HELVOIRT.- Rarity and quality are the distinguishing features of TEFAF Maastricht that put the Fair and its 279 exhibiting dealers in an unrivalled position within the international art market. The scarcity and variety of objects for sale within the Fair provides private and institutional collectors with an unparalleled opportunity to view and buy some of the finest objects available on the market. The 32nd edition of the Fair opened to the public on Saturday 16th March, following two preview days for collectors on the 14th and 15th March. TEFAF Maastricht, which celebrates over 7,000 years of art history, takes place at the MECC Maastricht until 24th March.

Heavy hitting modern and contemporary artists are represented throughout TEFAF Modern, the third largest section within TEFAF Maastricht which has seen the largest influx of new exhibitors. Themed and single artist stands take the lead within the section; central to the stand of Henze & Ketterer (Stand 444) are the works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880 - 1938), Erich Heckel (1883 - 1970), and Emil Nolde (1867 - 1956) produced during the First World War, commenting on the inferno of this conflict. A highlight on the stand is Porträt Hugo (1914), oil on canvas, by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. The work comes from the Kirchner estate, where it has been since his death in 1938. The asking price is 3.5 million Swiss Francs.

New exhibitor, the US based Fergus McCaffrey (Stand 440), presents a solo show of works by Barry X Ball (b.1955). There are seven works on view that survey the last ten years of the artist’s production in stone; of note is Purity, (2008 -2018) which is crafted from translucent white Iranian onyx and stainless Steel. Connecting the old with the new, the work is after La Purita (1720 – 1725) by Antoni Corradini.

Pace Gallery (Stand 441) also has a single artist as the centrepiece of their stand; the gallery will present a selection of paintings and drawings by Piet Mondrian (1872 – 1944), from the personal collection of fabled dealer and Mondrian’s close friend Sidney Janis that illustrate the emergence and significance of abstraction in modern art. Reclining Nude (Dunes and Sea) (1910), charcoal on paper, was created at a crucial time in the artists career and demonstrates Mondrian’s deconstruction of imagery to its geometric form.

A never-before-exhibited work takes centre stage at Saloman Lilian (Stand 309); Still Life of an Illuminated Manuscript (c.1550), oil on panel, has been in a French private collection since the nineteenth century and is unusal depiction of a manuscript, a subject matter not often seen in Old Master still life paintings.

Haboldt & Co (Stand 351) continue the never before exhibited theme with an unpublished and newly discovered work by Paolo Veneziano (1290 – 1362) which depicts The Virgin and Child (with Saints Dominic and Peter Martyr on the Engaged outer frame) in tempera and gold groun on panel.

TEFAF Antiques, the largest section of the Fair with 92 exhibitors, presents an unrivalled and diverse range of decorative arts, for every posible collecting taste. Childhood memories manifest themselves in the exquisite Anna Maria Trip Dolls’ House, which comes to market for the first time. This charming piece is completely original, a rarity for objects of this sort, crafted from mahogany, silver, porcelain, textiles, ivory, brass and glass, c.1750 – 60, and is on offer at John Endlich Antiquairs (Stand 235).

Vanderven Oriental Art (Stand 104) will present an exhibition entitled Provenance, which highlights exceptional works with unrivalled provenance, reflecting the importance placed by collectors on this concept. Of note, on the stand, is a sensational Fishermen Plate, from Yongzheng, crafted c.1730. The semi egg-shell ‘famille rose’ porcelain plate is delicately painted with a scene of four fishermen holding nets and creel. The piece was originally in the James Garland Collection, USA; James Garland was one of the earliest well-known and documented American collectors of such works.

Three monumenal “dragoon” vases in white and blue Chinese porcelain take a central position at Alessandra di Castro (Stand 108). These rare and special monumental vases are in perfect condition. The highly stylised white on white floral decoration and the elegant simplicity of their white and blue color scheme perfectly matches European tastes of the time. They are unquestionably among the most important Chinese porcelain products manufactured for export in the 18th century. The vases are from the Kangxi period, c.1700 – 1722 and come from the Palazzo Ala Ponzone.

Within the Antiques section is the jewellery box collection of six exhibitors in TEFAF La Haute Joaillerie. Returning for a second outing to the Fair, G (Stand 142) presents the jewelled creations of Glenn Spiro. Described as a true couture jeweller, Spiro puts rare and breathtaking gemstones at the heart of his designs. Visitors to the Fair will not be disappointed; of note are his Fan ear clips, created in 2018. The ear clips are mounted in titanium and set with 62 cts of natural old mine baroque shaped purple sapphires, and 25 cts of natural blue spinels, incorporating two half-moon white diamonds.

Van Cleef & Arpels (Stand 144), one of the power jewellery houses of Europe, will present an exceptional 1965 necklace, crafted using yellow, pink and white gold, yellow sapphires, amethysts and diamonds, signed Van Cleef & Arpels. The necklace reflects the artistic inspirations that rose in the 1960s, when a style imbued with exoticism and a passion for coloured stones made for a new aesthetic.

Paris based antiquities specialist, Galerie Chenel (Stand 426), is presenting Torso of Herakles, (1st – 2nd century AD), carved from marble. Works of this quality, size and subject matter are a scarce on the market. Next to TEFAF Ancient Art is TEFAF Showcase. One participant, ArtAncient (Stand SC2), brings an exceptional silver dekdrachm, which comes from Syracuse, Sicily, c.405-400 BC, which will be sure to draw attention from collectors at the Fair.

This year, TEFAF Design and TEFAF Tribal have been intermixed and some enticing and captivating combinations have emerged at the Fair. Jackson Design AB (Stand 617) offers the exceptional Marcel Breuer Lounge Chair, by Marcel Breuer (1902 – 1981), crafted from moulded and cut maple plywood and wool upholstery, 1936. Breuer was a former Bauhaus Profesor and the chair was created for the 1936 Heal’s exhibition ‘Contemporary Furniture by Seven Architects’.

New York based exhibitor Demisch Danant (Stand 610) show a remarkable elm wood, Formica and nickel-plated Steel desk by Geneviève Dangles and Christian Defrance that was a unique commission for M. and Mme. Burov’s private apartment in Paris. In 1958, Dangles and Defrance designed the entirety of the Burov’s new home in parís, including all the furniture and seating.

Intermingled with TEFAF Design are the six TEFAF Tribal exhibitors, where visitors can find a vast array of ethnographic and oceanic works. Of note, are an evocative pair of naturalistic human forearms, each carved from a single piece of wood in monumental scale. This work can be found at Galerie Meyer – Oceanic & Eskimo Art (Stand 605) and comes fresh to market from a US museum. These are the only known pair of arms like this.

In addition, Galerie Bernard Dulon (Stand 615) brings an exceptional work from Kenzo Takada’s collection, who founded the eponymous fashion brand. The work is a funeral post Hempatong, of the Dayak people, from Borneo, Indonesia. This monumental work stands 250cm tall, and was created in the 18th – 19th century from eroded ironwood.

TEFAF Works on Paper contains a very broad range of works in a capsule space next to TEFAF Antiques. The calibre of works on offer is extraordinary, with Emanuel von Baeyer (Stand 706) bringing a complete set of Los desastres de la guerra (The disasters of war), first published in 1860, by Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746 – 1828), alongside six working proofs from the Los Proverbios series, the largest assemble of working proofs from this series in private hands. Alongside this Stephen Ongpin Fine Art (Stand 724) brings an exceptional chalk work Wooded Landscape with Cattle and Goats, by Thomas Gainsborough R.A. (1727 – 1788), a delicate and rare work by this master artist.

TEFAF Showcase hosts Lowet de Wotrenge (SC1), ArtAncient (SC2), Mathieu Néouze (SC3), Martin Doustar (SC4), Santa Tecla (SC5) and Samantha Sellem (SC6), a dynamic and exciting group of young and recently established dealers. The range of items on offer in TEFAF Showcase is diverse, and of note is Samantha Sellem’s stand which focuses exclusivley on women artists, from 1920 – 1980.