TEFAF Maastricht 2009 is taking place (13-22 March 2009) in the most serious global economic crisis that has been seen for decades. Following the success of the Yves St. Laurent sale in Paris, all eyes turned to Maastricht to see how TEFAF would fare in these turbulent times. The result was what everybody hoped for but few dared to believe that the appetite for the best remains solid. Among the important sales were those of a Degas pastel, a life-size sculpture by Duane Hanson and a pair of Chinese ‘soldier’ vases.

TEFAF is regarded as the most important art and antiques Fair in the world. It attracts private and institutional collectors in all fields from around the globe. Curators from many major institutions including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Musée du Louvre, The British Museum, The Prado and The Hermitage visited TEFAF. It is a serious Fair for serious buyers. Dealers knowing the high regard in which TEFAF is held rose to the occasion by bringing their very best things – recent discoveries, things that have not been on the market for several decades, the rare, the unusual and the important.

Antiques & Works of Art is the largest section of the Fair, covering all areas of the decorative arts. Asian Art has traditionally been very strong at the Fair and sales backed this up. Jorge Welsh Porcelain & Works of Art, Lisbon, reported meeting many new clients and sales included a pair of Chinese famille rose soldier vases, circa 1750, to a Chinese client, while fellow Portuguese dealer Luis Alegria Ida from Porto sold a wide variety of objects including a rare blue and white pear shaped ewer from the Jialong period (1522-1566). Amsterdam dealers, Blitz Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art sold a rare bronze buffalo, Western Zhu, 9th century BC to a French collector.

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The jury has awarded the 2009 Joan Miró Prize to the Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist for her wide-ranging creative activity and her outstanding contribution to the current artistic scene.

The Joan Miró Prize, organised by the Joan Miró Foundation in Barcelona and sponsored by the Fundació Caixa Girona, consists of €70,000, one of the largest art prizes in existence, and is awarded every two years. The first Joan Miró Prize was won in 2007 by Olafur Eliasson.

This year’s award ceremony will take place in the Auditorium at the Joan Miró Foundation on 4 May and will be attended by members of the jury and the winner. During the evening, the trophy – a titanium object specially designed by André Ricard and inspired by natural forms – will be presented to the winner.

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A hush fell over the room as the watchmaker halted his work. A partially-dismantled pocket watch that once belonged to President Abraham Lincoln gleamed in his hands. He looked up from his task and pushed a visor, fitted with magnifying glasses for detailed work, up onto the top of his head. “The moment of truth has come!” he boomed. I waited, perched on the edge of my seat, for a verdict—was there really a secret message inscribed inside the watch? And if so, what did it say?

Lincoln himself never knew of the message he carried in his pocket. In fact, museum curators had been unaware of the possibility of any such inscription until Doug Stiles, great-great-grandson of watchmaker Jonathan Dillon, phoned to corroborate a story that had been passed down for generations in the Dillon family. Here’s how the story went: Jonathan Dillon was working for M.W. Galt and Co. in 1861 when the owner of the shop announced that the first shot of the Civil War had been fired at Fort Sumter. In an interview with the New York Times, published on April 30, 1906, Dillon recalled that the news inspired him to unscrew the dial of President Lincoln’s watch, which he had been busy repairing, and with a sharp instrument he wrote on the metal beneath: “The first gun is fired. Slavery is dead. Thank God we have a President who at least will try.” To his knowledge, Dillon told the Times, no one else had ever seen the inscription. When Stiles contacted curator Harry Rubenstein about the tale, the museum agreed to remove the watch dial to see if it was true.

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LOOK3 is thrilled to feature three seminal photographers in 2009: Martin Parr, Gilles Peress, and Sylvia Plachy.

Each evening of the Festival, as part of LOOK3's "INsight Conversations" series in the historic Paramount Theater, one of these three artists will share images and stories from their careers behind the camera. In addition to a stunning visual presentation of the artist's work, the audience is treated to a rare opportunity to hear a photographic legend speak candidly about influences, process, and inspirations. Each will also mount a solo exhibition in a local gallery.

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Continue reading "Chinese Bidder at Christie's YSL Auction Refuses to Pay for Controversial Works of Art" »