BRAFA 2025: a festive & colourful 70th edition

In 2025, BRAFA will be celebrating its 70th edition, making it one of the oldest art fairs in the world. The Fair has continued to evolve since its creation in 1956, distinguishing itself by its taste for excellence and its eclectic DNA. It encompasses more than 20 specialities, from antique to contemporary art, such as Old Master paintings, classical African art, antique and design furniture, godmother, carpets and textiles, rare books and jewellery, etc.

The success of the Fair owes much to its exhibitors, who have made it an unmissable and internationally renowned event for collectors and art lovers alike. Some galleries have participated for decades, bringing their expertise and passion to each successive edition. One example is the Antwerp gallery N. Vrouyr, which specialises in carpets and textiles, which first took part in the first edition in 1956. Christian Vrouyr passed the baton to his daughter and great-granddaughter of the gallery’s founder, Naïry, who continues the family tradition. Axel Vervoordt, another mainstay of the Fair since 1976, designs stands every year with his son Boris, combining archaeological objects, Oriental sculptures, eighteenth-century furniture, design and contemporary artworks. Gallery De Jonckheere based in Geneva and run by the two brothers Georges and François De Jonckheere, is another example of a gallery loyal to BRAFA. Every year it presents its finest works by Old and modern masters, helping to enrich the range and quality of the Fair.

BRAFA 2025 will bring together approximately 130 galleries at the Brussels Expo from Sunday, January 26th to Sunday, February 2nd, 2025. This edition will welcome two new countries: Sweden will be represented by Hoffmans Antiques, a Stockholm-based gallery specialising in Gustavian furniture and works of art from the eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century, whilst Portugal will be represented by J. Baptista, a Lisbon-based gallery featuring antique jewellery and silverware from leading Portuguese and international silversmiths. These two galleries are part of the new selection for this 70th edition. The Board of Directors analysed the applications from many galleries, selecting a dozen based on the quality of the works on offer and their reputation. These choices are also commensurate with a desire to present as wide a range of fields as possible in the aisles of the Fair to develop BRAFA’s characteristic eclecticism further.

Amongst the new participants, BRAFA is delighted to be welcoming COLNAGHI, based in London, New York, Madrid and Brussels. Founded in 1760, it is one of the most important art galleries in the world. The gallery has established itself in Europe and the United States as one of the leading dealers in Old Master paintings, prints and drawings, presenting masterpieces to the world’s leading museums and collectors. Galerie Nathalie Obadia will be another new participant at BRAFA in 2025. It is a contemporary art gallery with an international reputation, based in Paris and Brussels, representing artists such as Nù Barreto (São Domingos, 1966) and David Reed (San Diego 1946). The Fair’s programme will also be extended to include specialities such as Greco-Roman archaeology with Valerio Turchi (Rome), crystals, fossils and meteorites with Stone Gallery (Baarn), and French art from the Barbizon period to Impressionism and Post-Impressionism covering the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries with Stoppenbach & Delestre (London and Paris).Other prestigious galleries such as Edouard Simoens Gallery (Knokke), which focuses on post-war and contemporary art, and Galerie Lowet de Wotrenge (Antwerp), which specialises in paintings, drawings and sculptures by Flemish and Dutch Masters, will also be present.

BRAFA is pleased to announce the return of the Patrick Derom Gallery (Brussels) in 2025, now run by Patrick Derom and his son Edouard. Covering a vast period from 1880 to the present day, the gallery features works representing modern movements from Symbolism to pop art, with occasional forays into contemporary art. The highly regarded van der Meij Fine Arts (Amsterdam), an expert in nineteenth-century art from Northern Europe, will also be returning to BRAFA in 2025, as will the Viennese gallery Kovacek Spiegelgasse, which specialises in glass from 1500 to 1950 and Austrian and international painting and sculpture from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Joana Vasconcelos, guest of honour at BRAFA 2025

Joana Vasconcelos © Lionel Balteiro for L’Atelier Joana Vasconcelos

To mark this 70th edition, BRAFA has chosen the internationally renowned Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos will be its guest of honour. The artist, born in 1971, is famous for her monumental sculptures and immersive installations. Her work examines themes such as the female condition, consumer society, and collective identity with humor and irony.  Her career, interspersed with exhibitions in such prestigious venues as the Château de Versailles, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, and the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, has made her a significant figure in contemporary art. Her works will bring a colourful touch of pop to this festive forthcoming edition.

A new partnership with the KIK-IRPA

In 2025, BRAFA will also be inaugurating a partnership with the KIK-IRPA (Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage), the Belgian centre of reference for studying and conserving artistic and cultural heritage. The KIK-IRPA will be given a dedicated space adjacent to that of the King Baudouin Foundation, where it will present its artistic conservation and restoration work. Interactive workshops will be held every day on its stand at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., giving visitors a chance to go behind the scenes of heritage preservation and gain an insight into modern scientific techniques that reveal the secrets of ancient works.

BRAFA Art Talks and BRAFA Art Tours

Each year, BRAFA broadens its programme with the BRAFA Art Talks, a series of captivating lectures by curators, experts and other key figures from the Belgian and international art scenes. These talks will occur every day at 4 p.m. on the stand of the King Baudouin Foundation. The BRAFA Art Tours, public tours in English, French and Dutch, will also be organised every day at 3 p.m., offering visitors an in-depth exploration of the treasures on display.

Four swiss galleries will be exhibiting at BRAFA 2025

Article edited by Alexander Elisab