AMSTERDAM.- PAN Amsterdam is twenty-five years old and a celebration for every art lover. This fair of today for art, antiques and design presents a fascinating cross-section of what the trade currently has to offer and is an important indicator of the mood of the art market. One hundred and twenty-five art dealers, antique dealers and gallery owners will be showing a fascinating variety of old, modern and contemporary art in an inspiring settingfrom Jan Steen and Studio Job to a Roman statue of the Greek god PAN and top photography by Schilte & Portielje. PAN Amsterdam runs from 20 to 27 November in the Parkhal of the Amsterdam RAI.
Most appropriately Mieke Zilverberg will be showing a Roman statue of the Greek god Pan on her stand. The marble statue is considerably older than the fairby a cool 2,000 years. The statue of Pan is identifiable by the hairy goats feet and the pan pipes, named after him, he holds in his left hand. The asking price is 70,000.
Rob Kattenburg has a pair of eye-catching and impressive pendants. The first Flemish marine painter, Andries van Eertvelt, painted them around 1650. One depicts an embarkation, the other a naval battle. It is unusual in that it is not a victory, but a defeat for the Dutch fleet. Asking price around 500,000.
Art dealer Salomon Lilian is selling The Marriage of Tobias and Sarah by Jan Steen for 1.8 million. Sarahs father at the table is clearly based on the painting of an old man by Rembrandt currently on display in the Rembrandt House Museum.
Frides Laméris is celebrating PAN Amsterdams 25th Anniversary with an exhibition of 25 signed glasses from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; the largest collection not in a museum and all for sale. There are glasses by famous engravers such as Jacob Sang, Frans Greenwood and Adams, as well as glasses by almost or entirely unknown engravers. One fine example is a glass with a rearing horse in a hilly landscape. The glass was diamond-point engraved and signed by Frans Greenwood.
Kollenburg Antiquairs is bringing a tall, wide writing desk, veneered with ten different types of wood and decorated with marquetry in the shape of medallions, human figures and festoons. The piece works as a writing desk but can also be used as a storage cabinet. English, c. 1775. Asking price 95,000.
Two pierced oak panels from the Art Deco period by Bernard Richters can be seen at Kunstconsult. The panels come from the former Amsterdam town hall, nowadays The Grand Hotel. It was built in 1926 in the style of the Amsterdam School. A large number of renowned artists contributed to it. Similar panels can still be seen in the buildings First Class Bridal Suite. The work of Bernard Richters (1888-1966) is highly exclusive. Even though his work was greatly sought-after in his lifetime, he found it so hard to part with any of his pieces that he deliberately kept the prices high and only sold a few of them.
Marzee from Nijmegen, the largest gallery for contemporary jewellery in Europe has a new spot at the fair. Surrounded by galleries with contemporary and modern art, the collection is displayed at its very best. Winfried Krüger won the 2011 Marzee Oeuvre Prize for his 1996 18 ct. gold ring in the shape of a tie wrap. The ring is for sale for 2,500.
In addition to the Harms Rolde Collection, Willy Schoots also has some characteristic work by Studio Job, including Robber Baron (2007). This architectural assemblywith a clockillustrates Studio Jobs fascination with unusual materials and techniques.
Another object with a double function is the lacquered steel seat sculpture by Warffemius at Galerie Ramakers. Although it comes in a limited edition of twelve, each example is unique, as the artist leaves the choice of colour to the buyer. Asking price 9,000.
Kahmann Gallery proves that top quality can be extremely attractively priced with a special edition by the Rotterdam artist duo Schilte & Portielje. A signed copy of the recently launched photo book Photoworks beyond Reality, including a framed Lambda photographic print, 47 x 57 cm, costs 650. The bound publication in an edition of 50 contains almost all of their joint work to date in more than 130 illustrations.
PAN Amsterdam runs from 20 to27 November 2011 in the Parkhal (Hall 8) of the Amsterdam RAI. The fair is open daily from 11.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. with the exception of Thursday 24 and Sunday 27 November, when the doors will close at 6.00 p.m.