Carlo Milano of Callisto Fine Arts.
Why do TEFAF Showcase?
Simply, TEFAF is the best fair, the right place for an antiques dealer like me, a unique opportunity.
The Showcase is the perfect setting for a relatively young and small gallery to bring its work and philosophy to a major global event such as TEFAF Maastricht.
Why was now the right time to apply?
Callisto began exhibiting with London Art Week in late 2017, then did Modenantiquaria 2018 and grew rapidly. Covid meant that the process had to stop, and the trajectory needed to be readjusted, but TEFAF Maastricht was always a point I wanted to reach.
This year, I thought the gallery was ready for Showcase, and fortunately the organisers thought so too.
What other fairs have you done?
Many. London Art Week, Frieze Masters, Fine Arts Paris, BRAFA, Modena, Master Drawings New York (digital only), and, last but never least, the Biennale at Palazzo Corsini in Florence.
A Cantagalli charger for the first wedding anniversary of Garrett Pier and Adelaide Wilson, maiolica, 12½in (32cm) across, 1902, €25,000 from Callisto Fine Arts.
What are you showcasing at TEFAF?
I will bring a selection of sculptures and works of art (including furniture, so unconsidered lately), and some very fine paintings.
There will be no specific theme, except that of my tastes and choices, which will include a beautiful picture by Anton Raphael Mengs (1728-79), a newly discovered Florentine marble bust, and a charger by Cantagalli that is an absolute gem for the connoisseurs.
Who will also be on the stand?
Annalisa Pacini. We worked together in Florence at the Biennale. She has knowledge, personality, charm. Just the right person.
