ART+AUCTION MARCH 2016 (^) | BLOUINARTINFO.COM
BY LIZA M.E. MUHLFELD
The art world’s
spring season is
marked by the
vernissages of
many of the year’s
most important
art fairs. Here, we
offer an overview
of ive key players
ADAA’s THE ART SHOW
Launched by the Art Dealers
Association of America in 1989,
the Art Show is the nation’s longest-
running art fair and the only one
created and organized by dealers.
The irst edition attracted 57 galleries,
with work spanning Old Masters,
contemporary paintings, prints,
and drawings. Its goal: to give new
and experienced collectors the chance
to interact with dealers outside of
regular, gallery-based events. Now in
its 28th year, the fair continues to
encourage conversation between
dealers and buyers, with pieces ranging
from late 19th-century historical
work through contemporary objects.
D u r i n g t h e 2 0 15 e d i t i o n , h e l d i n t h e
cozy conines of the Park Avenue
Armory, approximately 1,000 art-
works by 200 artists were on view.
Among the 72 booths, 39 were single-
artist installations, 15 of them
dedicated to female practitioners.
WHERE New York
DATES March 2–6
FAIR DIRECTORS adaa director
A d a m S h e f f e r ; 2 0 1 6 c h a i r , A n t h o n y
Meier, owner of Anthony Meier
Fine Arts, San Francisco
FIRST EDITION 1989
PARENT COMPANY Art Dealers
Association of America
ATTENDANCE IN 2015 16,600 (including
preview)
NUMBER OF EXHIBITORS IN 2016 72
EXHIBITOR SELECTION PROCESS Applicants
submit proposals that provide
a n o v e r v i e w o f t h e i r c u r a t o r i a l
concepts for single-artist, dual, or
group exhibitions.
TEFAF
The European Fine Art Fair in
M a a s t r i c h t b e g a n i n 1 9 7 5 a s t h e
biannual Pictura Fine Art Fair, with
28 international exhibitors presenting
Old Master paintings and medieval
sculptures. In 1978 the fair launched
Antiqua, an antique dealers and
booksellers fair, and in 1985 the two
events merged under the name
Antiquairs International & Pictura
F i n e A r t F a i r. I n 1 9 8 8 i t b e c a m e t h e
European Fine Art Fair, and the
following year, the European Fine Art
Foundation was established to operate
it. The event was renamed tefaf
Maastricht in 1996. Since the fair’s
inauguration, its visibility, attendance,
and exhibitor numbers have grown
tenfold, making it the premier cross-
category fair for art, antiques, and
design in the industry. Through its
famed vetting system, more than 175
international experts across 29
categories, including modern and
contemporary art, examine each work
for quality, authenticity, and condition.
WHERE Maastricht, the Netherlands
DATES March 11–20
FAIR DIRECTOR Patrick van Maris
van Dijk, ceo
FIRST EDITION Organized in 1975;
oficially named tefaf Maastricht
in 1996
PARENT COMPANY The European Fine
Art Foundation
ATTENDANCE IN 2015 75,000
NUMBER OF EXHIBITORS IN 2016 269
EXHIBITOR SELECTION PROCESS Exhibitors
are admitted to the fair by the
Executive Committee of tefaf. The
committee also takes into account
the advice of the Vetting Committee
and the fair management.
FAIR MEASURES
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