TEFAF, One of Europe’s Premier Art Fairs, Closes Four Days Early After a Dealer Tests Positive for Coronavirus

In an abrupt about-face due to fast rising concerns about the
spread of the coronavirus, organizers of the annual TEFAF show in
Maastricht, the Netherlands, announced today that this year’s
edition will close for good at 7 p.m. today, four days earlier than
planned.

The decision came after the Art Newspaper
reported earlier today that an unidentified exhibitor from
Italy, who returned to his country on Monday, March 8, had been
diagnosed with COVID-19. Initially, the fair said it had decided,
in conversation with local authorities, that the event could
continue as planned, but as concern mounted, it changed course.

The decision to close early is a major blow for the world’s
leading Old Master fair, for which exhibitors—which numbered 285
this year—famously hold back prized masterworks in order to debut
them at the event. It’s also a blow to the region’s economy, which
employs hordes of locals to support the fair ranging from caterers
and servers, to fair greeters and guides, to cleaners and
drivers.

In a statement, a spokesperson for TEFAF said it made the
decision to “shorten the fair to close by the end of the day” in
close consultation “with the city of Maastricht, the health
authorities, and MECC,” the recently renovated Maastricht
Exhibition and Convention Centre where the fair is held each
year.

Compared with other art fairs, which typically run a maximum of
five days, TEFAF has a longer run of over a week, which is matches
the slower pace of buying for Old Master collectors and museums.
Although TEFAF told exhibitors that the affected dealer did not
show symptoms at the fair and was tested at home on Monday, March
9, it is unclear whether visitors could have been exposed to the
virus.

“Given the recent developments in the regions around Maastricht
and increasing concerns, we no longer feel it is appropriate to
continue as planned,” TEFAF chairman Nanne Dekking said in the
statement. “We want to thank our exhibitors, visitors and staff for
their trust and support in this unprecedented situation.”

Maastricht mayor Annemarie Penn-te Strake said: “I support and
respect this decision. We understand the unrest is growing due to
circumstances in the countries of origin and the regions
surrounding us. It’s only right that there is attention to this
concern.”

So far, the immediate reaction from exhibitors has been
positive, despite the fear that it could impact their bottom lines.
“We support the decision!” said a representative for Hong Kong
jeweler Wallace Chan, which had overcome its own set of challenges
to travel from Asia to Europe for the fair.

“I dont think anyone is surprised at the early closure given the
news,” London dealer Hugh Gibson, of Thomas Gibson Fine Art, told
Artnet News via email. “Some dealers are relieved, some
disappointed. Personally i think it was the right thing to do.
Vsitor numbers were down, however business was being done.”

TEFAF had already reported lower attendance than usual for the
opening preview last Thursday: 4,000 people, down 29 percent from
last year. The event is often the biggest sales opportunity of the
year for Old Master dealers. Among the top sales were Van
Gogh’s Peasant Woman in Front of a Farmhouse (1885),
which London-based Dickinson to a private collector for around €15
million ($17 million). It had originally been spotted in a junk
shop in London in 1968 and snapped up for less than $60.

TEFAF said it will issue another statement regarding the
logistics of the fair’s closure soon.

The post TEFAF, One of Europe’s Premier Art Fairs, Closes
Four Days Early After a Dealer Tests Positive for Coronavirus
appeared first on artnet News.