7-16 march 2008 - As a visitor to TEFAF Maastricht you will be present at an outstanding event, one that offers the best choice of the very best in fine art. You will have a unique chance to view and to buy paintings from Bruegel to Bacon as well as objects reflecting 6,000 years of excellence in the applied arts.

No where else will you find such an elegantly displayed selection of genuine masterpieces from over 220 of the world’s most prestigious international dealers.

No where else will you find such rigorous investigation of their quality, condition and authenticity. Every item is checked by one of 18 vetting committees made up of over 150 internationally respected experts.

And no where else will you find yourself in such a distinguished and stimulating company of dealers, academics, art critics, and collectors. During the week of the fair, anyone who is anyone in the field of fine art will be at TEFAF Maastricht.

History of the FairHistory of the Fair From its modest beginning as The Pictura Fine Art Fair in 1975, to its current position as the world’s leading fine art fair, TEFAF Maastricht has always sought to lead the way and set the standards which others follow.

Apart from continually improving the breadth, quality and display of the items for sale, it has presented memorable exhibitions and made ground breaking initiatives in the way the fine art world does business.

It pioneered the music and lecture programmes and has taken the initiative on issues as diverse as VAT and vetting procedures. The pre eminent position of TEFAF Maastricht today is, as you will see, a result of much hard work over many years.

History TEFAF 1975 - 2007:


1975

The bi-annual “Pictura Fine Art Fair” opened in Maastricht’s Eurohal with 28 international exhibitors. Pictura was specialised in old master paintings and medieval sculptures.

1978 Due to the success of the Pictura fair, the “Antiqua” fair debuted at the Eurohal in Maastricht with 42 exhibiting international antique dealers and antiquarian booksellers.

1979 “Antiqua” changed its name into “Antique Maestricht”.

1982 “Antique Maestricht” became “De Antiquairs International”. The fair moved to the Geulhal in Valkenburg

1985 De Antiquairs International and Pictura merged under the name “Antiquairs International & Pictura Fine Art Fair”, an annual fair at Maastricht’s Eurohal.

1987 The fair featured “Museade: the Virgin of Evegnée”, an exhibition of 27 top works from 4 museums in Liège, Aachen and Maastricht, which presented a picture of Roman and Gothic sculpture produced in the Rhine and Meuse regions.

1988 Antiquairs International & Pictura Fine Art Fair became “The European Fine Art Fair” and was relocated in the newly built Maastricht Exhibition and Congress Centre (MECC). A new section devoted to textile arts, entitled Textura, joined the stablished Antiques and Pictura sections. This was celebrated with a special exhibition entitled ‘Carpets in the 17th century Dutch Paintings’.

1989 The European Fine Art Foundation was established in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. The foundation took over the organisation of the fair and added a Music & Lecture Programme.

1990 The special exhibition ‘Vincent un Chemin Dificile’ was organised to coincide with the Van Gogh Year in The Netherlands. Four Van Gogh pen and ink drawings were sold at the fair.

1991 A new section for Modern & Contemporary painting was created. Reflecting the success of this move, the number of exhibitors rose to 135, 38 of whom were new.

1992 Building on the success of the drive for variety and quality a new section, called La Haute Joaillerie du Monde, was added to the fair. We welcomed 35 new exhibitors and attracted 35,000 visitors.

1993 This year the fair was divided into 7 sections. New sections added were Books, Manuscripts & Maps and Classical Antiquities. Exhibitor numbers reached 158.

1994 The memorable year in which The European Fine Art Fair hosted ‘Treasures from The Hermitage St Petersburg’. Visitor numbers exceeded 60,000.

1995 Continuing innovation meant that the fair received a face lift with the introduction of a new floor plan and uniform presentation of the stands. The 20th-Century Art section was reorganised, with the introduction of more international dealers.

1996 The fair changed it’s name into “TEFAF Maastricht”. “Portrait of a Young Man” by Rembrandt was sold at the fair for $4.8 million dollars. The Youth Centre was introduced and a Touch Screen information system installed.

1997 Substantial increase in exhibitors from France. Cooperation with the city of Maastricht and the surrounding Euregio area, made the exhibition “Ivories from the 11th to the 14th centuries” possible.

1998 Following the success of 1997 a second Euregio exhibition of Roman archaeology from this international area was organised. Exhibitor numbers increased to 175 from 14 countries. Number of visitors almost reached 65,000.

1999 TEFAF Maastricht decided to locate a huge catering terrace in the newly built Westhal of the MECC. Exhibitor numbers increased to 183.

2000 TEFAF took the initiative to include “Good Title” in addition to Authentication and Quality as part of the vetting process by using the services of the Art Loss Register (ALR). The ALR is a central internationally recognised database of images where ultimately all stolen or lost works of art or antiques will be registered provided that they are uniquely identifiable. Reflecting its stature, TEFAF launched an independent study on the size and structure of the European art and antiques market.

2001 The design of the fair was developed quite radically. The Dutch sculptor, architect and designer Tom Postma was responsible for the overall concept, which is modern with clear classical references. The number of exhibitors exceeded 200 for the first time, while the 76,044 visitors fetched a record too.

2002 TEFAF launched a second study about the European Art Market, conducted by Kusin & Company (New York). The fair was extended by one day in order to give more space to the unprecedented number of visitors who were now wanting to attend. This intention succeeded. About the same number of visitors as in 2001 came to the fair, which lasted 11 instead of 10 days.

2003 The 2002 report concluded that one of the causes of Europe’s declining market share compared to the USA is the complicated system of VAT, established under the European Union’s harmonisation programme. TEFAF, supported by Ernst & Young, has undertaken a new study in order to examine this more in detail. 64.660 visitors came to the fair.

2004 The entrance to the MECC building was completely renovated and the Westhal, home to the large catering court, as well as the media and sponsor pavilions, received a face-lift. TEFAF published a collection of essays in which well-known experts in the art market discussed the interaction between the art market and other areas of culture. AXA Art, a world leading specialist in fine art insurance, became TEFAF’s new principal Sponsor for the next 3 years.

2005 As befitted its leading position TEFAF got a dramatic new look. Fair architect Tom Postma was joined by British exhibition designer, David Bentheim to create a stand design of classic and timeless elegance. The fair hosted a unique exhibition of 35 masterpieces from the Detroit Institute of Arts, five of which were originally bought at TEFAF. To celebrate the 500th jubilee of violin makers Amati, three very rare Amati violins from the Palazzo Comunale in Cremona were exhibited. In February 2005 TEFAF published an important study on Droit de Suite. A TEFAF University Chair for cancer research was established at the University of Maastricht (Special Professor 2006: Dr. J. Herman). The fair attracted 77,828 visitors.


2006 Continuing success meant that TEFAF had to enlarge its floor plan by 1,000 m2 in order to improve visitor comfort and further strengthen the range of art, particularly contemporary and Asian art. Twenty-eight new exhibitors brought the total number of exhibitors to 218. The section Classical Antiquities & Egyptian Works of Art was moved to the Modern Art section. All the catering areas were redesigned and two Parisian-style cafés and a brasserie were added. The new house style of the catalogue marked the start of the new decorative theme of the fair. The overall visitor figure of 84,020 was an absolute record of the fair and an increase of 8% on 2005. On March 16th TEFAF welcomed its millionth visitor in its 19 years existence.

2007 Over the past twenty years TEFAF has been transformed from a comparatively modest show into one of the most important events in the international art market calendar. However last year's visitor number could threaten the fair's reputation for quality and exclusivity and so entrance prices have been raised, which indeed reduced the number of visitors to the fair to 70,842, a reduction of 15%. Many exhibitors commented that the lower visitor number had made the Fair more comfortable and the atmosphere more conducive to buying. TEFAF has published a new art market report, The Art Fair as an Economic Force, compiled by Jeremy Eckstein Associates. The entrance area to the fair has been completely refurbished. AXA Art has extended its principal sponsorship for a further three years.

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