The 65th BRAFA, will take place from Sunday 26 January till 2 February 2020 at Tour & Taxis. There will be 133 galleries in all, the same number as last year, with some new names and several returning galleries.
True to its creed of eclecticism, quality and a mix of styles, Brafa 2020 will once again offer visitors a rich and varied line-up of some of the world’s best galleries, specialising in old, modern and contemporary art. Thanks to the vetting process, which is regarded as one of the strictest in the sector, the art fair will meet the high expectations of collectors and art lovers, enabling them to revisit the history of art, and its different periods and styles, on different continents. celebreMagazine is proud to announce to be Media Partner of this Extraordinary and Exclusive Art Fair.
The quality of an art fair is first and foremost defined by the quality of its exhibitors. In that sense, Brafa 2020 looks very promising, largely because the selection in the various segments at the art fair is both qualitative and strong. This means that visitors can expect to see works of only the highest quality, all the more so because the admission process for exhibits, that examines each work prior to the fair’s opening, is among the most rigorous in the sector. Brafa relies on a panel of 100 independent experts, checks by the Art Loss Register, and the services of a scientific laboratory specialising in the analysis of art objects, cultural and archaeological heritage, to perform various analyses onsite if the experts request this.
BRAFA’s Visitors have come to expect a different guest of honour every year. These have included international museums, foundations and artists, who have all added their own unique touch to the event. In 2020, the art fair is choosing an innovative approach, launching an unusual initiative on the occasion of the 65th BRAFA in the form of a charity sale of original segments of the Berlin Wall.
These segments were already acquired in 2018, in anticipation of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 2019. They were taken from the Hinterlandmauer, or the 68-km ‘inner wall’ that blocked off the border strip to East Berlin. The segments were dismantled by the armed forces of the former German Democratic Republic, or East Germany, during the demolition works following the fall of the Berlin Wall. They were subsequently acquired and re-used by a public works company that is based in a Berlin suburb. The segments, which are 3.8 m tall and 1.2 m wide, weighing 3.6 tons each, feature graffiti on both sides by anonymous street artists from different periods.
Compared with last year, Brafa will be welcoming eight new galleries, who will be exhibiting at the art fair for the first time, i.e., a relatively low turnover rate (6%), demonstrating the loyalty of its exhibitors:
– Antiquarium Ltd. (New York – archaeology);
– Paolo Antonacci (Rome – European paintings from the 18th and 19th C.);
– W. Apolloni Antichità (Rome – furniture, paintings and art objects from the 17th C.-19th C.); – Callisto Fine Arts (London – masterpieces of European sculptures and art objects);
– CLEARING (New York / Brussels – contemporary art);
– Nardi (Venice – jewellery);
– Rueb (Amsterdam – modern and contemporary art);
– Dalton Somaré (Milan – African and Hindu-Buddhist ancient art).
They will be joined by ten other galleries that are returning to the fair after one or more years of absence:
- – Bruil & Brandsma Works of Art (Amsterdam – antiquities and art objects from the 14th C.- 18th C.);
- – Galerie Jean-François Cazeau (Paris – modern paintings and sculptures);
- – Chamarande (Brussels – antique jewellery);
- – De Jonckheere (Geneva – old and modern masters);
- – Douwes Fine Art (Amsterdam – old masters);
- – Francis Janssens van der Maelen (Brussels – silverware);
- – Adrian Schlag (Brussels – tribal art);
- – Studio 2000 Art Gallery (Blaricum – Dutch paintings from the 20th Century);
- – Galerie Tanakaya (Paris – Japanese prints and antiquities);
- – M. F. Toninelli Art Moderne (Monaco – modern art).
8 Galleries from Switzerland
– Cortesi Gallery (Lugano, CH / Milano IT / London UK ) – Modern and contemporary Art – Galerie von Vertes (Zurich) – Modern and contemporary Art
– Bailly Gallery (Geneva) – Modern and contemporary Art
– Galerie De Jonckheere (Geneva) – Old and modern Masters
– Galerie Grand-Rue Marie-Laure Rondeau (Geneva) Art from the 18th and 19th C.
– Opera Gallery (Geneva) – Modern and contemporary Art
– Galerie Schifferli (Geneva) – Art from the 20th C.
– Simon Studer Art Associés (Geneva) – Impressionist, modern and contemporary Art
Brafa, which covers twenty art disciplines ranging from archaeology to contemporary art, also strives to maintain an internal balance between each of these very diverse specialities, to ensure the art fair is as representative as possible. While the number of modern and contemporary artworks at this art fair, which has traditionally focused on ancient art, has definitely increased in recent years, ancient art is still very well represented and has a prominent presence at the fair. Just under half of the newcomers this year specialise in this category, including classical archaeology, old masters, furniture and artefacts. This reality is also indicative of the organisers’ intention to maintain a strong and competitive ancient art offering.
There is one major change compared with previous years. This year, the art fair will be open to the public from Sunday (26 January) till Sunday 2 February. The shorter duration should only have a limited impact on the number of visitors, of which Brafa had a record number last year (66,000 visitors, a new record, for the fifth consecutive year). Finally, 2020 is also an important anniversary for Brafa as this is the 65th year that the art fair is being organised. The anniversary will be celebrated with a unique and original event, to be announced soon by the organisers…
Enjoy even more @ Brafa Art Fair 2020