On March 11, TEFAF Maastricht will open its doors to present art lovers and collectors with exquisite works from antiquity to the present day in its 36th edition, thus once again emphasizing its supremacy among international fairs.
In 2023 there will be 270 dealers from all over the world, 13 of whom will be attending TEFAF Maastricht for the first time. Highlights from 7,000 years of art history include Le Femme au Perroquet by Fernand Léger (Van de Weghe Fine Art), Alexander Calder's Curly Blue Tail sculpture (Galerie Von Vertes), a Louis XV commode by Antoine Robert Gaudreaus (Christophe de Quenetain), Paul Dupré-Lafon's personal desk set (Galerie Marcilhac), a Wiener Werkstätte mantle clock by Josef Hoffmann (Bel Etage), a royally owned Fabergé brooch (Wartski) and a 1st century BC statuette of a Bactrian princess (Galerie Kevorkian).
At TEFAF in 2022, the booth of London jeweler Symbolic & Chase was the victim of a robbery in which the thieves smashed the glass showcases in the middle of the day and stole valuable pieces of jewelry, including a 114-carat yellow diamond.
Related: An Art Heist at TEFAF: But the Show Must Go On
As the Dutch police announced on March 3, the investigations into the case so far have led to results. According to their statement, a group from the Balkans is under suspicion, which were identified from the analysis of fair footage, witness statements and tips from viewers of the television program Opsporing.nl, which covered the attack during the summer of 2022. One of the stolen pieces of jewelry has also been recovered.
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“The research still attracts a great deal of international attention," said the lead investigator. "Both from the media, but especially from the international art world. Especially with a view to the next edition of this major art fair, which will take place again this month. We are doing everything we can to solve this brutal robbery. This research has an unprecedented international component. All information that is collected abroad is processed through requests for legal assistance, and that takes time. It is a long-term investigation, but we are still confident that this case can be solved and the suspects will be apprehended and prosecuted."
