Brafa, Belgium’s premier artwork and antiques honest, is likely one of the few such occasions to truly develop this yr. Its 71st version, which runs from 25 to 1 February following two preview days, boasts 147 exhibitors, 23 of them new. It has expanded bodily too, now incorporating a 3rd corridor, which homes a spread of eateries, from an oyster bar to wonderful eating.
Held in Nineteen Thirties Brussels Expo conference centre, within the north of the Belgian capital, its location “is superb for Flemish patrons, who’re main collectors: they will are available in on the motorway, park simply and never get snarled up in Brussels visitors,” famous one exhibitor at yesterday’s Collectors’ Preview (23 February).
Whereas most specialities are coated, comprising design, jewelry, tribal artwork and archaeology, the primary thrust is portray, from Outdated Masters to Fashionable artwork. Inevitably, Belgian artists are featured extensively, together with Hans Op de Beeck, Joseph Lacasse, Paul Delvaux and lots of others. Thickly impastoed works by Bram Bogart are showcased all through the honest, notably at Whitford Fantastic Artwork and Samuel Vanhoegaerden amongst many others. Early Twentieth-century French artists are a lot in proof: Serge Poliakoff, Victor Vasarely, Bernard Buffet and swathes of post-Impressionist names. With Paris simply an hour and a half away by prepare, French patrons additionally discover it simple to go to Brafa.
Peter Paul Rubens, Portrait of an Outdated Man (round 1609), proven by Klaas Muller at Brafa 2026
Courtesy of Brafa © Luk Vander Plaetse
Within the Outdated Grasp part, a stand-out is the newly rediscovered Peter Paul Rubens, Portrait of an Outdated Man, about 1609, proven by Klaas Muller, who can be the Brafa chairman. Used as a mannequin for different works, the portrait is by the hand of Rubens, in response to Muller, who discovered it at public sale two years in the past and recognised it as by the artist. It’s priced at over €1m. Evert Douwes has a bunch of Rembrandt etchings together with Self-Portrait in a Cap, Broad-Eyed and Open-Mouthed, 1630.
The honest opened with a splashy and really social dinner, not terribly conducive to purchasing, however Brafa is a protracted honest—9 days—and on the opening day sellers had been assured that curiosity could be transformed into gross sales by the week.
Amongst early gross sales was the woolly mammoth head from Siberia, round 50,000 years previous and tagged at €45,000, which Stone gallery positioned instantly with a personal European collector. Nonetheless “Child Jane”, a dinosaur head provided by Grusenmeyer-Woliner and superbly mounted on an out of doors wall, didn’t promote instantly. Its whisper worth is within the area of €500,000 to €600,000 but it surely had beforehand appeared at a Christie’s public sale three years in the past, the place it had didn’t promote.
Greta Meert shortly bought a big dimpled white work by Enrico Castellani to a European museum at about €500,000, and in addition waved goodbye to a small work by the conceptual artist Edith Dekyndt. The French seller Nicolas Bourriaud, amongst plenty of gross sales, positioned a big bronze bison by Jacq Orlande Sinapi.
A brand new exhibitor is the Dusseldorf gallery Beck and Eggeling, displaying basic trendy work by Heinz Mack, Max Ernst, Manolo Valdés and others. Director Katja Ott mentioned the gallery is a longtime exhibitor at Tefaf Maastricht. “For years Brafa had additionally requested us to exhibit right here, so this yr we determined to make the leap. We want to attain extra Belgian collectors, which is one motive now we have made the choice to take part.” Whereas on the second day the gallery had not but finalised any gross sales, she was very optimistic. “As we are saying in German, ‘the music is sweet’, now we have a lot of curiosity and I’m positive the honest will finish properly for us.”
