Phoenix Ancient Art Explained

Phoenix Ancient Art, located in Geneva and New York City, is a second-generation antiquities dealer specializing in Greek and Roman ancient art.^[1] Its works of art have been purchased by arts and antiquities private collectors as well as museums such as New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Louvre Museum in Paris. They have historically dealt in antiquities from the Sumerian art and Ancient Roman artistic traditions, as well as from Ancient Greek and Ancient Egyptian civilizations.

Notable collections

Phoenix Ancient Art has facilitated numerous museum acquisitions of seminal ancient art objects.

Noteworthy sales and provenances from Phoenix include:

• The Apollo Sauroctonos, known also as the Lizard or Python Slayer, currently attributed to Praxiteles, at the Cleveland Museum of Art^[2]
• Bust of Isis from the 25th Dynasty (750–656 B.C) in Egypt, and Aryballos in the form of a female bust, early 6th century B.C., both at Princeton Museum of Art^{[3] [4]}
• Ka-Nefer-Nefer at the Saint Louis Art Museum
• Bronze Statue of a Man, ca. mid-2nd to 1st century B.C., Greek,^[5] and Marble two-sided relief, 1st century A.D., Roman, the Metropolitan Museum of Art^[6]
• Eye idol (larger), late 4th millennium B.C., stone, Yale University Art Gallery^[7]
• The private collection of Harvard University molecular biologist and Nobel Laureate Walter Gilbert^[8]
• The Man Dressed in a Roman Toga, Called “The Orator” at the Louvre Abu Dhabi^[9]
• Etruscan Amphora attributed to the Ivy League Group at the Art Institute of Chicago
• Bust of a Flavian Matron at the Toledo Museum of Art^[10]
• Roman Marble Head of Pseudo-Seneca/Hesiod at the J. Paul Getty Museum^[11]
• Attic Black Figure Amphora with a scene from the Iliad attributed to the Hattatt Painter at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston^[12]
• Ramesses II relief at the Miho Museum^[13]

Background

Family History

Phoenix Ancient Art was founded by the Lebanese businessman Sleiman Aboutaam in 1968^[14] and incorporated in 1995. The business continues today under the leadership of his son, Ali Aboutaam, and his son, Hicham Aboutaam has his own New York based gallery, Electrum.^[15]

Ali and Hicham were born in Beirut in 1965 and 1967 respectively. In the 1980s, at the height of the Lebanese Civil War, Ali was kidnapped by a Syrian gang and held hostage until Sleiman procured his release.^[16] Following the incident, the family (Sleiman, Souad, the boys and their sister Noura) relocated to Geneva, Switzerland, where they continue to operate a branch of the business today.

In the early 90s, the young men earned a formidable reputation as buyers. Nicknamed "Tall and Taller" by the socialite set (such as those attending events with art collector Leon Levy and his wife Shelby White), they were the awe and the fear of fellow industry players.^[17]

In 1998, the brothers assumed control of the family business. The takeover would have been a natural succession, but it was marked by the sudden loss of Sleiman and Souad on Swissair Flight 111.^[18] The resilience demonstrated by the Hicham and Ali was staggering, and proved important through the changing tides of the antiquities market.

Controversies

In 2023, Ali Aboutaam, the founder of Phoenix Ancient Art, has received an 18-month suspended jail sentence from a court in Geneva for violating the law on the transfer of cultural properties and use of forged provenance documents. He pleaded guilty to the charges, concluding a six-year investigation. ^[19]

Events

In April 2009, Phoenix Ancient Art launched e-Tiquities.com, an e-commerce platform for a wide range of artworks, also including jewelry, figurines, amulets, sculpture and pottery from regions as diverse as ancient Greece and Rome, Byzantium, Egypt, the Near East and the Islamic world.^{[20] [21]}

In early 2014, Phoenix Ancient Art opened a second gallery in Geneva called ‘Phoenix Ancient Art Young Collectors’, a unique gallery space that exhibits a large variety of objects from the 6th millennium B.C. through the 14th century A.D.^{[22] [23]}

On June 12, 2019, Phoenix Ancient Art opened a new gallery in Brussels.^[24]

Fairs and exhibitions

Phoenix Ancient Art participates in a number of international fairs, such as the Biennale des Antiquaires (Paris), the Brussels Antiques and Fine Art Fair BRAFA (Brussels), the International Fine Art and Antiques Show (New York City), the PAD (London), the Point Art Fine Art Fair (Monaco), the Salon Art + Design (New York),^[25] the Spring Masters Fair (New York),^[26] and TEFAF (New York).^[27] They also hold local themed events in their galleries several times a year accompanied by their gallery publications which include:

• Crystal, hardcover editions^[28]
• Softcover editions^{[29] [30] [31]}
• The Painter's Eye: The Art of Greek ceramics^[32]
• Warrior: Ancient Arms and Armor^[33]
• Faiences^[34]
• Fabulous Monsters^[35]
• Greek and Roman Gold^[36]
• Sacred Scents and Flames from the Ancient World^[37]
• Art of the two lands : Egypt from 4000 B.C. to 1000 A.D.^[38]
• Argos- the Dog in Antiquity^[39]
• Exotics of the classical world^[40]
• Alexander the Great and His World^[41]

Further reading

• http://www.blouinartinfo.com/power-game-changers-2014#prettyPhoto[gallery6]/3/
• http://www.lefigaro.fr/arts-expositions/2014/09/18/03015-20140918ARTFIG00352-la-biennale-des-antiquaires-vu-par-le-dessinateur-francois-aviril.php
• http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/arts/design/the-salon-art-design-a-wide-range-at-park-avenue-armory.html?_r=1&
• http://www.bilan.ch/etienne-dumont/courants-dart/geneve-splendeurs-antiques-chez-phoenix
• http://www.handelsblatt.com/panorama/kunstmarkt/brafa-erfolgreiche-stilmischung-in-bruessel/7652422.html
• http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/13/arts/design/cleveland-museum-buys-antiquities-stirs-ethics-debates.html?pagewanted=all
• http://archives.tdg.ch/phoenix-presente-geneve-temoignages-antiquite-2011-04-15
• https://ssrn.com/abstract=2370731, paper "Phoenix Ancient Art and the Aboutaams in Hot Water Again" by Leila Amineddoleh
• http://money.cnn.com/2008/10/23/magazines/fortune/antiquities_hira.fortune/index.htm, Really Old Money, October 23, 2008.
• "New York Times" article "Do You Know Where That Art Has Been' by Ron Stodghil
• NBC News the Rich Spend During a Down Economy," quoting Mr. Aboutaam
• Article in Forbes Magazine: "Ancient History for Sale", by Carrie Coolidge. The article also presents a photographic slideshow of antiquities from Phoenix Ancient Art.
• "BusinessWeek" article "Antiquities to grow old with"
• https://abcnews.go.com/International/IraqCoverage/story?id=2282183&page=1 The article reports how Hicham Aboutaam, Interpol, and ICE, successfully recovered the famous stolen statue of Entemena, which is "on the FBI top 10 list of art heists."
• "Financial Times" article "Antiquities Weather the Market" FT article featuring the new era in the antiquities trade, Phoenix Ancient Art and a major Egyptian head of queen]
• "ArtNet" article "New Leaf for Aboutaams"
• "New York Sun" article: "Antiquities Dealers Suddenly Emerge into the Sunlight" Article where Hicham Aboutaam discusses the changing scrutiny in the antiquities business
• https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-court-declines-to-take-up-appeal-in-libel-case-against-dow-jones-11599093080 "Richard Emery, a lawyer for Mr. Aboutaam, said: “It is a travesty that The Wall Street Journal got away with a false, racist article that destroyed my client’s business.”

Notes and References

1. Web site: Phoenix Ancient Art Stand 2. PAM2014 Fine Art Fair. 1 April 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303234056/http://www.pointartmonaco.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=10&tabindex=9&dealerid=1564&curidx=15. 3 March 2016.
2. News: Apollo the Python-Slayer. Cleveland Museum of Art.
3. Web site: Princeton Art Museum Acquires New Ancient Art. Gowanus Lounge. 15 May 2014.
4. Web site: Aryballos in the form of a female bust, Gift of Ali and Hicham Aboutaam. Molded ceramic, early 6th century B.C..
5. Web site: 2001.443.
6. Web site: Marble two-sided relief | Roman | Imperial .
7. Web site: Eye idol (Larger) | Yale University Art Gallery.
8. Book: . The Gilbert Collection . Isis . 2019 . 9780990620037.
9. Web site: Denmark . AKQA . The Orator Louvre Abu Dhabi . 2023-11-03 . The Orator Louvre Abu Dhabi . en.
10. Web site: 2016-12-30 . Dec. 30 Art Minute: Roman, 'Bust of a Flavian Matron' . 2023-11-03 . The Toledo Museum of Art . en.
11. Web site: Head of a Man (Pseudo-Seneca/Hesiod (?) type) (The J. Paul Getty Museum Collection) . 2023-11-03 . The J. Paul Getty Museum Collection . en.
12. Web site: Black-figure Amphora with Scene from the Iliad All Works The MFAH Collections . 2023-11-03 . emuseum.mfah.org . en.
13. Web site: Relief with Profile of Ramesses II - MIHO MUSEUM . 2023-11-03 . www.miho.jp.
14. Web site: Phoenix Ancient Art. Art Register. 1 April 2015.
15. Web site: http://www.blouinartinfo.com/power-game-changers-2014#prettyPhoto[gallery6/3/ Power of Tradition – Ali + Hicham Aboutaam]. Blouin Art Info. 1 April 2015.
16. News: Lugon. Laure. Les confessions d'Ali Aboutaam, marchand d'art aussi puissant que controversé. Les Temps.
17. News: Hira. Nadira. Really Old Money. Fortune.
18. Web site: CNN - Names of Swissair crash victims - September 7, 1998. CNN.
19. Web site: The Art Newspaper - Antiquities dealer Ali Aboutaam given 18-month suspended sentence by Geneva court - January 27, 2023. theartnewspaper.
20. Web site: Ecommerce Improves Offline Sales. Andigo. 1 April 2015.
21. Web site: Archive for etiquities. Studio K&M. 1 April 2015.
22. Web site: Young Collectors par Phoenix Ancient Art. Art Passions. 1 April 2015.
23. Web site: Galeries et Musées. AVV.CH. 1 April 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150329070314/http://www.avv.ch/galeries-et-musees/phoenix-ancient-art-sa.html. 29 March 2015.
24. Web site: Brussels Gallery Opening and BAAF . Phoenix Ancient Art . 12 June 2019.
25. News: Smith. Roberta. 'The Salon: Art & Design,' a Wide Range at Park Avenue Armory. The New York Times. 14 November 2013. 1 April 2015.
26. Web site: Gallery: Spring Masters, New York. 28 April 2014. Apollo Magazine. 1 April 2015.
27. Web site: Boucher. Brian. TEFAF Reveals Roster of Exhibitors for Inaugural New York Fair. 13 June 2016. Artnet News. 13 September 2016.
28. Book: Art, Phoenix Ancient . CRYSTAL PHOENIX ANCIENT ART . 2012-01-01 . Electrum, Exclusive Agent . 978-0-9847808-1-5 . English.
29. Book: Aboutaam . Ali . Phoenix Ancient Art Catalogue - 2017/34 . Aboutaam . Hicham . 2017-01-01 . Phoenix Ancient Art SA . English.
30. Book: Aboutaam . Ali . Phoenix Ancient Art Catalogue - 2016/33 . Aboutaam . Hicham . 2016-01-01 . Phoenix Ancient Art SA . English.
31. Book: Aboutaam, Ali . Phoenix Ancient Art Catalogue - 2016/32 . 2016-01-01 . Phoenix Ancient Art SA . 978-0-9856289-7-0 . English.
32. Book: The Painter's Eye: The Art of Greek ceramics-- Greek vases from a Swiss Private Collection and Other European Collections . 2010-01-01 . Phoenix Ancient Art . Illustrated Throughout . First . English.
33. Book: Aboutaam, Ali Aboutaam & Hicham . Warrior: Ancient Arms and Armor . 2012-01-01 . New York & Geneva: Phoenix Ancient Art.
34. Book: Aboutaam, Ali . Phoenix Ancient Art Catalogue - FAIENCES - 2011 . 2011-01-01 . Phoenix Ancient Art SA . 978-0-9785649-8-8 . English.
35. Book: Art, Phoenix Ancient . Phoenix Ancient Art - FABULOUS MONSTERS- 2021 . 2021-12-20 . Isis . 978-0-9906200-5-1 . en.
36. Book: Art (Firm), Phoenix Ancient . Greek and Roman Gold . 2007 . Phoenix Ancient Art S.A. . en.
37. Book: Art (Firm), Phoenix Ancient . Sacred Scents and Flames from the Ancient World . 2013 . Phoenix Ancient Art . 978-0-9847808-5-3 . en.
38. Book: Ferry . Elizabeth A. . Art of the two lands : Egypt from 4000 B.C. to 1000 A.D. . Nosan . Gregory . 2006 . Isis . 978-0-9785649-1-9 . en.
39. Book: Aboutaam . Hicham . Phoenix Ancient Art - Argos- the Dog in Antiquity- 2022 . Aboutaam . Ali . December 2022 . Isis . 978-0-9906200-6-8 . en.
40. Book: Exotics of the classical world . 2007 . Phoenix ancient art . en.
41. Book: Alexander the Great and His World: The Selection . 2015 . Phoenix ancient art . en.