Following the success of the section curated by Sidney Picasso to complement TEFAF Modern, the Fair will once again have a space designed for this purpose. And, in the next edition, this area will be curated by Mark Kremer, an independent curator and highly respected writer based in Amsterdam. Entitled Zeige Deine Wunde/ Show your wound (show your wound) in reference to a sculptural work by Joseph Beuys exhibited inside a subway passage in Munich in 1974-5, the installation will show the work of artists who continue to explore and give expression to the ideas – death, decay, dispossession, the sense of drama (the wound) – suggested in Beuys' original work. These concepts continue to have relevance to younger generations of artists around the world to this day. Mark Kremer will select the artists and invite their galleries to exhibit their work at TEFAF. All the works will be on sale as is the case for all the objects on display at the Fair. The exhibition and the accompanying publication aim to raise awareness of this work and give resonance to the artistic legacy of Beuys.
TEFAF is also known for being a place to make and discover historical interactions. This exhibition aims to present the works of living artists who have never been exhibited before at the Fair but who, nevertheless, have an artistic historical connection with the rest of the works on display. The "wound" is a familiar theme throughout the history of European art and plays a significant part in our cultural iconography. The title Zeige Deine Wunde/ Show Your Wound will consequently develop links with important works from earlier periods.
Creating a space where collectors can easily locate objects within their field of interest while also giving them the opportunity to encounter the new and the unexpected makes TEFAF a unique place. With this in mind, some sections of the TEFAF 2016 exhibition itinerary have been modified to improve accessibility. The new configuration is part of an overall project of changes designed to create the best possible environment for gallery owners to display their collections and for art enthusiasts to discover them.
The changes at TEFAF 2016 include:
• New design for the Entrance Hall which will offer dual access to the Fair
• Direct access to the Antique section from the main entrance area
• Increased space and visibility for TEFAF Paper entry, including a lift and escalators
• A new food court on the ground floor near the entrance to TEFAF Paper
• A new upstairs food court which will be partly incorporated within TEFAF Paper
As in previous years, the loan exhibition that will be staged in the TEFAF Paper section will offer visitors a unique opportunity to admire an exclusive selection of prints and drawings from a museum which owns one of the major collections in the sector. This year's exhibition is entitled Collecting Collectors and exhibits prints and drawings from the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam which takes its name from two great collectors – Frans Boijmans (1767-1847) and Daniel George van Beuningen (1877-1955). The works chosen for the Collecting Collectors exhibition include masterpieces ranging from the Renaissance to the present, with works by Bellini, Grünewald, Dürer, Fra Bartolommeo, Tintoretto, Rubens, Rembrandt complemented by modern and contemporary works by artists such as Degas, Cézanne, Dalí, Magritte, Fontana and Kusama. In managing its Foundation, the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum has always taken the relationship with collectors to heart. Its famous department of prints and drawings is the most enduring testimony of this: in fact, over the years it has acquired a number of important private collections from major Dutch collectors.
TEFAF's Art Symposium to be held on Friday 11 March will serve as a platform for the presentation of TEFAF's annual Art Market Report. Economist Clare McAndrew will present the study analyzing the 2015 global art market. The study includes a synthesis of transnational art flows from around the world and focuses on the key centers of Europe, the United States and China in 2014 /15, looking at each and every regulatory change and other data that impacted the market. This year, some specialists in the sector will be invited to explore the themes addressed in TEFAF's Art Market Report. Among the topics that will be addressed: the "polarized" market, the performance of some crucial sectors of the market over the last 10 years, the relative importance of various sales channels for the community of dealers and the economic impact of the art trade.
TEFAF Maastricht
TEFAF Maastricht, is the world's leading art fair, famous for its commitment to excellence, expertise and elegance. This is reflected not only in the magnificent choice of works that are offered for sale in the Fair, which will be held at the MEEC in Maastricht from 11 to 20 March 2016, but also in the number of art collectors, private and institutional, who look to TEFAF as an event not to be missed in the art market calendar.
