The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) has announced major institutional acquisitions of artworks during the 2025 editions of TEFAF Maastricht (March 15th-20th, 2025) and TEFAF New York (May 9th-13th, 2025). These acquisitions see the 7,000 years of fine art, antiques, and design exhibited at the fairs join some of the world’s greatest public collections.
Each year, TEFAF attracts directors, curators and patrons alike to purchase works for esteemed museums and foundations around the globe. Alongside private collectors, TEFAF’s museum connections attended in high numbers with over 400 museum directors and curators and 130 patron groups from institutions that include – the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam; the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris; the Guwei Museum in Hong Kong; the National Gallery in London; the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles; the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal; the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.; the National Gallery of Ireland; the National Gallery of Canada; the Minneapolis Institute of Art; the Hong Kong Palace Museum; and the Art Institute of Chicago among others.
Antique and sculptural works sold to museums around the world include:
- Tripod (Athénienne) by Joseph Chinard (1756-1813), one of the most successful sculptors of post-Revolutionary France, which was bought by The Metropolitan Museum of Art from London-based dealer Stuart Lochhead Sculpture;
- Petrus Camper’s Miss Clara, which Kunsthandel Mehringer sold to the Rijksmuseum, where it now joins a collection of drawings depicting Clara the rhinoceros, who captivated 19th-century Europe after arriving in Rotterdam in 1741;
- Sam Fogg’s “An Ennameled Gemellion with a Horse and Rider” (c. 1250-75), a shallow bowl once used by Limougeauds for handwashing in both secular and liturgical contexts, which the Minneapolis Institute of Art bought;
- A golden pendant, sold by historic jewelry specialist Deborah Elvira to the Wawel Castle State Museum in Poland;
- “A gilt and patinated bronze sculpture” (c. 1610-1615) by Pietro Tacca, which was sold by Stuart Lochhead Sculpture to a private US collector as a gift to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco;
- A mounted tankard in porcelain and silver, and a second porcelain tankard, both acquired by the Guwei Museum in Hong Kong by Vanderven Oriental Art, one of the founding dealers of TEFAF;
- A pair of Louis XVI corner shelves, likely by the craftsman Gilles Joubert (1689-1775), which were sold by Galerie Léage to the Centre des Monuments Nationaux in France
Paintings
Of the many paintings exhibited at TEFAF, highlight pieces acquired by international institutions include:
- Self-Portrait of the Artist in his Studio by Jan Miense Molenaer (1610-68), a celebrated picture of the Dutch Golden Age, which was sold by Koetser to the National Gallery of Ireland;
- Water Reflections by the Swedish artist Gustav Fjæstad, nicknamed the ‘Master of Snow’, which was exhibited by Antonacci Lapiccirella Fine Art and has since found a new home at the National Gallery of Canada, where it will be exhibited in the exhibition Winter Count: Embracing the Cold, opening 21 November;
- Emile Bernard’s Nature morte allégorique aux fruits et au vin (1891), which was sold by Stoppenbach & Delestre to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston;
- The Entombment of Christ by Maerten van Heemskerck – the central panel of a 16th-century triptych – which was sold by Caretto & Occhinegro to the Worcester Art Museum, thereby reuniting the painting with its donor wings, which have been on long-term loan to the museum;
- Agnews’ Champ de blé, Locquirec (1902) by Félix Vallotton, which the Clark Art Institute in Massachusetts has acquired. As well as ‘Portrait of the artist before a red curtain’ by Lotte Laserstein, which was acquired by the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, Sweden;
- Max Liebermann’s Colomierstraße in Wannsee (1916), an impressionistic view of the tree-lined street beside Liebermann’s home, which was sold by Ludorff to the Cincinnati Art Museum;
- Its Home (Sa demeure) by Louis Welden Hawkins, which was sold to the Minneapolis Institute of Art by Galerie Talabardon & Gautier;
- Jean Messagier’s Les Porteurs d’arc-en-ciel (1963) and Guy de Rougemont’s Sans Titre (1967), both of which were acquired by the Fondation Gandur pour l’Art in Geneva, from Ceysson & Bénétière and Ketabi Bourdet respectively;
- Van der Meij Fine Arts’ Moonrise, by Laurits Tuxen, which was acquired by the National Museum of Archaeology, History and Art (MNAHA) in Luxembourg;
- Adoration of the Magi by Daniel Bretschneider (active 1623-1658) – a multi-layered painting on ‘Maria glass’, with an illusionistic impression of depth, which was acquired by the Art Gallery of Ontario from Kunstkammer Georg Laue;
- Pauline Pavec’s Petite vue de Sèvres (c. 1885-95) by the Impressionist painter Marie Bracquemond, which was sold to the Birmingham Museum of Art;
- Autoportrait sur fond bleu (Self-Portrait with Blue Background), an introspective work by Léon Spilliaert, was acquired by The Art Institute of Chicago from the Belgian gallerist David Levy.
Paul van den Biesen, TEFAF’s Head of Collectors and Museums, comments: “At TEFAF, museums and institutions are at the heart of what we do. Alongside the many private collectors, we are honored each year to welcome many directors, curators, and patrons from leading museums worldwide, reaffirming TEFAF’s role as a trusted platform for cultural exchange and institutional collecting. These acquisitions are not only a testament to the breadth and expertise of our exhibiting galleries but also ensure that works of art enter public collections where they can be studied, preserved, and shared with audiences for generations to come.
Our foundation’s core values are rooted in its close ties to the museum world. Museums not only collect and preserve cultural heritage but also help uphold the highest standards of vetting at the fairs. With initiatives like the TEFAF Museum Restoration Fund and the TEFAF Curator Course, TEFAF strengthens its partnership with institutions, keeping museums at the heart of its mission.”
See also: Divine Egypt at the Met
