In between Luxury Brands and Classic Art - TEFAF in Maastricht
They are currently travelling to Maastricht: art and antique dealers from all over the world want to present their best paintings, sculptures and furniture to a broad audience at the TEFAF - "The European Fine Art Fair". We present the highlights.
About 300 exhibitors from 20 countries have been offering their treasures out of 7,000 years of art history since last Friday. The TEFAF is considered as one of the most important trade fairs for ancient art. The variety of exquisite pieces offered at the fair is incomparable. Therefore, the TEFAF is regarded as the most beautiful fair of all.
Its grace cannot be exceeded. The stream of visitors neither. In addition to the classic preview audience, many international museum people slipped through the aisles on the first day at noon. The cash tills are likely to ring again this year. Most exhibitors make 80 percent of their sales until the first weekend.
It is a mark of the TEFAF that museum quality is offered here. The main themes this year are, above all, eclecticism and originality. In addition to old masters, the exhibition offers unusual collectibles, such as Les Enluminures, for example, showing an illuminated manuscript on parchment with 78 miniatures from the Master of the Coronation Charles VI. It is a historical-artistic document of the late Middle Ages, which was recently to be seen as a permanent loan in the Getty Museum. The offer price is 4.5 million dollars.
Among the most expensive artworks this year are two large-format portraits of a Dutch couple by Frans Hals from the 17th century: the married couple is offered for 14 million euros. For a million price, Vincent van Gogh also provides an early artwork called „The New Church and Old Houses in The Hague“.
There is an innovation for the trade fair this year. It will to establish two offshoots in New York. In May 2017, the "TEFAF New York Spring" will take place in the historic Park Avenue Armory. It is to present modernity, present and design. The "TEFAF New York Fall" will then highlight art and antiques in October 2017. This is probably because American and South American buyers go for it, who do not make it to the quiet Dutch town of Maastricht once a year.
The TEFAF is held in the MECC congress center until 19th March 2017. There are paintings, drawings, antiques, works of art, sculptures, furniture, manuscripts, rare books and cards as well as jewelry and modern art.
