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BY BLAIR LEAKE

Despite the economic doom and gloom, the revamped American International Fine Art Fair appears to be surviving on a healthy dose of hospitality and aggressive advertising.Celebrating its 14th year, this Palm Beach extravaganza delivered high-wattage works ranging from paintings and furniture to textiles and antiquities.

Fair organizers, David and Lee Ann Lester, presented commerce in a social environment-installing fine dining throughout the venue, and holding daily collecting symposiums and nightly gatherings.While fair promoters reported that a record 5,100 collectors attended the opening night honoring the Norton Museum of Art, it remained to be seen whether this would translate into sales.

While fairgoers delighted over haute jewelry and basked in the central dining area enjoying champagne and caviar, dealers appeared reserved. Exhibitors assured that sales were vastly improved from 2009 and applauded Mr. Lester’s efforts in cultivating a coterie of international dealers.

AIFAF is a carefully curated collection of 80 booths, filled with precious and exotic objects, which mimic gallery settings. While some appeared as furnished interiors, others emulated mini museum exhibits.

Fair favorite Peter Finer showcased arms and armor while Mallet captured the viewer’s imagination with a historical living room complete with a marble fireplace staged under a brass chandelier.

Around the corner at the Dickinson booth, visitors enjoyed a private viewing room tucked inside the exhibition walls.The Tomasso Brothers booth was a true feast for the eyes – a showcase exceptional sculptures from the 16th-18th centuries in marble and bronze perched on tall pedestals.

Surveying the stunning collection, one was immediately drawn to a large-scale bronze sculpture, “Rape of Proserpina,” attributed to one of the greatest 17th century French sculptors, François Girardon. Inspired by Giambologna’s masterpiece “The Rape of the Sabine,” Girardon depicts a moment in ancient mythology when Pluto abducts Proserpina and brings her to the underworld where he makes her his Queen.

Director Dino Tomasso explained that there are four known casts of this sculpture, but that the present model derives its unique value from the fact that it is a single cast while others were rendered in sections. Technical explanations aside, the bronze is a tour-de- force of movement, tension, and gravity defying beauty.

The caliber of paintings was impressive, and one could not help noticing the remarkable Old Master gems on display at the Alexander Gallery. A favorite was a delicate red chalk drawing by a follower of Italian artist, Clovio.

Another highlight was the wonderful oil studies by 18th- century Italian painter, Bernadino Nocchi. Perhaps created as a preparatory works for a ceiling commission, the paintings show figures in exaggerated poses much like those in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.

Whether a buyer or a browser, there was much to admire: a vibrant abstract Marsden Hartley shown at Berry-Hill Galleries or a spectacular Vincent Van Gogh exhibited at the Dickinson Gallery. Hugo Nathan, president of Dickinson, concluded that “(c)ollectors in Palm Beach are very sophisticated in targeting quality painting.”

Still, the fair could benefit from further tweaks. Some participants suggested greater variety in dealers represented would have increased profits, while others conceded that better sales would only be a matter of time. Despite the improvement in sales from last year’s fair, it seems that more time will be required for the art market to more fully recover..