STAIR

STAIR

549 Warren St
Hudson, NY 12534
United States

With a focus on curated sales of modern and traditional furniture, decorations and fine art, Stair has been selling interesting things from interesting people with a unique, sophisticated twist for ov...Read More
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Since our humble beginnings in 2001, we have grown to be one of the leading regional auction houses in America.

Founded by Colin Stair, a fourth-generation furniture specialist, we have a team of specialists with over 150 years of combined experience, who provide a high level of expertise and exemplary client service.

Primarily servicing the New York City metro area and tri-state region, we hold live auctions at our gallery in Hudson, NY, twice a month. As one of the first proponents of online auction technology, we’ve balanced the expectations of a modern marketplace with the charm of a traditional auction house. Our use of the online bidding platform, Bidsquare, allows us to reach over one million buyers worldwide.

Our Specialists

Our team of specialists has a combined 100 years of experience.

We handle everything from a single item to an entire estate, with sophistication, integrity and personal attention.

  • Colin Stair

    Colin Stair is Founder and President of Stair. A fourth-generation furniture specialist, Colin worked for Sotheby’s in New York and England. He settled in New York and ran Sotheby’s Restoration before opening Stair in 2001. An innovator and creative business strategist, Colin was an early proponent of online auction technology and has successfully balanced the expectations of a modern marketplace with the charm of a traditional auction house. Colin is very involved in the Hudson community, serving on several boards and committees including the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and the County Economic Development Committee. Colin supports many local arts, cultural and educational groups and hosts numerous fundraising events annually.

  • Lisa Thomas

    Lisa joined Stair in 2013 as Director of the Fine Arts Department and holds a BA in Art History from Columbia and a degree in French from the Sorbonne. She began her career at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC where she was the Executive Assistant to the chief curator of the Department of Paintings and Sculpture. She then joined Christie’s, where she would become an Associate Vice President and a Senior Specialist in charge of Contemporary Prints and Multiples, and was also responsible for the appraisal and sales of 20th century European, American and Historical American prints. She has lectured on American and Contemporary Prints and the Contemporary Print market and has been a specialist on Antiques Roadshow.

  • Muffie Cunningham

    After graduating from Drew University, Muffie trained with Christie’s in London. She spent the next 18 years with Sotheby’s New York as a Vice President and Department Head of Continental Furniture, leaving in early 2003 for a private dealership in Connecticut. While at Sotheby’s, she brought in and worked collaboratively on collections including: The Arne Schlesch Collection, NY; The Duke and Duchess of Windsor; Jacqueline K. Onassis; Andy Warhol; Ambassador Pamela Harriman; Greta Garbo; and The Estate of Gianni Versace, Miami and Milan. Muffie has also been a specialist on the Antiques Roadshow and worked in the antique retail field in Manhattan with the renowned Doris Leslie Blau and the dynamic Amy Perlin. She has been a specialist at Stair since 2011.

  • Lauren Anderson

    Lauren received a Master’s in the History of Decorative Arts from Parsons and The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York. She spent nine years as a Specialist at Christie’s, with a focus in silver, porcelain, glass, and Asian works of art, followed by two years as Associate Director of Museum Services. During her tenure at Christie’s, Lauren worked on sales including: The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Taylor and the Alchemy of Design; The Diana Dollar Knowles Collection; and A Palladian Villa by Michael S. Smith. As a member of Museum Services, she worked closely with institutions such as: The Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Indianapolis Museum of Art; and The Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama. She joined Stair in 2017 as the Director of Exposition Sales.

History

  •  

    February 2018

    An Agnes Pelton painting, Fires in Space, sells for $230,000, a record-setting price for a work by Agnes Pelton (American, 1881-1961), and approximately 10 times the previous record for the artist.

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    June 2017

    Stair was pleased to offer property from the Camilla and Earl McGrath Collection, an eclectic mix of modern and contemporary art, ethnographic and antique objects, and music-related ephemera and books, representing their creative legacy.

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    May 2016

    Stair sold another Faberge treasure, Lot 555, The C.K.G. Billings “Loving Cup.” This rare and unique Faberge kovsh cup, was presented on behalf of Tsar Nicholas II to C.K.G. Billings in Moscow, following the triumphant performance of Billings’ horse. It sold for $320,000.

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    September 2014

    Stair presented Classicism to Contemporary: The Collection of Ashton Hawkins and Johnnie Moore, a selection of art, objects and furniture from their homes in New York City and Athens, New York. This collection, amassed over 50 years, included 18th and 19th century Russian silver, paintings and bronzes, Victorian and modern furniture and contemporary works of art and photography.

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    October 26, 2013

    Stair set a world record with a rare Faberge Imperial figure, Lot 125, which sold for $5,980,000, against a pre-sale auction estimate of $500,000 to $800,000. The last hardstone figure sold for $1.8 million in 2005, at Sotheby’s, New York.

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    November 20, 2010

    Stair sold property from the Estate of Dominick Dunne, the American writer and investigative journalist, from his New York City penthouse as well as his country home in Hadlyme, Connecticut.

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    June 2008

    We sold over $3 million in property within one month in our Salander-O’Reilly bankruptcy auction and our Antiquities and Modern Art sales.

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    April 2006

    Colin Stair returned to the auction podium. At our first sale of only American and European paintings, featuring the Thomas Van Loan Collection, which sold over $1.7 million in fine art, we set records for the artist William Mason Brown (1828-1898), with his White Mountain View, oil on board, selling for $43,700, and for Frank Anderson (1844-1891), selling his oil painting of the Hudson Highlands for $212,750.

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    May 25, 2002

    Stair set a world record for the artist Paul Seifert (1840-1921) selling his watercolor depiction of a Wisconsin farmhouse for $66,700.

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    June 2001

    Colin opened Stair, an auction house specializing in fine art and antiques, working side by side with Rebecca Hoffmann, a Fine Arts Specialist and very gifted auctioneer.

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    1995

    John Stair retired, and Colin took over Sotheby’s Restoration as Managing Director and Vice President.

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    1985

    Alastair A. Stair sold Stair & Company to David Murdoch, a Los Angeles financier. Alastair then joined Sotheby’s New York where he served as a well-respected consultant.

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    1980

    John Stair opened his own gallery with Ward Landrigan, a former Sotheby’s colleague who currently owns the iconic jeweler, Verdura. John then reunited with Sotheby’s to launch the company’s restoration division.

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    1954

    Alastair A. Stair founded the Winter Antiques Show in Manhattan, a benefit for East Side House Settlement. He also founded the National Antique and Art Dealers Association of America.

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    1935

    Alastair A. Stair transferred to the New York branch to work with Mr. Andrew.

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    1926–1934

    Arthur C. Stair resided at The Yellow House, Bayswater, London, which also served as an extension to Stair & Andrew showrooms.

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    1911

    Colin’s great-grandfather, Arthur C. Stair and his partner, Valentine S. Andrew, established their antiques business, Stair & Andrew, Ltd., a firm specializing in fine antique English furniture.

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    June 2017

    Stair had the honor of selling The Collection of Keith Richards and Patti Hansen, with property from the Manhattan apartment of the legendary Rolling Stones’ guitarist and his stunning model wife.

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    April 2017

    Stair was pleased to sell property from the Collection of Ambassador and Mrs. Joseph Verner Reed, Jr., avid collectors of both the fine and decorative arts, with a honed aesthetic and a love for all things beautiful.

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    November 2015

    Stair was pleased to sell property from Cornelia Guest, Templeton

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    June 2015

    Stair offered property from the Estate of Helen Frankenthaler, comprising jewelry, fashion, furniture and objects.

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    May 17, 2014

    Confluence: The Collection of Tom Noonan was presented by Stair. Tom is a collector known worldwide for his visionary taste, and also our neighbor, one of the original antique dealers here on Warren Street in Hudson.

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    January 15, 2011

    Stair had a record-breaking sale, which nearly topped $1 million for Asian, Middle Eastern and Ethnographic items. A Greek carved marble bust of Hercules, from the Collection of Robertson and Mary Paige Alford in Norfolk, CT, sold for $74,750.

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    October 8, 2010

    Stair set a record for a Middle Eastern carved plaque, which sold for $230,000.

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    March 28, 2009

    Attributed to Constantin: Korovin Paris at Night, Oil on Canvas, 1901 sold for $350,000.

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    December 1, 2007

    Stair sold Search for the Right Address, an oil on canvas by Mark Tansey (b. 1949) for $247,250.

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    September, 2005

    With business rapidly growing, Stair relocated to a 25,000 square foot building on Warren Street in Hudson, NY and our first sale was held there. We sold $1 million worth of English and Continental furniture, paintings and decoration. Diana and a Satyr, a European School oil painting, sold for $86,250.

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    October 20, 2001

    The first auction was held at a rented premises in Hudson, with 481 lots, totaling $235,538. Below is Rebecca Hoffmann taking bids, with Rupert Fennell, also an auctioneer, helping out as a bid spotter. Within the first year and a half, the sales totaled $3 million.

  •  

    June 2001

    Colin opened Stair, an auction house specializing in fine art and antiques, working side by side with Rebecca Hoffmann, a Fine Arts Specialist and very gifted auctioneer.

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    Mid 1980s

    John Stair moved most of the operations of Sotheby’s Restoration from Manhattan to Claverack, NY. Under John’s supervision, the department achieved a national reputation for excellence in historical restoration. Meanwhile, John’s son, Colin, had been working under John at Sotheby’s Restoration. Colin also spent time cataloguing furniture at Sotheby’s in England.

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    1964

    Sotheby’s purchased Parke-Bernet. John Stair, working with Louis and John Marion, spearheaded the effort to make Sotheby’s an international presence. In the process, they created the largest fine art auction house in the United States.

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    1936

    Mr. Andrew retired and Alastair bought the business, renaming the firm “Stair & Company.” He relocated the company to a beautifully restored townhouse at 59 East 57th Street.

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    1931

    Alastair Arthur Stair, Colin’s grandfather, joined Stair & Andrew, Ltd. in London.

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    1912

    Stair & Andrew became the first London antiques firm to open branch offices overseas. A gallery was opened in Manhattan, which included a decorating department that sold architectural woodwork from historical English interiors. Additional galleries were opened in Palm Beach and Williamsburg, VA. The firm also maintained a fully staffed restoration company, Oxford Restoration.

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STAIR - On the Square

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