with wood or micarta handles by guys like Nick Wheeler, Jason Knight, Sam Lurquin . . . highly functional folders by Boguszewski (RIP), Matt Diskin, Michael Raymond . . . old knives by Jimmy Lile, Bill Moran . . . Loveless-style stock removal knives by a variety of makers . . . Zero Tolerance, Microtech, Boker, Randall, . . . even a Bob Kramer chef knife. A lot of different stuff. However, at the end of the day, I only need a relatively few knives for actual use, and beyond that I collect for aesthetic appeal. If high level knife functionality was what I was after, I would probably have no more than a half dozen knives. My workhorse knife is a six inch blade by Gerry Drew with an ironwood handle that seems to be able to do anything I need and takes a new razor edge with relative ease.

Like anyone else, my knife show time is limited. I have a paid membership with USN, but The Gathering is way down on the list for me personally, although I like Vegas and might try to go someday for fun. From my standpoint as a collector, not an investor, flipper, dealer, or market maker, the amount of action at a show really doesn't matter much. It is all about the knives that I like and would want to collect. Not even planning to attend Blade next year as there is just not that much for me there anymore. Going to try like hell to get to Arkansas but there are some family commitments that often conflict with that weekend. The combined Guild/ABS Show is a must (already booked my hotel), and (hopefully) AKI again. Solvang is also high on my list next time it rolls around.

The best thing about knives is that there are so many shows and so much diversity that everyone can find something for them, no matter what kind of knives they like.
 
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