An English late 18th century cabinet on stand priced in the region of €160,000 with Ralph Gierhards at BRAFA.
For the third year running it will be staged at Brussels Expo, the exhibition centre where it has now firmly found its feet.
There will be 132 exhibitors from 14 different countries, largely from Belgium and across Europe, 20 of whom are new exhibitors.
This fair covers a wide range of different collecting categories from Antiquities to Haute Epoque, Kunsthammer pieces and tribal art, Old Masters through to modern and Contemporary art as well as Asian art, books, antique silver and ceramics.
There is an annual focus for the fair which this year puts the spotlight on Surrealism in acknowledgement of the 100th anniversary of the birth of this artistic and literary movement with the publication of André Breton’s Surrealist Manifesto in 1924.
Another annual feature of BRAFA is a guest of honour. This year it is the Paul Delvaux Foundation which is dedicated to the work of this Belgian painter and will be presenting an exhibition of his work from the Paul Delvaux Museum in Saint-Idesbald to mark the 30th anniversary of his death in 1994. Pictured here is a small selection of works that will be on show at the fair offering a snapshot of some of the different disciplines on offer.
Further information can be found on the website brafa.art
Preview of items coming to BRAFA
A new BRAFA exhibitor, Ralph Gierhards from Dusseldorf, will be taking a selection of classic antique furniture, sculpture, works of art and paintings to the fair this year. They include this English late 18th century cabinet on stand (pictured top) set to the front with 11 late 17th century Florentine pietre dure and pietre tenere mosaic panels of landscapes.
The cabinet, which measures 2ft 1½in x (65cm) high x 2ft 6in (76cm) wide, is a typical example of the incorporation of Grand Tour mosaic souvenirs from the Grand Ducal Workshops in Florence into English cabinetmaking. It was formerly part of the celebrated Gilbert Collection and is published in The Gilbert Collection Hardstones.
It is priced in the region of €160,000.
Alésia ou Les Captives by Paul Delvaux with Guy Pieters Gallery priced between €350,000-450,000 at BRAFA.
Image copyright: Foundation Paul Delvaux, Belgium/SABAM, 2023-24
With the Paul Delvaux Foundation as BRAFA’s guest of honour, showcasing a non-selling exhibition of his works, it is not surprising to see a number of exhibitors offering the opportunity to buy works by the famous Belgian artist.
Pictured here is Alésia ou Les Captives. This large watercolour and ink on paper from 1973 measuring 2ft x 3ft 3in (60cm x 1m) will be on sale on the stand of Guy Pieters Gallery from Knokke. It comes with a certificate of authenticity by the Paul Delvaux Foundation from 1985 and will be priced between €350,000-450,000.
An etching by Rembrandt with Douwes Fine Art, €52,000 at BRAFA.
Douwes Fine Art, based in London and Amsterdam, is a dealership trading in painting, sculpture and works on paper, with a particular focus on Flemish, Dutch, French, Russian and Chinese cultures and a speciality in original lifetime Rembrandt prints. This etching by Rembrandt is among the works shown at this year’s BRAFA. Self-portrait with curly hair and white collar bust, from c.1630, measures 2¼ x 2in (5.5 x 5cm) and is signed centre right with a monogram.
It is priced at €52,000
A pair of brass head sculptures from c.1981 by the Austrian firm of Hagenauer with Florian Kolhhammer at BRAFA, €48,000.
This pair of brass head sculptures from c.1981 by the Austrian firm of Hagenauer will be part of the stand display at BRAFA of Florian Kolhhammer, from Vienna which specialises in Jugendstil and Art Nouveau and Deco to Mid-century works of art. Designed by Franz Hagenauer, the heads are in cast, soldered, nickel-plated and polished metal, measure 18 x 19in (46 x 49cm) and each is marked FRANZ handmade Hagenauer/Wien Made in Austria and wHw in a circle.
They are priced at €48,000.
One of a pair of Carrara marble cherubs by the Italian baroque sculptor Giovanni Baratta (1670-1747) offered at BRAFA by Galleria Romigioli for around €350,000.
New BRAFA exhibitor Galleria Romigioli from Milan, specialising in Haute Epoque paintings, sculpture and works of art, will be taking a pair of Carrara marble cherubs to the event. They were made by the Italian baroque sculptor Giovanni Baratta (1670-1747), stand 2ft 4in (72cm) high, and formed part of the now lost high altar of the Church of Santa Trinita in Florence which was dismantled in 1892. Their large size is due to the fact that they were placed at the highest part of the altar.
They are priced at around €350,000.
A gouache and pastel on paper Fire (3) by the artist Yayoi Kusama (b.1929) offered at BRAFA by Stern Pissarro Gallery for around €200,000-300,000.
London dealership Stern Pissarro Gallery specialises in Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary art.
Among the works it is showing at BRAFA this January will be this gouache and pastel on paper Fire (3) by the artist Yayoi Kusama (b.1929). The 11 x 8in (28 x 20cm) work, which is signed titled and dated 1952 on the reverse, has a provenance to Christiaan Paul Damsté, Amsterdam, (a gift from the artist); a private collection in London; Anthony Meier Fine Arts, San Francisco; another private collection in Canada and a private collection in Japan.
It is priced around €200,000-300,000.
A 17th century oil on canvas by the Spanish Baroque master Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664) with Nicolas Cortés gallery at BRAFA, priced in the region of €5m.
New to BRAFA this year is the Madrid dealership Nicolas Cortés gallery which specialises in Old Master paintings and sculpture and Latin American Art.
It will be taking this 17th century oil on canvas by the Spanish Baroque master Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664). Measuring 2ft x 2ft 8in (62.5 x 82.5cm), Still Life of Lent shows a range of objects emerging from a shadowy background in the artist’s characteristic Caravaggesque style making much use of chiaroscuro. Intensive scientific examination has uncovered Zurbarán’s signature hidden beneath layers of the canvas.
The painting comes with a notable provenance. It was once part of the collection of Cardinal Despuig (1745-1813), the son of the Count and Countess of Montenegro y Montoro. During Napoleon’s annexation of the Pontifical States to the French Empire, Despuig faced arrest and was transported to Paris, leaving behind this artwork. Astonishingly, Still Life of Lent remained within the Despuig family’s collection throughout the centuries. From 1972 it was in the Truyols collection, Palma de Mallorca.
BRAFA it is offered for a price in the region of €5m.
A pair of 11in (27.5cm) high swans, a c.1748 model by JJ Kändler and his assistant Pieter Reinicke made and decorated c.1750-55 with Röbbig priced at €140,000 at BRAFA.
The Munich dealership Röbbig specialises in fine antique German porcelain as well as antique furniture and paintings.
Meissen is a speciality and among the pieces Röbbig will be taking to BRAFA is this pair of 11in (27.5cm) high swans, a c.1748 model by JJ Kändler and his assistant Pieter Reinicke made and decorated c.1750-55. Models of swans were favoured as table decorations especially in connection with table fountains and are mentioned in the extensive Meissen inventory of Count van Bruhl, the prime minister of Saxony.
The swans are priced at €140,000.
Civilisations Brussels Art Fair
While the BRAFA art fair is being staged at Brussels Expo, a gallery-based event titled Civilisations Brussels Art Fair, will be taking place in the Sablon district of Brussels, an area known for its high concentration of art and antiques galleries.
From January 24-28 exhibitors will be showing a mix of Tribal, Asian and Oriental art
There are around 25 international exhibitors, most of whom have taken space in local galleries for the occasion.
Civilisations is accompanied by a digital catalogue and a detailed guide map will be available within each participating gallery.
