SPEAK to almost any dealer and they say that the biggest change since TEFAF Maastricht was launched in 1988 is the multi-national nature of the fair, writes Alex Capon.
This is something that has accelerated over the last decade as the fair has reflected the general trend toward globalisation at the top end of the art market. Today, dealers come from 21 countries aiming to sell to visitors who fly in from all over the world to the small city for one week a year.
But, go back 40 years, and fairs in Maastricht were much smaller and notably more ‘Dutch’ affairs, including the two original precursors to TEFAF – the Antiqua and Pictura fairs. These events eventually merged in 1985 and morphed into TEFAF three years later.