Travels with Forty Roses: March 2017

Established in 1988, TEFAF is widely regarded as the world’s pre-eminent fair of art and antiques. The fair, located in Maastricht, supports the finest quality of art from antiquity to modern. It is a gathering of the world’s top art and antique dealers and experts and draws buyers and lovers of

beautiful objects from afar. It’s held every March at the Maastricht Exhibition and Congress Centre, a massive building, that each March contains fabulous choices for art connoisseurs. The great public come to catch a glimpse of and enjoy just what the 1% might buy.

The entrance was lined with masses of large urns holding stunning bouquets. However, the best surprise was just inside the exhibit hall; an art installation composed of two segments made entirely of flowers. Some of the pictures below show the magnitude of the fabulous floral sculpture. Compared to this amazing work of art, everything else was interesting and grand and in many cases stunning but the floral work was the star for us. Our friends Hans and Joke, who collect sculptures, attend every few years and asked us to join them for the day. Buyers are evident everywhere, from the small collector to the substantial and extensive one. There were many red dots, showing that the item was sold. All this takes loads of Euros and some of the prices, where they were discreetly posted, astound. Most items are unmarked but do show their provenance, which can be intriguing. I was checking out some lovely little boxes, which are prime collector items. A man, beautifully dressed, was hovering beside the case and obviously looking carefully at the selection. The vendor, wearing fancy large-framed designer glasses and sitting at his computer, was asked by the gentlemen the price of one pretty gold-chased box. €1,300,000 was the soft reply. The gentlemen turned back to ponder again.

Window shopping can be wonderful entertainment especially when combined with people watching!