With the holidays over, one of the most admired and respected fine art fairs that is held in Brussels is about to start.
This year’s edition of the Brussels Art Fair runs from January 25 through February 1 at the Brussels Expo. BRAFA’s international reputation is the result of its impeccably vetted art treasures that are presented by world-renowned dealers and gallerists. It follows one of the strictest vetting processes for its 149 exhibitors. A panel of 100 independent experts, checks by the Art Loss Register, and the services of a scientific laboratory are part of the process before anything hits the fair floor.
Highly styled booths display museum-quality, collectable works of art spanning antiquity to the present day and also provide chic interior design ideas. This fair is the equivalent of a visual history that captures civilization’s evolution through art that is presented in a very sophisticated environment.
One highlight to be presented to the public for the first time is a sketch by Peter Paul Rubens, long considered lost. Portrait of an Old Man was rediscovered by Belgian Old Masters dealer and BRAFA chairman Klaas Muller. The vigorous yet precise brush stroke, exceptional virtuosity, and the characteristic use of paper mounted on panel were the starting point for a thorough historical analysis and study of Rubens’ works of art. The depicted face has been identified as that of a model frequently used by Rubens in the Saint Thomas in the Apostles series and as Melchior in The Adoration of the Magi.
Furniture in all its forms and from significant epochs will be in the spotlight. From Brussels, Galerie Haesaerts-le Grelle makes its BRAFA debut with a presentation devoted to Gustave Serrurier-Bovy (Liège, 1858–1910), a visionary of modernist design and a precursor of Art Nouveau in Belgium. Look for an oak library bench that was presented at the second edition of the Libre Esthétique in 1895 (a copy of which is now kept at the Musée d’Orsay).
At the crossroads between modern and contemporary art, Brussels’ Virginie Devillez Fine Art is joining BRAFA. She brings together works by major 20th-century painters such as René Magritte, Pierre-Louis Flouquet, and Gustave De Smet. Treasures from Paris’ Pron include ceramics by Jean Cocteau and Fausto Melotti, glass sculptures by Max Ernst and Pablo Picasso, paintings by the Belgian artist Gommaar Gilliams, and tapestries by Maurizio Donzelli.
(Virginie Devillez Fine Art: René Magritte (Lessines, 1898-1967 Brussels), Le Prince charmant, 1948. Gouache on paper)
Galleries returning to BRAFA after a brief hiatus include two from Monte Carlo. Maison D’Art, founded in 1997, is renowned for its expertise in Old Masters from the thirteenth to the eighteenth century. Véronique Bamps will be exhibiting European and American jewelry dating from the nineteenth century to the 1950s.
Visitors to this 71st edition of BRAFA will experience a new layout to accommodate the needs of a dynamic and rapidly growing fair. A new space in Hall 8 includes a variety of high-level culinary experiences from brasserie classics to sushi and Italian cuisine. And don’t be surprised if you see uniformed wait staff carrying silver trays with Champagne and macarons during some of the opening hours. It’s all part of the BRAFA experience.
Now the only question is, to buy or not to buy!
