Biennale's art trove on show

HE may be the president of the Syndicat National des Antiquaires (SNA) - organisers of the Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris - but when Christian Deydier is asked if he could elaborate about the highlights of the show, the jovial French national chuckles and gives a firm "no".

The 27th Biennale des Antiquaires takes place in Paris in September, but even he is not privy to what are some of the best pieces that will be on display. "I can't tell you the highlights because I don't know anything," says Mr Deydier with a grin.

"Dealers don't want to show me what they will present because when the fair arrives, they want it to be a surprise. Plus, there's competition between dealers because they don't want competitors to know what important pieces they have," he explains.