TEFAF, 2022 edition also postponed due to Covid concerns

The confirmation finally came: the European Fine Art Foundation confirmed late yesterday afternoon that edition number 35 of TEFAF Maastricht, originally scheduled for March 12-20, 2022, will certainly slip. It has in fact been postponed due to growing concerns about global instability caused by COVID-19. TEFAF is considering possible other dates to postpone TEFAF Maastricht during 2022. The decision was made by the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee, composed of 13 gallerists representing the interests of the fair’s exhibitors and seven non-gallerists.

“It was a difficult but necessary decision,” says Hidde van Seggelen, president of TEFAF, who explained that the choice was “driven by three main concerns: first is the unpredictable nature of COVID-19; second, the significant financial risk to both TEFAF and our exhibitors should the fair be cancelled before March; and third is, as always, the health and safety of the TEFAF community, our exhibitors, sponsors and partners. TEFAF is an always highly anticipated global reference for the global art community, and because of this, we are checking every possible option to ensure that the fair can be held in 2022.”

TEFAF will make further announcements about new dates as soon as possible. Plans for TEFAF New York, scheduled for May 6-10, 2022 remain unchanged.

The decision had been in the air for days and caused much discussion partly because, last December 4, the organization sent exhibitors an email in which gallerists were warned that, in the event of cancellation after December 15, TEFAF would withhold up to €7,500 in fees to cover costs already incurred (only amounts in excess of this threshold will eventually be reimbursed), a decision that raised a wave of discontent. TEFAF explained, however, that this is simply the usual event cancellation policy, and the email was only a reminder.

TEFAF, founded in 1988 in Maastricht, the Netherlands, stands for “The European Fine Art Foundation.” It is a nonprofit organization that supports expertise, research and diversity within the global art community and is highly respected for its meticulous standards of artwork verification. The annual TEFAF fairs are held in Maastricht and New York. TEFAF stands as an expert guide for private and institutional collectors in the global art market, inspiring enthusiasts and buyers from around the world. The organization is overseen by a Board of Trustees (BoT), composed of twenty-one members from the art and antiques community-mostly TEFAF exhibitors-and guided by the Executive Committee (EC), composed of seven members chosen by the BoT.

Image: the 2018 edition of TEFAF

TEFAF, 2022 edition also postponed due to Covid concerns

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