One of my favorite antique shows is TEFAF (The European Fine Arts Fair) in Maastricht, The Netherlands. I try to attend every other year. Attending TEFAF is like going to a museum… but everything is for sale. You can hold the Monet, try on the $200K tiara. Standing in a booth and eavesdropping on a conversation between a vendor and a potential buyer is a mini-course on fine arts – you get the best (and yes best, also means most expensive) expert dealers from around the world in one location. After one of the 1st TEFAF shows I attended, I wrote:
As you walk about the carefully decorated stalls look around – not just at the items for sell, the great floral arrangments and the innovative décor, but at the other visitors to the fair. See that guy over there – he’s a private buyer who just flew in on his private jet. Of course, unless you are a polyglot, you might find eavesdropping on the rich and famous to be a bit difficult. You’re as likely to hear English spoken as you are Russian, Chinese, Aarbic, French, Portugese, German, Dutch or Italian. It’s as if you’ve taken the worlds wealthiest citizens, thrown them in a Baccarat martini shaker and added copious quantities of cologne, silk ascots, and mink. The cocktail comes out tasting a tad Fitzgeraldesque, but with price tags included.
The main attraction for me is jewelry – Van Cleef Arpels & Chopard have antique and vintage pieces but also a slew of jewelers have eye candy for #designinspiration.
TEFAF New York returns October 28 – November 1, 2017, at the Park Avenue Armory, featuring fine and decorative art from antiquity to 1920.
- TEFAF New York
- October 28 – November 1, 2017
FRIDAY OCTOBER 27
2 PM – 9 PM: VIP Preview (VIP cardholders)
6 PM – 9 PM: Opening Night Reception for the Benefit of Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK Invitation only)SATURDAY OCTOBER 28
11 AM – NOON: Early Access (VIP cardholders)
Noon – 8 PM: General AdmissionSUNDAY OCTOBER 29
11 AM – Noon: Early Access (VIP cardholders)
Noon – 6 PM: General AdmissionMONDAY OCTOBER 30
11 AM – Noon: Early Access (VIP cardholders)
Noon – 8 PM: General AdmissionTUESDAY OCTOBER 31
11 AM – NOON: Early Access (VIP cardholders)
Noon – 8 PM: General AdmissionWEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 1
11 AM – Noon: Early Access (VIP cardholders)
Noon – 6 PM: General Admission - Park Avenue Armory
643 Park Avenue
New York, New York - www.tefaf.com
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“This, the Dutch seemed to be saying, this is how you do an art fair.”
