Past and present master

As TEFAF Maastricht nears the 50th anniversary of its first incarnation, astounding works from earlier centuries still make their way to the Dutch fair, but the size and quality of its modern and contemporary art offering has also increased

- 

THE end of November will mark half a century since the opening of the first Pictura fair in Maastricht, the Netherlands, the acorn from which the oak of TEFAF was to grow, and—not coincidentally—since my first visit to the city. Although the early fairs were so much smaller than today (fewer than 30 exhibitors to begin with), there were paintings by the greatest masters that national galleries can rarely dream of acquiring now. There are still great things in the wild, so to speak, but the more successful dealers are at selling to institutions, the less there is for them to work with in the future. As a consequence, there is now much more modern and contemporary art on offer, a sideline in early days, and, there, the quality has been rising recently.

Nevertheless, there are still astounding older things to be found making their way to Maastricht each March. One of the first stands I head for in the brief moments for the press view before valued customers gain entry for the first preview is Dr Jörn Günther Rare Books of Basel, Switzerland. There are always wonderful illuminated manuscripts, but this year two were outstanding.