TEFAF Maastricht Concludes Following A Week Of Major Museum Acquisitions And Reports Of Significant Sales

It was a different TEFAF that returned to its roots in the Dutch city of Maastricht for the first time since 2020. For regular visitors and exhibitors the one-off June dates, altered to dispel unease over COVID-19 earlier in the year, meant the fair was slightly smaller and the dates shorter than usual. Any concerns as to the quality of exhibits on display were quickly averted as exhibitors went to extraordinary lengths to show that they had kept busy during lockdowns and the resulting display was dazzling in its quality and diversity.

TEFAF exhibitors rallied following a robbery at the fair on June 28, which targeted a jewelry stand. Paying tribute to the fair’s close-knit community, some of which have shown at the fair for many years, Chairman Hidde van Seggelen says, “The strength of TEFAF is rooted in our exhibitor community who are all members of the TEFAF foundation. I have been humbled by the generosity and goodwill of our exhibitors to their colleagues and to the TEFAF team after this distressing incident.”

Two well-attended preview days welcomed eager collectors and art lovers keen to explore works collated by 242 exhibitors representing 20 countries.

TEFAF’s strength has always been academic expertise and the quality of its institutional relationships. Over 90 museums were represented at the fair with exhibitors reporting sales and interest from some of the world’s greatest institutions, including many from the US.

Thomas Salis (Salzburg) made a sale to the European Union. L’esprit de Locarno by Max Ernst will in future be on display to visitors at the House of European History in Brussels. Stuart Lochhead (London) sold a rare French sculpture, the Virgin Mary and Child to an American Museum for a seven-figure price. Thanks to the generosity of Vereniging Rembrandt, Museum Rotterdam acquired a work by Cornelis Saftleven from Haboldt & Co (Paris) depicting a Cattle Market with the Ruins of Castle Honingen in Kralingen for €450,000. Hidde van Seggelen (Hamburg) followed up two sales to the Museum Voorlinden with a further sale of ‘DA CAPO 2022 by Suchan Kinoshita to the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen Museum.

Lullo Pampoulides (London) confirmed two museum sales in the high six- figures – a terracotta presentation model of Saint Jerome by Agostino Corsini and an important painting of Moses striking the water from the rock by Jacopo da Ponte, called Bassano, and Francesco da Ponte.

A significant number of works by female artists were on display this year and their popularity- both period and contemporary works- was reflected in sales.

Rob Smeets (Geneva) sold a work by Giovanna Garzoni, The Virgin of the Chair after Rafael originally commissioned by Ferdinand II de’ Medici, to a private collector who specializes in female artists. A further piece, The Wedding at Cana by Lavinia Fontana, a preparatory drawing for a painting which is part of the J. Paul Getty Museum collection, is anticipated to be acquired by an important American institution. Beck & Eggeling (Düsseldorf) continued its successful opening, selling its Windscape by the Japanese-Swiss female artist, Leiko Ikemura, for €50,000. Further sold works by female artists included Charting the Invisible by Georgia Russell presented by Galerie Karsten Greve (St Moritz) and Head of a Boy by Michaeline Wautier, which was sold by Bijl-van Urk Masterpaintings (Alkmaar). London-based, Michael Goedhuis (London), sold a modern, ecological work of art Antropic System II by the young female artist, Emilie Pugh for €34,000.

Works by living artists were in high demand with Galerie Nathalie Obadia (Paris and Brussels) selling several pieces including a wood carved sculpture by the Chinese artist Wang Keping for between €60,000 and €80,000. Yares Art (New York) sold a work by the American abstract painter, Larry Poons while Galleria Continua (San Gimignano) sold a cast iron sculpture Iron Root by Ai Weiwei for €280,000. In the fair’s Design section, Sèvres (Paris) sold Cabinet Doshi & Levien n°6/8 whom it had invited to reinterpret the 18th century decorative tradition of porcelain furniture, and which was 18 months in the making.

The fair was privileged to welcome many contemporary artists such as the Ukrainian artist Aljoscha (presented by Beck & Eggeling).

New York based Nicholas Hall (New York), made a significant sale with a work by the Venetian painter, Vittore Carpaccio, which was reserved by an American collector for between $10 million and $15 million. Old Master grandee, Colnaghi (London) also enjoyed a buoyant fair with sales including The Triumph of Galatea by Luca Giordano transacting for a high six-figure sum.

Antonacci Lapiccirella Fine Art (Rome) reported multiple sales, including a rare and beautiful painting, The Old Shepherd, by the Flemish artist, Michael Sweerts, sold to a private collector for a six-figure amount and a refined pastel, Portrait of Mme. Lucie Gérard by Giovanni Boldini to an American collector.

Mayoral (Barcelona) sold Pintura marró i ocre by Antoni Tàpies for €425,000 while Caylus (Madrid) continued its opening weekend success with the sale of a pair of still lifes Flower vases with malvalocas by Antonio Ponce for €220,000. The Dutch and Flemish Masters specialists, Kunsthandel P. de Boer (Amsterdam) sold A Marabou Stork by Jean-Léon Gérôme to a private collector, which had an asking price of €47,500.

Newly elected to TEFAF’s executive committee, Alessandra Di Castro (Rome) sold a pair of silver candlesticks along with a pair of painted and gilt-wood candelabras, both to private collectors.

TEFAF regular, Galerie Cahn (Basel), sold a fine example of a red-figure cup, circa 480 BC, attributed to the Triptolemos painter and to the potter, Python. It sold to a German private collector for approximately €120,000.

Daniel Katz (London) experienced multiple sales including The Prodigal Son by Georges Minne for €65,000 along with Corbel in the form of a lion by Guglielmo for a six-figure sum. TEFAF Showcase exhibitor, Galerie Nicolas Bourriaud (Paris), also enjoyed good sales including a rare terracotta by Rodin L’Orpheline Alsacienne.

Books and manuscripts reported strong sales across the board. Stéphane Clavreuil sold an important travel book, Les Voyage de la Nouvelle France Occidentale by Samuel de Champlain with an asking price of €550,000. Daniel Crouch Rare Books (London) was delighted that its important map of Brazil, a seminal work by Georg Marggraf published during the Dutch Golden Age, was sold to a Brazilian collector and will be returning to its country of origin. The engraved map sold for close to £500,000.

Works on Paper stands were situated in the main body of the fair for the first time as a result of the new layout. This proved a positive move for many with the Austrian dealer, Weinerroither & Kohlbacher (Vienna), selling Girl leaning on her Elbow by Egon Schiele for a high six-figure sum. Galerie Utermann (Dortmund) sold two works by Lyonel Feininger for €125,000 and €32,000 respectively.

La Haute Joaillerie exhibitors drew crowds of admirers to their glittering displays and creative installations. First-time exhibitor, the New York-based, high jewelry artist Anna Hu, sold her Enchanted Lily Brooch in rubellite to a Chinese tech entrepreneur for a seven-figure sum.

Amongst the contemporary and modern stands, Ludorff (Düsseldorf) sold an outstanding painting, Huldigung (Homage), by the German-Danish expressionist artist, Emil Nolde for €1.4 million, while first time exhibitor White Cube (London, New York, Hong Kong, Paris) enjoyed sales of works by Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley, and Georg Baselitz, priced between £500,000 and £750,000 each.

Among the more unusual objects sold was a magnificent 17th century French Cuirassier Armour thought to have been made for François de Vendôme, grandson of Henry IV of France. It was sold by Peter Finer (London) for a high six- figure sum. The Weiss Gallery (London) attracted attention with its life size dummy board featuring a boy with a bird from the Flemish School, which sold for approximately €150,000– such pieces were created as decorative items for fireplaces and consequently very few have survived. Runjeet Singh (London), specialist in antique Asian arms and armour, sold an exceptionally rare 15th to 17th century leather arm guard from Tibet to a private collector whilst Sydney L Moss (London) sold a demon sculpture with a concealed sword for a five-figure amount.

For the first time TEFAF Talks invited globally renowned academics and commentators to participate in a dynamic programming schedule, fostering conversations and sharing industry insights with new and experienced collectors and art lovers.

Commenting about the fair, Hidde van Seggelen added, “This was a challenging fair due to its shorter length and the different time of year. We were gratified that visitor numbers were strong in quality and quantity. TEFAF had worked hard to maintain and grow the institutional interest, and the fair benefited from those travelling to Europe for multiple art fairs. We are delighted that many of our exhibitors had a successful fair and we look forward to returning to our usual dates next March.”

TEFAF Maastricht 2023 will take place at the MECC from Saturday, March 11 to Sunday, March 19.

[Images by Loraine Bodewes Fotografie. Read the press release here]