Early medieval written legends report that one of the three kings who paid homage to the Christ Child in Bethlehem was from Africa. But it would take nearly 1,000 years for European artists to begin representing Balthazar, the youngest of the three kings, as a black man. Why? The explanation can be found through a
From ancient artifacts to contemporary work, TEFAF delivers the goods at the Park Avenue Armory. Art fairs are a big part of the market. A good fair is a forum for dealers and buyers to do serious business, but also a chance to maintain and rekindle professional relationships. The best dealers and the most conscientious
Art fairs used to be principally trade shows for specialist audiences, and few were more established and exclusive than the European Fine Art Fair — which each March lures museum directors and deep-pocketed connoisseurs to Maastricht, in the southern tip of the Netherlands. Now, fairs constitute a year-round global festival of commerce, chitchat and champagne
Digest Rare books, maps, and manuscripts at The European Fine Art Fair By Rena Silverman Rena Silverman is a cultural journalist who covers the personalities, artwork, and market trends of the international art world. She has written for Blackbook, Bomb, The Photo Review, and National Geographic’s Pop Omnivore blog. Passionate about design, Rena collects rare
ST. PETERSBURG — A collective, hushed “wow” comes from viewers when they enter “A Feast for the Eyes,” the exhibit of European masterpieces at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg. And one can’t help but be impressed with the beauty that’s on display, from sumptuous still lifes of lush flowers and banquet scenes of
The world’s most exclusive fair has widened its purview. The European Fine Art Fair, called TEFAF, is held every March in Maastricht in the Netherlands. It’s the grande dame of art fairs: not the world’s oldest but in its 32nd year venerable enough, and certainly the best and most exclusive. It has a New York iteration now, and I’ve
A member of the vetting committee at work at TEFAF Maastricht 2019. Photo by Loraine Bodewes courtesy of TEFAF Maastricht. Two days before the European Fine Art Fair, arguably the world’s premier Old Master fair, opens in Maastricht, a squad of elite art historians shuffle from booth to booth. An intimidating 293 art dealers are collectively showing
So, what was for sale, you may ask? Why, objects to hang, install, suspend, wear, sit on, and eat off, of course. Staring each other down at Antwerp dealers Salomon Lilian’s booth, a pair of oval Peter Paul Rubens portraits of emperors Vitellius and Vespasian were asking six million euros the pair, while at the
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Femme nue couchée (Gabrielle), 1903, sold by Dickinson at TEFAF. COURTESY DICKINSON A cascading wall of succulents and roses inspired by Monet and designed by art fair architect Tom Postma provided a delightful greeting for visitors to TEFAF (“The European Fine Art Fair”), which opened in Maastricht, the Netherlands, for VIP previews on
Art Julia Fiore The European Fine Art Fair, better known as TEFAF, anchors the social calendar for any serious collector of antiquity, Old Master works, or fine jewelry (read: anyone serious about the finer things in life). The annual fair, open to the public March 16th through 24th, takes place in the MECC Maastricht, a