A Third-Generation Dealer Shares his Favorite Finds

SPECIALTY: A third-generation dealer, David Hadjer is a specialist in tapestries and rugs from the 16th century to the present, with a penchant for designs by 20th-century fine artists.

HIS FAVORITES: Pablo Picasso, Sonia and Robert Delaunay, Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, and Victor Vasarely.

HUNTING: “More textile works by Picasso.”

RARE FIND: A Calder tapestry from 1971. “It’s significant for its monumental size—66 by 96 inches—and its blend of wool and silk. Calder usually worked just in wool.”

AUTHENTICITY TEST: “There are many fake pieces on the market, especially Calders. Always examine the bolduc, the label stitched on the back of a tapestry or rug. If there is none, look for a signature—Calder’s were usually on the front.”

KEY MANUFACTURERS: Yvette Cauquil-Prince (Chagall, Paul Klee, Fernand Léger), Tabard Frères et Soeurs (Vasarely, Josef Albers), Marie Cuttoli (Picasso, Raoul Dufy), Pinton (the Delaunays).

RECENT PROJECT: For the gallery’s 50th anniversary, in 2016, Hadjer tapped Manufacture de Tapis de Bourgogne to create ten textiles based on 20th- century artworks.

WISH LIST: A Gerhard Richter tapestry. “The prices are very high—right now they go for around $860,000.”

UP NEXT: “I’d like to collaborate with a contemporary artist, such as Frank Stella, Brice Marden, Jasper Johns, or Yayoi Kusama.”