After two years of absence, caused by the Covid-19 epidemic, thehe prestigious Maastricht art and antiques fair, the Tefaf fair (The European Fine Art Foundation) opened its doors on Saturday June 25 in Maastricht, the Netherlands, and will be held until June 30. Its president, Hidde van Seggelen, the gallery owner Kamutay Karaman, and Ger Luijten, the president of the Custodia Foundation, answer questions from franceinfo.
franceinfo: What is Tefaf?
Hidde Van Seggelen: Tefaf is the foundation of European art. We only invite museums. This is an opportunity, after two years of absence because of the Covid-19, to be able to touch the works of art again.
franceinfo: Kamutay Karaman, who is a gallery owner in Munich, has joined us: are you a gallery owner, art dealer? We have lived through two years of pandemic and this war which is approaching, does war change the art market?
Kamutay Karaman: In my opinion, no. People, for two years, didn’t have many opportunities to see art. And now they’re very curious about what happened in the two years.
franceinfo: For safety reasons, because of the war in Ukraine, for example, or pandemics, are we now buying a lot more works of art?
Kamutay Karaman : I believe they buy very classic works, but they buy more. Because with contemporary art, it’s a bit risky. With the classics, you have the guarantee, you can resell it.
franceinfo: Ger Luijten, president of the Custodia Foundation, you are also a Tefaf expert. Your role is also to judge the pieces that are exhibited, and to ask the gallery owners to remove those that are not suitable or that the labels are correct…
Ger Luijten: Absolutely ! If there is any doubt, there are things that are rather attributed and not on certain artists. The gallery owner must change the cartel.
franceinfo: What will the world art market look like in the future? How do you see it?
Ger Luijten : With great optimism! There are young people, it is renewed all the time. There is a hunger to see this again, to be moved, amazed, impressed, to surpass oneself. So yes, yes, I have no doubt about it: here, we don’t buy online, we want to touch the works, we want to see them, we want to be in contact with them.