Despite almost universal agreement that it remains the world’s premier art and antiques fair, many dealers who exhibit there argue the fair could prove more fruitful in a new location.
Now entering its fourth decade in the Dutch city, TEFAF Maastricht extended its presence to the US, staging two annual fairs in New York and proving that the brand can be moved without losing its essence.
While Berlin, Brussels and Paris have been mooted in the past as alternative venues, a TEFAF spokesperson said only that currently “there are no plans to move TEFAF Maastricht from Maastricht”. The organisation is understood to have recently renewed a contract to use its existing venue for another three years.
ATG contacted a series of established TEFAF exhibitors following the end of the fair’s latest run on March 19. From what we could gauge from dealers’ reaction, opinion appeared to be split on the matter with some saying that moving from its traditional home would be a “big mistake”, but others pointing out that “every fair has a lifespan”.
For the full story, including dealer reaction from the likes of Old Master dealer Johnny van Haeften, rare maps specialist Daniel Crouch, Lewis Smith of Koopman Rare Art and sculpture dealer Robert Bowman, see this week’s front page story in ATG’s print edition.
