BRAFA celebrates its 70th anniversary

Better than a birthday cake, the Brussels fair celebrated its seventieth edition with sixteen new exhibitors and ten thousand visitors over the three days of the opening, just as eclectic and warm as its predecessors! There was no longer the surrealist-inspired décor so popular last year, but two spectacular creations by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos livened up the aisles, which were visited from the opening by a number of collectors and institutions, mainly from Belgium and the Netherlands. Although BRAFA attracts fewer foreign museums than TEFAF, this doesn’t really detract from its dynamism: sales multiply right from the opening, which is carefully spread over three days to appeal to all connoisseurs. You can browse the 130 stands at your own pace, in a pleasant, even relaxed atmosphere, enjoying the works, most of which are very carefully presented.

The overcrowded stands of some time ago have disappeared in favour of elegant scenographies, one of the most successful of which is undoubtedly that offered by Tom and Tobias Desmet, sculpture dealers who are multiplying their presence, having recently appeared at FAB Paris at the Grand Palais (see article) and will soon be making their debut in Maastricht, where they have been selected for TEFAF Showcase. Such agility is unfortunately impossible for many galleries, and those that have not been poached by the Dutch fair are (also) sometimes tempted to cross the oceans and take part in the Winter Show, which is held on the same dates as BRAFA! Some collectors must be at their wits’ end, while others are delighted that the Belgian fair has retained its conviviality and quality, for both small and large formats (ill. 1), even if this spectacular cast of a fragment from the Great Altar of Pergamon will no doubt be difficult to fit in!

The same cannot be said for this elegant porcelain (ill. 2 and 3), which remains in a more reasonable format despite its considerable dimensions for a Sèvres biscuit. Its silhouette will be familiar to connoisseurs and readers of La Tribune de l’Art (see the news item of…