A total of 285 exhibitors will stand, representing 22 countries – again the most in the long history of the fair.
The UK continues to have the strongest representation with 76 top dealerships in attendance, followed by France with 57 and the Netherlands at 22. New nations represented this year include India (by a contemporary jeweller).
In order to accommodate more stands the organisers took the decision to shelve the usual loan show as well as one of the restaurants at the venue, the Maastricht Exhibition & Conference Centre (MECC).
The fair runs from March 7-15, preceded by two designated preview days.
This staging represents the final Maastricht for Patrick van Maris, CEO of TEFAF for five years. His tenure has included the revamp of the fair’s Modern section, the launch of satellite events in the US (the biannual TEFAF New York Spring and Fall shows) and the overhaul of the vetting programme with all trade members removed from the brand’s global vetting bodies.
Van Maris (who was managing director of Sotheby’s Europe from 2008-12) has also worked to ensure the future of the event in Maastricht. A 10-year agreement between the city and the fair includes works on the MECC, set to finish in 2021. The interim managing director is TEFAF’s Sofie Scheerlink, who will take up her position on April 1.
The fair will launch the 2020 TEFAF Art Market Report, which this year focuses on art patronage and philanthropy. It is the second report written by Anders Petterson, founder of ArtTactic.
See our full TEFAF Maastricht preview in this issue.
