Esther Bell has been named the new curator in charge of European paintings at the Fine Arts Museums of San FranciscoRandy Dodson/Fine Arts Museums of S.F. Growing up in Dallas, Esther Bell loved all kinds of art, but it wasn’t until she began to travel through Europe that her interest in 17th and 18th century
AMSTERDAM — In November 1641, the Spanish trade galleon Nuestra Señora de la Limpia y Pura Concepción sank just off the coast of what is now the Dominican Republic, taking with it one of the richest cargoes ever to set sail for Europe from the New World. It was not until 1993, with the help
The 27th edition of The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) opened to the public on March 14 in Maastricht, the Netherlands. The show, which is widely regarded as the world’s leading art fair, brings together 275 of the finest art and antiques dealers from around the globe. Offerings include everything from Old Master paintings and
Photo: Courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art/Rogers Fund How many New Yorkers have a recurring dream of discovering an extra room in their apartments? The Met has dreamed that dream and made it come true. In effect, it has discovered 45 new rooms in its already magnificent house. The museum has rethought and reordered its
MAASTRICHT, the Netherlands — Every March museum directors and curators from around the world flock to the European Fine Art Fair, held in a soulless convention center here. They come to look at the art, gauge the market and network with colleagues, collectors and trustees. But this year, barely 24 hours after the preview on
MAASTRICHT, THE NETHERLANDS — The European Fine Art Fair, which closes Sunday, delivers a striking message. What is conventionally called the art market is a myth. There are as many micro-markets as there are categories in art and they do not follow the same patterns. Consider “Antiquities,” a label that covers anything belonging to the
An uncaptioned illustration from the TEFAF global art market report,photo by Loraine Bodewes HOW BIG IS THE GLOBAL ART MARKET? by Rachel Corbett How big is the global art market? A new report from The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF), released in conjunction with the current TEFAF Maastricht art fair, Mar. 16-25, 2012, sets the
Several years ago the fair began beefing up its modern and contemporary art section, giving other fairs like Art Basel a bit of competition. But this year, although there are 46 modern and contemporary galleries exhibiting, the same number as last year, the selection is noticeably weaker. Gone are many of the big-name dealers like
Daniel Katz, a London dealer, for example, filled a wall of his booth with 30 intricately carved plaster statuettes (1831-44) whimsically depicting musicians and other famous personalities in the arts. Made by Jean-Pierre Dantan (or Dantan the Younger), a French sculptor who was known for his amusing caricatures, he captured the likenesses of Paganini and
Some experts singled out “The Sacrifice of Iphigenia,” a 1671 mythological scene by the Dutch master Jan Steen, as the finest painting in the fair. Dickinson, the London dealer, sold it late Friday afternoon on behalf of descendants of Jacques Goudstikker, a prominent Dutch dealer who fled Amsterdam in 1940, leaving behind works that his