HIGHLIGHTS FROM TEFAF MAASTRICHT 2025

The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) Maastricht welcomed visitors with a spectacular showcase of artistic mastery as it opened its doors on March 15. The prestigious event drew museum directors from over 370 institutions, along with an elite mix of collectors, scholars, and industry insiders.

Famed for uniting 7,000 years of art history in one space, TEFAF offers an impressive blend of artistic eras and styles. From Old Master paintings and classical antiquities to modern masterpieces, contemporary works, photography, and 20th-century design — the fair presented a rich visual feast for all who attended. The journey to Maastricht requires effort, but those who make the trip arrive with purpose. Collectors wasted no time, with red dots marking sales within the first hour.

The atmosphere was nothing short of enchanting. TEFAF’s hallmark elegance shone through in both its remarkable displays and thoughtful touches. This year, a mesmerizing wave of blooms adorned the ceiling, each delicate flower encased in glass and suspended by barely visible threads — appearing to float weightlessly above the fair’s bustling corridors.

Here are some highlights from a fair:

A New Approach for Galleries

Galleries at this year’s TEFAF sought to captivate a younger generation of collectors by combining unexpected genres. From art nouveau glass paired with tribal art to contemporary makers collaborating with ancient artisans, booths radiated a distinctly domestic charm. Parquet floors, library walls, and inviting seating areas created spaces that felt more like curated living rooms than traditional exhibits.

Lucas Ratton Gallery

Lucas Ratton’s Parisian gallery showcased jewel-toned art nouveau glass alongside tribal art. Their booth, featuring dark green walls and vintage furnishings, felt like a chic private home. “People feel the resonance, and it piques curiosity,” Ratton remarked, noting the success of a similar themed exhibition in Paris last year titled Serendipity.

David Gill Gallery

For Francis Sultana of David Gill Gallery, TEFAF was an opportunity to highlight contemporary designs by German maker Valentin Loellmann. His sculptural furniture blends metal, stained wood, and olive velvet into flowing, curvilinear forms. “All art was once contemporary,” said Gill, emphasising how these pieces provide relevance amid museum-quality antiquities.

Sculpture: Bridging Classical and Contemporary

Stuart Lochhead Sculpture

A dramatic Baroque sculpture by Alessandro Algardi titled Executioner (c. 1634) drew attention and was sold to a private American collector for approximately €2 million. Surrounding it were exquisite copper, silver, and gold floral sculptures by Shota Suzuki, including a delicate Camellia priced at €9,500. The juxtaposition of religious relics with floral studies formed an intriguing dialogue between old and new spiritual motifs.

Ceramics and Decorative Arts

Pierre Marie Giraud Gallery

Ceramics took center stage at Pierre Marie Giraud’s booth, featuring contemporary ceramicists such as Takayuki Sakiyama and Jos Devriendt’s crackled glaze mushroom lamps. Furniture pieces by Herzog & de Meuron rounded out the display. ‘Ceramics are one of the most ancient expressions of art, and it’s exciting to see the growing taste for them,’ said gallery director Cedric Beukels.

Entry-Level Finds

To entice new collectors, TEFAF introduced an interactive map highlighting works priced below €20,000. Among the notable finds were a Greek amphora for €7,000 at Charles Ede and an Egyptian carnelian falcon pendant from Kallos Gallery priced at €2,000. These accessible price points aim to broaden the fair’s audience.

The Heavyweights

TEFAF’s fine art lineup spanned centuries and included works by iconic artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Gerhard Richter, Tracey Emin, Titian, Ai Weiwei, Hokusai, and Jan Davidsz. de Heem. The most valuable piece on view was Picasso’s Les Dormeurs (1965), presented by Landau Fine Art with an asking price of $50 million. Richard Saltoun’s solo display of surrealist paintings by Palestinian-born Lebanese artist Juliana Seraphim also garnered significant attention, aligning with a rising interest in overlooked female artists.

Furniture and Design

Galerie Lefebvre

A standout piece was Claude Lalanne’s whimsical metalwork bed adorned with phoenix and cabbage-leaf motifs, priced at €250,000. Displayed alongside an Alberto Giacometti wall sculpture of a white bird, the bed’s sheepskin and wool accents added warmth and texture. “The appeal is so universal: humorous, joyful, surreal,” said Yana Mihailuka of Galerie Lefebvre. Collectors like Peter Marino, the Rothschilds, and Yves Saint Laurent have long admired Les Lalannes’ unique creations.