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.
Tag: art show
Art Basel | Basel Edition 2022
Here is my overview of the Swiss edition of Art Basel 2022. The attendance and participation are close to pre-pandemic. A record-breaking sale is set on the opening date of Louise Bourgeois "Spider" for $40 million. As always, I get a closer look at a few galleries. This time there're three - Galerie Lelong from Paris, Buchmann Galerie (Berlin branch) and the Mayor Gallery from London. I also share several highlights of the Unlimited sector. Finally, there is a tribute to Lawrence Weiner, the late New York conceptual artist. Basel, Switzerland June 18, 2022
Frieze New York 2022
Frieze New York 2022 art fair is back in the Shed at Hudson Yards in lower Manhattan on the west side. The fair relocated here last year from Randall’s Island. With only 65 galleries, the new director, Christine Messineo says, “The scale of the fair is now more intimate and very manageable.” And it is. The booths mostly present a single artist. More than half are galleries from New York. Here are my highlights. Frame section designated for young galleries less than 10 years old. The section is curated by Sophie Mörner. Her own gallery, The Company, presents an orgy installation by Cajsa von Zeipel, who coincidentally is Mörner's wife. And perhaps, the most buzz-worthy booth is the Gagosian, which has a vending machine that sells (gives away) Kafftee, a caffeinated drink designed by German artist Albert Oehlen. Special project “Zero Nukes” by Mexican artist Pedro Reyes serves as a warning, especially in the current unstable political situation, about the danger of nuclear war. Finally, I can't not mention a presentation at the Breguet stand in the upstairs lounge. It's part of the two-year Swiss watchmaker Breguet collaboration with Frieze.
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.
Art Basel 2021 | Basel, Switzerland
After a Covid-forced hiatus, the most anticipated art show is back. Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland, is taking place in September this year, which is different from the usual time in June. They're celebrating its 50th-anniversary now, because last year the show was canceled. Art Basel started in 1970. It's worth mentioning that it was a woman, who came up with the idea of founding the fair, a Swiss gallerist, Trudl Bruckner. Another thing that's new this year is COVID certification wristbands that everyone is supposed to get (a bit of a headache since my American test did not qualify contrary to their website announcement). Other than that, it was nice to travel abroad for for the first time since the pandemic, and to be able to see art in person. That's what I hear a lot from everyone at the show. I always make an effort to cover women in art. So this year, I've picked a few galleries with either female owners, or mainly run by women, or those who represent women-artists. It's been a pleasant surprise to meet show's veteran Elena Buchmann of Buchmann Galerie (Lugano, Switzerland), who has participated in Art Basel for the last 40 years! It's refreshing to hear millennial voices from Eastern Europe, like Lilian Hiob of Temnikova & Kasela gallery from Tallinn (the Baltic blonde is over 6-ft tall with her legs in an upside-down "V" to level with me, and I'm like a gnome on tiptoes, that's left behind the scene ). It's the only Estonian gallery at the show (its co-owner just having had a baby, congrats!) Some galleries took a leap of faith coming to the show, like a small gallery from East London, The approach. To alleviate financial burden, they're splitting the booth with another gallery, Kate MacGarry. By the way, the organizers set up a CHF 1.5 million fund to help those galleries that wouldn't make any sales, and made a pledge to cover their hotel fees. Of course, I had to stop by the familiar American galleries, such as Paula Cooper and Marian Goodman (New York, USA) and chat with a newest partner at the latter, Rose Lord. There is a striking live performance "Tears" happening daily on the Messeplatz (the show's main ground) staged by British artist Monster Chetwynd (b. Alalia Chetwynd) with dancers gliding in large zorbs around the square. Lastly, Pace Gallery from New York has an installation outside of the Unlimited sector with a strong LGBTQ message. The general vibe at the show is, Hiob said, "slower and humbler," and Lord summed it up: "Basel is the best fair," and "it was great to be here despite the difficult circumstances." I can't agree more. Special thanks to the women at the Press desk, especially to Annina!!! Until the next show, I am Jane Greaves
Greaves Productions 