The Maastricht Art Fair which ended on Sunday March 26th 2000 was a complete success for many exhibitors who however feared for the future as good quality pieces are much harder to find on the market nowadays. Many buyers were dot.com people, meaning those Internet kings who are keen to buy rare art pieces often with a view of making a profit afterward.
David Tunick, a newcomer to Maastricht specialising in rare prints, notably by Dürer, banked on these new buyers to sell them proofs worth over $ 900,000 but most visitors however appeared more interested in old masters.
Charles Roelofsz from Amsterdam, who was showing a beautiful still life by French master Jacques Linard, immediately sold a small painting on panel, a landscape with Callisto and her nymphs, by 17th Century artist Johan van Haens Bergen from Utrecht.
Most large paintings shown in Maastricht were bought at auction a few months ago such as a work by Eugène Boudin, acquired for $ 590,000 in London and offered at $ 710,000 by Noortman while Martin Zimmet of New York has been offering a rare painting by Segantini, bought for $ 9,5 million at Christie's in November 1999 and tagged at $ 17 million or a still life portrait by Arcimboldo, which fetched $ 1,5 million last January at Sotheby's, now offered at $ 7,5 million.
Otto Naumann was offering at $ 5,5 million a “Calvary” by the Master of the Passion of St Nicholas of Munster, acquired for $ 3,5 million at Christie's in New York, Richard Green exhibited a Canaletto painting priced at $ 10,6 million, which was purchased for $ 6,6 million on January 27th in New York, a Frans Hals portrait of a gentleman, which fetched $ 992,500 on January 29th at Christie's was offered at $ 3,5 million by Otto Naumann.
Such variations in prices over a short period proved that good quality pieces were becoming rare on the market. Still, the major pieces shown in Maastricht were harder to sell than paintings offered under $ 500,000, which sold well. Moatti from Paris sold 13 works within two days, De Jonckheere from Brussels and Paris made a big score while three collectors battled to acquire for about $ 1 million a drawing by Pieter-Paul Rubens, “Herod's Banquet”, a preparatory sketch for a painting now in the National Gallery of Edinburgh which had been lost since 1918 and rediscovered by Jean-Luc Baroni for Colnaghi at an auction held by Phillips.
Perrin from Paris sold many furniture pieces while a fancy yellow brown diamond was acquired from Cartier for some $ 4,44 million. Blondeel sold an Etruscan bronze piece for $ 555,600 while Neuse, a German dealer, sold nine 18th Century pieces from Westphalia for $ 1 million. A 1707 cabinet by French maker Boitard went for $ 400,000.
The good pieces were sold almost instantly after the opening the fair and dot.com people, apparently fearing a fall in the Nasdaq index by the end of this year, appeared to be much active in dealings. Meanwhile many dealers also pieces to their counterparts and several curators from British, U.S and French museums scoured the alleys of the Maastricht fair in search from treasures. Moatti notably sold a painting by 18th Century artist Granet showing monks among ruins to the Fogg Museum while a amber and ivory backgammon board made in Dantzig in 1670 went to a Foreign trustee group.
Chevalier from Paris sold three 16th Century English tapestries recalling the story of Esther for $ 270,000 while primitive art pieces induced much interest from foreign buyers.
The 198 exhibitors thus seemed much happy during the 10 day fair, which attracted over 70,000 visitors. Gunther of Hamburg made a hit with twelve 1544 portulan atlas maps by Battista Agnese from Venice showing the first view of California for $ 2 million while a 16th Century Portuguese map by Viscount de Maggiolo showing Europe sold for 450,000 DM. A German buyer paid some $ 1 million for an illuminated book, “The Mirror of Human Salvation” (Paris around 1450), with 150 miniatures.
Modern works also sold well such as a painting by Max Ernst, “The Endless Night”, 1940 ($ 1,5 million by Cazeau- de la Béraudière from Paris) while another Ernst's painting, “The Painter's Daughters” was being offered at $ 2,5 million and a Surrealist work by Magritte, “The painting Exhibition” of 1945, at $ 1,7 million.
A Von Dongen work, “Fatma”, sold for $ 1 million (Waddington Galleries) while the Malborough Gallery was offering a large Francis Bacon painting of 1986 for £ 3,5 million. Dora Maar's portrait by Picasso, acquired for $ 15 million in Paris, was offered at $ 4,44 million by Landau.
Observers said that the Maastricht fair was not a success but a triumph and regretted that Paris was no longer in a position to offer a suitable place for a major fair. One dealer said that that the Paris Biennial, held in the basement of the Louvre Museum compound was disastrous, while his French counterparts nodded with a jealous look in their eyes.
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