The opening of TEFAF Maastricht 2025 has once again affirmed its position as the world’s leading art fair, with strong early sales across key categories including fine and contemporary art, antiques, and design. Invited guests from across the globe gathered for the prized opening, seizing the opportunity to acquire important works from the fair’s unrivaled selection.
The highly anticipated Early Access and Preview days welcomed an elite audience of museum representatives, seasoned collectors and art world luminaries, with opening day visitor numbers up 15% on the previous year. Over 400 institutions sent representatives comprising directors, curators and patron groups. Within hours of opening major sales were reported, underscoring the fair’s significance as a key moment in the global art market.
“We are delighted by the confidence shown by collectors and institutions alike,” said Manon van den Beuken, Director, TEFAF Maastricht. “The caliber of works on display this year is exceptional, and the response reaffirms TEFAF Maastricht’s role as the premier destination for collectors seeking the finest in art, antiques and design.”
Among the standout transactions taking place on the opening days were:
PAINTINGS
Salomon Lilian (Netherlands, booth 336) sold The Virgin at Prayer by Michael Sweerts to a Dutch foundation for around €3.5 million.
Bijl-Van Urk Masterpaintings (Netherlands, booth 370) sold A Landscape with Riders on a Path by Albert Cuyp to the Kremer Collection for over €1 million, whose protagonists George and Joël Kremer, had earlier spoken of their approach to multi-generational collecting as part of the TEFAF Talks program.
Antonacci Lapiccirella Fine Art (Italy, booth 318) sold Interior of a Harem by Francesco Hayez for between €600,000 and €700,000, along with five further works and is negotiating two further sales with US museums.
Caretto & Occhinegro (Italy, booth 372) made a sale to a public institution; Entombment of Christ by Maarten van Heemskerck sold for €500,000.
Kunstgalerij Albricht (Netherlands, booth 304) sold two of its major works including Three Girls in the Snow by G.H. Breitner to a leading French museum for while Dancer by Jan Sluijters was acquired by a Dutch private collection to be donated to a Dutch museum. The asking prices were €275,000 and €265,000 respectively.
Colnaghi (UK, booth 304) sold three works to private collectors: José Risueño’s Saint Anthony of Padua with the Child Jesus; Giovanna Garzoni A bowl of figs with hazelnuts; and Bust of the Emporer Marcus Aurelius by Guglielmo Della Porta. A fourth sale, Virgin of the Immaculate Conception by Luisa Roldan called La Roldana, has been agreed with a US museum.
Haboldt & Co. (Netherlands, booth 349) sold November (Farm in Laren) by Ferdinand Hart Nibbrig and Still Life with Pears and Lemons by Pyke Kock to private collectors in the US and Belgium.
Van der Meij Fine Arts (Netherlands, booth 379) sold Moonrise by Laurits Tuxen to the National Museum of Luxemburg. It will be the first painting by a Danish 19th-century artist to enter the museum’s collection.
Galleria Berardi Galleria d’Arte (Italy, booth 330) sold Hermann Corrodi’s View of Rome to a private collector for around €100,000.
ANTIQUES
Kunsthandel Mehringer (Germany, booth 220) made an important early sale to the Rijksmuseum with a charming terracotta depiction of Miss Clara attributed to Petrus Camper. Miss Clara gained fame during the 18th century rhinocerous as she charmed her way through Europe during the mid-1700s.
Dr Jörn Günther (Switzerland, booth 114) sold Book of Hours illuminated by the Master of the Echevinage de Rouen and Robert Boyvin with a published price of €300,000 to a Dutch private collector.
Koopman Rare Art (UK, booth 166) sold its highlight piece with a six-figure asking price on the opening day – an important Empire Silver-Gilt Confiturier bearing the maker’s mark of Martin-Guillaume Biennais and Jean-Charles Cahier.
Debora Elvira (Spain, booth 245) sold a gold pendant to the Wawel Royal Castle State Museum in Kraców with an asking price of €15,000 and a 16th century liturgical embroidery was acquired by a private collector.
Thomas Coulborn & Son (UK, booth 175) enjoyed a buoyant preview selling five works including a pair of George I walnut side chairs, a pair of 17th century Baroque wall lights, Portrait of a Western Man in a Chinese Landscape, asking price €145,000, and 10 views of Egypt and Bulgaria painted for Sir Robert Ainslie, depicting imagery of his Grand Tour with an asking price of €150,000.
Stuart Lochhead Sculpture (UK, booth 108) reported strong sales across the opening days including Joseph Chinard’s Tripod, destined for an American museum. Further sales included Algardi’s Executioner (a bozzetto for the Beheading of St Paul in the Church of San Paolo Maggiore, Bologna) and a Gilt and Patinated Bronze of St Sebastien by Pietro Tacca, acquired by a US private collector with an asking price of US$510,000 who is bequeathing it to the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco.
Daniel Crouch Rare Books (UK, booth 218) whose booth strikingly recreated the library of the celebrated cartographer Lucas Janszoon Waghenaer, reported three early sales: Lugdunum Batavorum by Christiaan Van der Hagen; Rotterodamum Rotterdam by Johannes de Vou and Romeijn de Hooghe; and a pocket globe by Ms ‘West’, after Nicholas Lane. Asking prices were to up €60,000.
Vanderven Oriental Art (Netherlands, booth 104) reported sales of over 30 objects across the opening days including a rare porcelain figure of a hippocampus from the Chinese Kangxi period to a Swiss private collector.
Paul Ruitenbeek Chinese Art (Netherlands, booth 244) sold a rare carved lacquer gourd-shaped vase from the Qing Dynasty for a five-figure price.
MODERN & CONTEMPORARY
White Cube (International, booth 400) reported strong sales on opening day including works by Georg Baselitz, Imi Knoebel and Man Ray for US$1 million, €325,000 and €310,000 respectively.
Marianne Boesky (US, booth 444) sold out of works by Danielle Mckinney to US and European collectors with prices ranging from US$70,000 to US$115,000. Additionally, the gallery sold its Edward Hopper with an asking price of US$2.85 million.
Galerie Zlotowski (France, booth 441) sold six paintings by Mira Schor, Vera Molnár and Hannelore Baron to private collectors from Belgium, France, US and the Netherlands.
D’Lan Contemporary (Australia, booth 431) sold Awelye II by Emily Kam Kngwarray for US$600,000 ahead of the first major solo exhibition dedicated to her work at London’s Tate Modern, taking place later this year. A second sale, Wallaby Sign for Men and Women by Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri sold for US$350,000.
Galerie Lelong & Co (France and US, booth 418) the first time TEFAF exhibitor sold works by René Magritte, David Hockney and Etel Adnan to private collections in Europe and the Americas.
WORKS ON PAPER
Agnews Works on Paper (Belgium, booth 611) sold more than 12 works to museums and private collectors across Europe, including Christopher Wilhelm Eckersberg’s masterpiece watercolor, which was acquired by a UK institution.
William Weston Gallery (UK, booth 606) also enjoyed a buoyant start to the fair with sales of works by Joan Miró, Man Ray, Marc Chagall, Raoul Dufy, René Magritte, Jean (Hans) Arp, Karel Appel, Warhol and Picasso.
FOCUS
Galerie Pauline Pavec (France, booth 709) expressed delight at the start of TEFAF. Of the nine works by Marie Bracquemond, the gallery sold six to private collections and institutions in the US, the Netherlands, France and the UK.
Ketabi Bourdet (France, booth 706) sold two works by Guy de Rougemont. Sans Titre is destined for La Fondation Gandur pour l’Art in Switzerland while Lefko will form part of a private foundation in France. Asking prices were between €40,000 and €60,000.
A Testament to TEFAF’s Unparaleled Quality
This year’s fair showcases 273 exhibitors from 21 countries, presenting works spanning over 7,000 years of art history – from Old Masters and contemporary masterpieces to design and jewelry, ancient art and works on paper.
“TEFAF is unique in its ability to bring together the highest caliber of collectors, curators and scholars,” added van den Beuken. “It remains a crucial meeting point for the global art community, where historic treasures and contemporary discoveries find new homes.”
With robust sales, institutional interest, and a program of engaging cultural conversations, TEFAF Maastricht 2025 is set to maintain its momentum throughout the fair’s duration. Visitors can explore an exceptional array of artworks and meet the world’s leading dealers at the MECC, Maastricht until Thursday, March 20.
Impression of the Atmosphere at TEFAF Maastricht 2025 – Gerlach Delissen Photography
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