27 Jan TEFAF Pushes Its Maastricht Fair to September as the 2021 Art Fair Calendar Continues to Reshuffle

Source Credit: Images and content by Caroline Goldstein. See the original article here - https://news.artnet.com/art-world/2021-artfair-postpone-tefaf-1939920

The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) is the latest international art event to shift its 2021 calendar as the global health crisis continues to surge.

TEFAF’s Maastricht fair, which typically takes place in March, was first postponed until May and now has been moved to September 11–19 (with preview days on September 9–10), and will be accompanied by an online presentation. The fair’s spring edition in New York, which was slated for May 7–10, has been cancelled and hopes to return in 2022.

“The unpredictability and endurance of the pandemic has cast a new light on our work and our lives over the past year,” said TEFAF chairman Hidde van Seggelen in a statement. “We are confident our decision to postpone TEFAF Maastricht to September 2021 will create the opportunity for both a physical and online fair this year, serving our community and the art world in the best possible and safest way.”

In 2020, TEFAF closed its show in the Netherlands early after an exhibitor tested positive for the virus, and many other exhibitors soon reported symptoms, causing widespread criticism of the fair’s organizers.

TEFAF’s new dates in September will immediately precede Art Basel’s Swiss edition, which announced its revised dates last week. It will now take place on September 23–26, with VIP days beginning September 21. (For those keeping track, Artnet News resident soothsayer Tim Schneider saw this calendar slippage coming, predicting that Art Basel would postpone its flagship event.)

Other fairs are also reconsidering previously announced dates as vaccination rollout plans are stymied by logistical issues and travel restrictions are put in place. Photo London, originally set to open in May has also joined the now-crowded September lineup, announcing it will open at Somerset House from September 9 through 12.

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Source Credit: Images and content by Caroline Goldstein. See the original article here - https://news.artnet.com/art-world/2021-artfair-postpone-tefaf-1939920