The European
Fine Art Fair
TEFAF
And Globalization
By Miguel Bermudez
TEFAF constitutes the most spectacular gathering of art
on offer in the world. It takes place every year during
the month of March at Maastricht in the Netherlands.
The quality and uniqueness of what is exhibited is a
feast to the eye for anyone interested in art. TEFAF
concentrates on Old Master and Modern paintings
and sculptures, antiquities, antiques, works on paper
and jewels of all periods. In 2015, art exhibited at the
TEFAF covered the span of 5,500 years of art. It is a
display of the most rare and valuable art objects by the
top dealers in the world.
The statistics of the fair are simply mind-blowing. In
2015 an estimated $5 billion dollars worth of art was
on display at TEFAF. Some 75,000 collectors and art
professionals attended in 2015, and 400 private jets
were arrived during the ten days duration of the fair
at the local airport. In the words of its new Chairman,
Mr. Willem van Roijen, “The fair’s aim is to present
art covering the whole spectrum of 7,000 years”. The
success of this fair is grounded on its extraordinarily
strict vetting procedures. Over 170 international
experts in 29 specialist-vetting committees scrutinize
each object to ensure the quality, authenticity and
condition of everything exhibited.
A simple walk along the corridors of this beautifully
decorated fair would make anyone feel the human
spirit of creation and craftsmanship that endures