This March, TEFAF Maastricht edition returned in full force with 270 exhibitors in its original time slot (last year, it happened in June due to COVID). The fair mainly features antiques, but there is also a modern and contemporary section. This time, I spent more time at the fair and spoke with several galleries, a small sampling of each. Molly Dorkin Taylor of Dickinson Gallery, Alexandre Pingel of Pingel Rare Books, Vanessa Wildenstein of Wildenstein & Company Co., and Charles Geoffrion of Galerie Mennour gave me an overview of their galleries and the current offerings. I also met officials of the TEFAF organization. Paul van den Biesen spoke about the work of the TEFAF Museum Restoration Fund. And last but not least, I got to talk to the chairman of TEFAF executive board, Hidde van Seggelen. Maastricht March 13-17, 2023
Tag: art exhibition
TEFAF Maastricht 2022
I am in the Netherlands, for one of the most prestigious fine art and antique fairs – TEFAF Maastricht. There is one in New York, but this is the original, flagship TEFAF fair. After two years, skipped due to the pandemic, the fair returns to MECC to celebrate its 35th anniversary with over 240 exhibitors. The show is impressive -- museum-quality art pieces spanning 7,000 years of art history: paintings, sculpture, tapestries, antique furniture, clocks, fine jewelry... The fair is known for its rigorous vetting process. Sometimes it results in last-minute changes in presentation. And that’s exactly what happened to one of the exhibitors. Here's Marius van Dam of Kollenburg Antiquairs, a Dutch art dealer, with a story of a mislabeled antique cabinet. This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the Museum Restoration Fund. Each year, TEFAF provides funding for a restoration of significant artworks. This edition’s award goes to a Dutch museum to restore painting “Poplars near Nuenen” by Van Gogh. It’s one of the most beautiful art fairs. It’s worth a visit! I highly recommend it. Postscript: The show was not without a drama. The day after I left, on Tuesday, there was a jewelry heist. A gang of robbers used sledgehammers to smash open a display case and stole some jewelry. Evidently, the loot is a €29 million yellow diamond necklace stolen from London gallery Symbolic and Chase. Robbers remain at large. TEFAF issued a statement, calling it “an incident.” The fair runs June 25 - June 30.
TEFAF New York 2022 | Part II
On the closing day of the TEFAF New York fair, I returned to the Park Avenue Armory to view some galleries upstairs in the period rooms. Michael Beck and Ute Eggeling, the founders of the eponymous gallery from Düsseldorf, talked about the gallery's origin in East Germany and their cooperation with John McEnroe in New York. Michael Beck explained why they are not Basel people, but TEFAF people, and gave me some background on their current presentation "Cómo pretexto Picasso" by Manolo Valdés. Next, I spoke with art historian from Axel Vervoordt, a Belgian gallery. I also was pleasantly surprised by my new discovery - a beautiful gallery from Munich, Galerie Thomas. Silke Thomas, the founder's daughter and art historian, gave me a glimpse into the art scene of the last century, the German Expressionism, Wassily Kandinsky and The Blue Rider, et al. All three galleries weathered the pandemic pretty well, and have had a successful show in New York. And my final note is on Creative Spaces, the initiative at TEFAF designed for displaying select artworks in the areas throughout the show to "increase the visual excitement of the fair environment."
TEFAF New York 2022 | Part I
TEFAF is finally back for an in-person event in New York this May. The international art fair opens May 6 in the Park Avenue Armory. 91 galleries from 14 countries are presented in this edition. The invitation-only preview opening night is a benefit for the Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Frieze Los Angeles 2022
After skipping a year due to the pandemic, the third edition of Frieze Los Angeles is back and has a new venue called “The Tent” in Beverly Hills. It’s designed by LA-based architect Kulapat Yantrasast, a darling of the art world. Also, the fair has a new director, Christine Messineo. It’s always nice to see a woman at the helm. One of the highlights of the fair is a participatory installation “Dreamer's Folly” (2010) at Gagosian. It’s designed by the late L.A. artist Chris Burden and consists of three joined cast-iron gazebos covered in lace. A separate exhibition BIPOC EXCHANGE is curated by LA-based artist Tanya Aguiñiga and showcases ten local non-profits.
Greaves Productions 