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TEFAF fair in Maastricht

Запись от Matthew Stephenson размещена 31.03.2011 в 10:32

In the international art calendar few fairs can boast such high quality works across so many diverse categories as TEFAF in Maastricht this week (18-27th March). The opportunity to see works of art of the highest quality is almost unmatched. Such is the fair's attraction to the billionaire collector there are no longer any slots left for private planes at Maastricht's airport.

Like the opening days of the Venice biennale, TEFAF is the one of those places one can rub shoulders with everyone who is anyone in the international art world: billionaire collectors, museum directors and curators, dealers, advisors, restorers and auction house specialists. For the new comer the fair can be overwhelming and at least two days is needed to give it justice. There are 260 galleries and 30,000 works but the fair is conveniently divided into sections (Antiques, Paintings, Modern, Classical Antiquities, Works on Paper).

Old Masters, Impressionist and Modern, Antiquities, Jewellery and decorative arts are represented by the world's leading art dealers who have been carefully considered for the fair and for which there is a considerable waiting list. Objects are carefully vetted giving confidence to buyers on quality and expertise.

To anyone who follows the auction market closely, a number of the star works are familiar, having been seen at auction relatively recently. Whilst this is noted and even lamented by some commentators, such great paintings have been bought with the expert of eye of dealers with considerable knowledge and taste and in some cases are now presented to the audience in a different atmosphere and on occasion, improved condition.

Otto Neumann's stand in particular stands out for the quality of Old Masters. Neumann's highlights are 'Portrait of a man with arms akimbo' from 1658 by Rembrandt. This painting was bought at Christie's for $33.2m in 2009 and now is offered for $47m. It has been sympathetically cleaned and presents well and is a pleasure to see again. In addition to the crowd pulling Rembrandt, Neumann also shows a self portrait by Anthony van Dyck (bought at Sotheby's in 2009 for $13.5m), the 'Portrait of Sigismund Baldinger' by Georg Pencz (bought at Christie's for $8.5m now on offer for $12m), and a striking Bernardo Bellotto 'Architectural Capriccio with a Self-Portrait of Bellotto in the Costume of a Venetian Nobleman' — a rare depiction of the artist himself. Last seen at auction in 1989 when it was sold from the Estate of Walter P.Chrysler, JR.

Spotting the fresh and unusual becomes an exciting challenge and the best of these are snapped up quickly by eager buyers. In the OMP field, Senger Bamberg Kunsthandel, has a beautiful 'Virgin and child with infant John' by Cranach the Elder, painted circa 1540, it is a rare treasure. Once in the family of the Grand Duke of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach and not recently seen on the open market. The Cranach was bought by an astute buyer new to the gallery on the first day for not an unreasonable price.

Other rare and extraordinary works of art which stood out for me were the incredible tortoise shell cabinets on Kugel's stand. Catalogued as the Da Porto Cabinets and made for the Palazzo de Porto, Vincenza between 1660 and 1680 by an unknown maker. Measuring 305 x 294 x 76 cm these huge cabinets have monumental presence. They were once in the collection of Niarchos, New York.

Peter Finer has a striking South German Stechzeug armour, circa 1490-1495, which has strikingly contemporary clean lines and dramatically lit would look magnificent as a single statement piece in an entrance hall. It is complete, in original condition and with great provenance.

In the Impressionist field Dickinson is showing an impressive Renoir as their highlight but also tucked inside the stand a wonderful Gauguin still life: 'Nature morte a la Ceramique' which was bought by Ralph Harman Booth for $1,500 in June 1926. Ralph H. Booth put together an outstanding collection of Old Masters and Impressionist pictures in the 1920s. Christie's sold a Cezanne, 'Maisons dans la verdure' and a Monet, 'vase de Chrysanthemes' from this collection in 2006 and 2010 respectively.

TEFAF is also an opportunity for gallerists and dealers to present their works in beautiful new ways and the stands themselves, which have a permanent quality to them, have been designed and constructed with a creative use of space and colour, creating little worlds in their own right or having the appearance of museum quality installations. In this respect Landau Fine Art's installation is one of the best. With a devoted space to the 20th century master Joan Miro, with high quality paintings, works on paper and sculpture from throughout the artist's long career. A beautiful Miro olivewood wood sculpture 'Oiseau Llunaire' (already sold in the region of $5m) stands out as one of 20th century sculpture highlights. The Vedovi and Vervoordt stands also grab attention for the quality and juxtaposition of their works of art and creative set design.

Whilst the fair is generally not aimed at the contemporary collector and doesn't have the same frenetic buzz as Art Basel or Frieze. There are works for the contemporary collector. On the contemporary front, the work of Clive Head (b. 1965) on Marlborough's stand caught my eye, with a selection of photorealist works depicting familiar fragments of London life, in both oil and gauche. All the works on paper had sold stickers on them. Michael Joo's work 'Improved Rack (Elk 18) ', also stood out for me, a wall-mounted sculpture of elk antlers that are cut into pieces and held together by wire, each piece slightly at a distance from the next.

Furniture and design is a strong feature of TEFAF. The gallery Arc en Seine have a screen by Eileen Gray (1878-1976). The simple white-lacquered screen is made of pivoting squares that can be moved to create different forms and moderate the amount of light passing through. The piece anticipates the excitement that will focus on 20th century decorative arts to be offered in the Chateau de Gordon sale at Christie's in Paris next week.

Jewellery is also very strong this year at TEFAF. The market in fact for jewellery seems buoyant globally both at auction and retail. At Hancocks, there is a very rare and charming Ballerina diamond clip from Van Cleef and Arpels with a sapphire body from 1951.

For any one serious about collecting whether a beginner or old hand TEFAF is a must and an excellent gage of the art market as a whole. The market remains selective but as with auctions where rarity, condition, and provenance combine, collectors are prepared to move quickly to buy the best but this can start at more modest levels than the multi-million dollar prices which tend to grab the headlines and TEFAF certainly offers breadth.


Matthew Stevenson, managing director of Christie's Russia
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