through the ages. It humbles us and causes us
to wonder by the ingeniousness, beauty and
messages that transpire from art.
There are apprimately101 exhibitors in the
Antiques section, 59 in Paintings and 50 in
Modern Art. In addition to this, there are 17
exhibitors in the Paper department covering
drawings, watercolors, prints, photographs and
antiquarian books and manuscripts. Some 299
exhibitors are expected to participate in 2016.
They come from 22 different countries. Most of
the world’s museums send their representatives
to the Fair, a total of 262 institutions were present
in 2015.
The fact that the fair takes place in the beautiful
small city of Maastricht adds to this event and
contributes to its uniqueness. Unlike the big hubs
of London and New York, where art fairs are just
one more event that brings disruption to the
locals. Maastricht is a city that breathes in and
exudes the excitement and wonder of hosting for
ten days this spectacular display. The eyes of the
art world - collectors, museum representatives
and institutions discover art in this small, beautiful
place in the middle of Europe. This hidden gem of
a city invites, celebrates and appreciates the spirit
of Art. Thousands of local citizens look forward
to experience the wonders of TEFAF in contrast
to only a subgroup of interested audiences in big
cities. The journey to Maastricht provides a sense
of discovering something so monumental within
the confines of a small place, where one cannot
help feel the mystery of art on the streets. This is
what we would call an art journey.Yet, a challenge has been presented to the nature
of TEFAF and its dealers in Old Master paintings,
antiques, antiquities and other non-Modern art
categories. Several factors have been coalescing
that will force the organizers to respond to them
pro-actively. This presents TEFAF and its dealers
with an uncommon opportunity to shape the
future collectors and dealers alike.GLOBALIZATION
In the words of TEFAF’s Chairman
in an interview with the New York
Times: “Internet access has altered
the ownership of knowledge.
Prospective buyers can instantly
check the prices realized at
art auctions. In the Old Master
Paintings category, the result of
this availability of information is
pressuring dealers to basically offer
fresh to the market paintings. One
of the important sources of Old
Master Paintings for these dealers
have been in the auction houses.
Any collector can instantly find out
the amount paid for a piece and
determine the markup margin that
a dealer is added to the piece”. This
is a substantial change in the way a dealer can
assemble material for their galleries. In addition to
this change, dealers are acting as buying agents
on behalf of collectors that want to purchase at
auctions. A collector can participate in, evaluate
and observe the actual moment any piece is
being auctioned, instantly and from any location
in the world. The physical presence of a collector
at any gallery is diminishing in importance as time
is improving the detailed high definition display
of paintings and rare objects via the Internet.Additionally, the fact that there is a very limited
supply of Old Master Paintings changing hands
at any particular time is deterring new dealers
from venturing into this art category.