Date: Fri 26-Mar-1999

Publication: Ant

Author: CAROLL

Quick Words:

FineArt

Full Text:

The European Fine Art fair: Record Gate And Strong Sales In Maastricht, The

Netherlands

with 6 cuts

MAASTRICHT, THE NETHERLANDS -- The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) Maastricht

opened to the public on Saturday, March 13, at the MECC, Maastricht, following

a glittering vernissage at which there were 7,278 visitors, an increase of

more than ten percent from the previous year. Visitors included many museum

buyers, collectors and art enthusiasts. By the end of the first weekend, a

record 20,447 visitors from all over the world had visited the fair. Visitors

and exhibitors alike commented on the spacious feeling of the fair, which this

year was extended into a new hall, allowing for wider aisles and increased

visitor space. There were strong sales on the opening evening and throughout

the first weekend in every section of the fair, which ran through March 21.

TEFAF Maastricht is renowned for the serious interest it attracts from the

international museum community. Dealers were delighted to see representatives

from The Getty Museum, Los Angeles; The Metropolitan Museum, New York; The

National Gallery, Washington, D.C.; The National Gallery, London; The Louvre,

Paris; The Rijks Museum, Amsterdam, and The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

The Paintings, Drawings & Prints section has an unparalleled reputation for

its selection of Dutch and Flemish Old Master paintings and sales reflected

this. Noortman (Maastricht) sold over 15 paintings during the first weekend.

Sales included "A Still-life with Shells," signed and dated 1697, by Adriaen

Coorte (1683-1707). Bernheimer Fine Old Masters, Munich/London, sold six

important paintings to private collectors in Holland, Italy and Germany

including, "A City in Ruins by Night," 1622, oil on canvas by Francois de Nome

circa 1593 -- after 1634).

London dealer, Johnny van Haeften, was delighted to sell at least six

paintings to collectors in the US. The interest in Dutch Nineteenth Century

paintings was also strong. Kunstgalerij Albricht, Velp sold "View on the

Damrak in Amsterdam," circa 1895, oil on canvas by Isaac Israels (1865-1934)

and Leslie Smith Gallery bv, Wassenaar sold "Street Scene in Buren in Summer,"

oil on panel, signed and dated 1865, by Cornelis Springer (1817-1891).

The Antiques and Works of Art section is the largest and most varied in the

fair. Sculpture specialists, Robert Bowman, London, was delighted to sell one

of his most important pieces, "Die Blute," a white marble sculpture signed

`Ambrosi, Austria, 1931' by Gustinus Ambrosi (1893-1975). There were sales of

silver in all areas including a George III silver gilt oval centerpiece with

original ruby glass liner, London 1805, by Digby Scott and Benjamin Smith from

Koopman Rare Art (London), Ltd; a condiment set by Odiot, Paris, circa 1800,

from Helga Matzke, Kunsthandel Grunwald, which sold to a new Italian collector

and a silver gilt tea service decorated with enamel on copperplate from

Matthias Bauer II (Master 1681-1728), Ausburg, 1700 from Galerie Neuse,

Bremen.

Oriental art also proved popular. Ben Janssens Oriental Art Ltd, London, sold

many items during the course of the first weekend including a pair of pottery

horses with riders, China, Northern Qi Dynasty, 550-577 AD, and a lacquered

wood figure of Guandi, Wanli period, 1573-1619. Vanderven & Vanderven Oriental

Art, The Netherlands, sold a stone sculpture representing a Bodhisattva on a

lotus flower to an English collector. Blumka Gallery, New York, was delighted

to sell an alabaster head set with semi-precious stones depicting Judith and

Holofernes inscribed with the monogram GE for Gert van Egan, circa 1570-1575.

Numismatist, Tradart Geneve S.A., commented that this had been their most

successful opening weekend at any fair. Their sales included a Punic gold

trihemistator, struck in Carthage, depicting an unbridled horse on the

reverse. Other sales in the Classical Antiquities and Egyptian Works of Art

included the veiled head of a goddess, early Second Century AD, priced at

$285,000 form Royal-Athena Galleries, New York, and a green glass amphora,

Roman Second-Third Century AD which was sold by Kunsthandel M. Zilverberg,

Amsterdam.

In recent years the Twentieth Century Art section has grown in both importance

and popularity and has developed its own distinct following. Leslie

Waddington, Chairman of Pictura, commented that the Fair had attracted many

serious Northern European collectors and added that "In terms of sales, 1999

is easily the best year yet for this season. I believe that what we are seeing

is a direct result of TEFAF's policy over the years, of inviting only the top

international dealers to join this section."

As elsewhere in the fair, sales were strong. Galerie Thomas, Munich, sold

"Autoritratto," circa 1950, oil on canvas, by Georgio de Chirico (1888-1978)

to a private collector. Galerie Delaive, Amsterdam, sold "Juno," 1905-06, a

watercolor and ink on paper, by Pablo Picasso (1881-1993). Other Picasso

images to sell included "Decoupage (Un Femme de Profil)," circa 1962, which

was sold by Waddington Galleries, Ltd, London. Other sales made by Waddington

Galleries included three sculptures by Barry Flanagan amongst which was "Left

Handed Drummer," 1997, bronze; "Mother and Child," 1938, bronze and string by

Henry Moore (1898-1986), and "Peter Schlesinger," 1969, colored pencil on

vellum, initialed and dated `DH' by David Hockney. Jaski Art Gallery,

Amsterdam, sold "Love Seat," 1988, a hand painted polyester sculpture to a

Dutch collector.

The European Fine Art Foundation marked the opening of TEFAF Maastricht by

presenting a check for DF 150,000 to Save the Children, The Netherlands.