Ended fair TEFAF

[SergeiSK]

In the Dutch Maastricht closed annual fair of old and modern art TEFAF. She deserved the title of world's largest, and although the total amount of transactions remains a mystery buyers and sellers, all other figures show: the art market is experiencing a revival, particularly in the most expensive its sector.

Fair TEFAF sells, as the organizers, "the art of seven thousand years." It can also be found neolithic sculpture, and works by contemporary artists. But the main specialization of the fair - the old masters: it stands with a painting of Italian and Northern European artists selected the best places, and that is where most buyers were crowding.

Records of the fair did not publish the results of all transactions that were concluded within ten days of its operation (with a substantial part, as usual, the opening day). Other figures are indirectly saying that TEFAF quite successful: in local airport landed 154 private flight, the fair was drunk 1,8 thousand bottles of champagne, for its design uses 144 thousand colors .

It is unknown whether sold the most expensive work - "Portrait akimbo men Rembrandt (he asked for $ 47 million). But the gallery Noortman reported that it had sold four important paintings by Dutch artists of the XVII century, including Gerrit Berkheyde for € 4,5 million, Willem Heda Klas for € 3 million, Salomon van Ruisdael for € 2,5 million in other gallery of works by Willem van de Velde the Younger sold for € 3 million, "The Virgin and Child by Lucas Cranach the Elder - for € 2,9 million (preliminary price was announced at € 1,8 млн ). It is obvious that there were signed a record in terms of transaction prices.

Under modernism and contemporary art sales is smaller (but the number of stands, this section was less significant). " Lunar Bird", made by Joan Miro in 1945 from a tree, bought for € 5 million . Provocative sculpture by Tim Noble and Sue Webster (decent looks but a shadow of work, but not herself) was acquired for € 200 thousand Sold works Anish Kapoor and Donald Judd.

The practical outcome of the fair is completely coincide with the theoretical studies which were conducted in order TEFAF. They imply that in in 2010 the art market is almost fully recovered from the crisis and reached a volume of € 43 billion more than it was only in the pre-crisis 2007 - € 48 billion The number of trades decreased and the purchase moved into the top-sector - works worth more than € 50 thousand occupy more than 80%market share by value, but only 5%of the number of deals . That is, the more expensive product (a high price based on quality, rarity, provenance, etc.), the greater the chance that he will be well sold.

With the enormous sums that circulate in the walls of TEFAF, prices here are not important. And while sellers operate multivalued digits with complete equanimity, they are willing to talk about the artistic merits of his goods to every inquisitive visitor willing to pay for the ticket € 50.

In addition to completely museum-quality art fair was decorated with two museum projects. One, titled "Lucky Hunter", came from Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum: directly at the exhibition complex fair showing a printed schedule of the XV century. Another - "Treasures of Moscow - will be available until the summer in the Maastricht Bonnefantenmuzeume. This 90 paintings by Dutch artists from the collection of the Pushkin Museum, from Rembrandt and ending with the masters of the XVIII century. Exhibition of Dutch artists in Holland, as it turns out, is interesting not only to the Pushkin Museum. In the XVIII century, when the "golden age" for local artists and their patrons, collectors has ended, their legacy began to sell, and Rembrandt in Holland is now lower than at the Hermitage. Dutch colleagues have helped to determine from any meetings - sometimes very old - there are pictures of Moscow, though, as a result of joint research luxurious design with the woman at the hearth, which we have traditionally attributed the Rembrandt, attributed to his pupil Jan Victors. However, science does not stand still; parallel TEFAF Maastricht Congress passed CADART, an international organization custodians Netherlands, Dutch and Flemish drawing, and its experts could inspect and priceless "Treasures from Moscow, and a very valuable treasure of the fair.
Tatiana Markina
The newspaper "Kommersant", № 54 (4595), 30.03.2011