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Mary Helen McCoy Fine Antiques:
 Mary Helen McCoy is a woman with a mission – to bring her clients the ultimate in period furniture and decorative arts. Today, her firm is considered one of the nation’s premier sources for fine and unusual, period, 16th-19th century, French furniture and decorative arts with an emphasis on the finest, 18th century furniture from the French provinces. The gallery relocated to Charleston, S.C. in early 2008.
A native of Birmingham, Ala., McCoy grew up in an environment rich in culture and the decorative arts. Her mother and grandmother exposed her to European and southern traditions at an early age which nurtured her love of beautiful things.
Following an early career in merchandising, McCoy returned to the workforce in 1987 to work with antiques at Wardemond Galleries in Birmingham as a manager and buyer. She traveled extensively searching for antique furniture and decorative arts in England and in auctions in New York City. In 1990, she went to France to buy for the first time. The trip was seminal. She fell in love with French antiques and embarked on a path that was to culminate in her becoming one of the foremost dealers in French antiques in the world.
McCoy established her own business in 1990. She began amassing an extensive library as part of her unceasing pursuit of knowledge. Additionally, she took on select, high-end, decorating jobs, often mixing antique furnishings with contemporary pieces and art. Finally, in 1998, she opened her own gallery. “As a woman working in the south it took years of amassing tax returns to convince the bank that this was not a hobby,” she says. Today, Mary Helen McCoy Fine Antiques is one of only 15 firms in the United States that is a member of the prestigious Syndicat National des Antiquaires. The firm is also a member of the Confédération Internationale des Négociants en Oeuvres d’Art, and the Art and Antique Dealer League of America. Membership in these organizations, which are reviewed annually to maintain the highest ethical standards, represents the foremost respect a dealer can obtain and McCoy’s hard-earned acceptance into the largely male-dominated world of French antique dealers.
Mary Helen McCoy Fine Antiques has exhibited in prominent, national and international fine arts and antiques fairs including the Connoisseur’s Antiques Fair in New York City, Palm Beach | America’s International Fine Art and Antiques Fair in West Palm Beach, Fla., and the Charleston International Antiques Show in Charleston, S.C., and will exhibit in the renowned International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show in New York City in October. Additionally, the firm has been featured in Traditional Home and has received special mention in numerous, national and international publications including Le Figaro, Connaissance des arts, The New York Times, The Palm Beach Post, Art + Auction, The Magazine Antiques, The Catalog of Antiques & Fine Art, The Antiques Trade Gazette, Maine Antique Digest, Southern Accents, and Veranda.
Always an active participant in community affairs, Mary Helen McCoy serves on the Board of Directors of the Art and Antique Dealers of America and is a Trustee of the Birmingham Museum of Art where she once served on the acquisition committee for decorative arts. Her husband, Ronald D. McCoy, and son, Michael Ford, are Directors of the firm.
Click here or on the image to read the Traditional Home article.
Press Releases:
April 30, 2008
March 31, 2008
February 15, 2008
 Memberships:
Syndicat National des Antiquaires
Confédération Internationale des Négociants en Oeuvres d’Art
Art and Antique Dealers League of America
Gallery Address:
120 King Street,
Charleston, SC 29401
USA
Contact Numbers:
Tel: 843-577-6445
Fax: 843-577-6447
E-mail: mhmcantq@aol.com
Hours:
Monday - Saturday 10 AM - 6 PM. |
