Return to magnificent Maastricht

After the dramas, the TEFAF fair is back as the art world's most important showcase

- Huon Mallalieu

DESPITE the weather, it was a great pleasure to be back in Maastricht earlier this month as the TEFAF fair returned to its traditional place in the calendar. Last year’s catch-up summer edition was somewhat underwhelming, but, this time, the confidence of the exhibitors and splendour of many exhibits reaffirmed the fair as the art world’s most important forum.

By an unscientific test—the numbers of well-dressed wheelchair users with attendant retinues —very serious money was attracted to two days of previews before the public opening. Representatives of 250 museums and institutions were also there, apparently, with Americans much to the fore; some of their groups were 10- strong, despite all claiming to be short of funds. Both the London and Edinburgh National Galleries were observed, but other British institutions less in evidence.

The truncated 2020 fair was something of a super-spreader, 2021 was cancelled and 2022 became notorious for the jewel robbery, which must have provided one of the most shared video clips of the year. The Dutch police recently announced that they are concentrating on a Balkan criminal group. One stolen item has been recovered, but the greatest mystery remains: who was that remarkable elderly gentleman sitting unmoved on a bench next to the sledgehammering smash-and-grabbers?

Most people assumed that the hammer and weapons must have been secreted in the hall during set-up, but I have been told that the gang had them strapped to their backs, thus their unseasonable coats. In any event, security was much more in evidence this time, with some professional-looking dogs and new gate scans at the entrance.

Inside, oysters were back on offer among the canapés,