A to-scale dollhouse of Rembrandt’s house, a monumental 17th-century Mughal elephant sculpture, one of the oldest known maps of Europe—these could only be the offerings of TEFAF Maastricht. The fair kicked off its 38th edition at the MECC Center in the southern Dutch city with its VIP day on March 12.
TEFAF Maastricht, known for its vast historical scope—organizers claim it platforms works spanning “7,000 years of art history”—is the largest and most prestigious fair of its kind, with a steadfast reputation as the premier marketplace for museum-quality antiquities, 20th-century masterworks, Old Masters, and decorative arts.
The VIP day unfolded as a typically stylish and busy affair. Oyster shuckers and trays of wine sustained a mostly European crowd as they perused the aisles in an atmosphere that felt relaxed rather than rushed. Running until March 19, TEFAF is more marathon than sprint, and dealers appeared in little hurry to close transactions at the frenetic pace associated with many major blue-chip art fairs. Greetings were as likely to be la bise as a business handshake.
The VIP day unfolded as a typically stylish and busy affair. Oyster shuckers and trays of wine sustained a mostly European crowd as they perused the aisles in an atmosphere that felt relaxed rather than rushed. Running until March 19, TEFAF is more marathon than sprint, and dealers appeared in little hurry to close transactions at the frenetic pace associated with many major blue-chip art fairs. Greetings were as likely to be la bise as a business handshake.
With some 277 dealers from 24 countries present at TEFAF Maastricht 2026, only Art Basel’s flagship Basel fair—widely recognized as the world’s leading art fair—hosts more exhibitors. TEFAF’s clout, however, lies in its rigor: The fair is unparalleled for the vetting process each work on view must undergo, as well as the concentration of exceptional historical value and quality. The fair remains an essential destination for global institutions, private collectors, and the wider international art market.
Among the art historical rarities on view this year are a trio of works by the Gentileschis (two by Artemisia and one by her father Orazio), an early Diego Velázquez, a set of Francisco de Goya etchings once owned by the van Gogh family, and a Christ as Salvator Mundi from the workshop of Leonardo da Vinci.
Ladies Hats – Hennie, 1985
Erwin Olaf
Galerie Ron Mandos
Flower, 1983
Robert Mapplethorpe
Galerie Thomas Schulte
Still, the fair’s relentless focus on quality may position it well for the current market. Dealers arriving in Maastricht are navigating a more cautious art trade, in which selectivity at the top end has become the mood of the moment. In that environment, TEFAF’s emphasis on rarity, scholarship, and connoisseurship feels more relevant than ever.
Here, we select six outstanding artworks from TEFAF Maastricht 2026.
Berthe Morisot, Jeune fille au chien, 1892
Presented by M.S. Rau
Price: $4.45 million
Jeune fille au chien, 1892
Berthe Morisot
M.S. Rau
Rendered in loose, luminous brushstrokes, Berthe Morisot’s Jeune fille au chien (1892) is a highlight of New Orleans gallery M.S. Rau’s standout booth.
Morisot was a central figure of Impressionism, exhibiting in many of the movement’s landmark shows alongside Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Yet for much of the 20th century, her contributions were overshadowed by those of her male peers.
“Some artists create masterpieces. Others lead revolutions. Berthe Morisot did both,” said the gallery’s director, Bill Rau. “As a pioneering figure of Impressionism, she helped redefine modern painting through radical technique and vision—a remarkable achievement for a woman in the male-dominated 19th-century art world.”
In scenes drawn from the gardens, interiors, and social worlds she inhabited, Morisot transformed everyday moments into intimate studies. Jeune fille au chien was painted late in her career, shortly after her first retrospective and the death of her husband. “She threw herself into her art to help with grief, and this work has all the passion, sensitivity, and spontaneity that make Morisot such a compelling artist,” Rau added.
Helen Frankenthaler, Spring Run I, from Spring Run Series, 1996
Presented by Lyndsey Ingram
Price: $182,000
Lyndsey Ingram’s booth radiates color across the TEFAF aisles thanks to a striking selection of prints by Abstract Expressionist Helen Frankenthaler, which make up the bulk of its presentation.
Tucked around the corner, Spring Run I (1996)—the booth’s only monoprint—exemplifies the fluid, luminous abstraction that defined her painting career. Pools of soft blues, greens, and earthy tones bleed across the surface, forming washes of color that seem to float on the paper.
“The work exemplifies her painterly freedom on paper,” said gallery founder Lyndsey Ingram. “Frankenthaler was a prolific proofer, known for making many iterations before arriving at a final image. Spring Run I captures that process, turning the stages of printmaking into a unique work in its own right.”
Increasingly recognized as a pivotal figure in postwar American painting, Frankenthaler’s influence continues to resonate today—and this booth of outstanding works shows why.
Claude Monet, L’église de Vernon, temps gris and Église de Vernon, Soleil, both 1894
Presented by Alon Zakaim Fine Art
Price: £20 million ($26.83 million)
London dealer Alon Zakaim is known for his deep knowledge of Claude Monet, but he has outdone himself with a pairing of two paintings from the same series—so closely related they are numbered consecutively in the artist’s catalogue raisonné.
“For the first time in 130 years, these works have been brought back together,” said Zakaim, who is selling the works as a pair. “Painted at the height of his career in 1894, they belong to a small, focused series of just seven works.”
Monet painted the church at Vernon repeatedly in the early 1890s, captivated by how shifting light transformed its stone façade throughout the day. In this pair, the same Gothic structure appears under dramatically different conditions: One subdued and silvery beneath a gray sky, the other warmed by bright sunlight. Seen together, the works become a fascinating study in perception—a typically TEFAF treat and among the most talked-about pieces of the fair.
Zaha Hadid, Double Seat Bench “UltraStellar,” 2016
Presented by David Gill Gallery
Price: €86,000 ($116,000)
Double Seat Bench 'UltraStellar', 2016
Zaha Hadid
David Gill Gallery
TEFAF’s design section—where drastically different periods and styles often commingle within the same booth—sparks immense interior design inspiration, even for the most seasoned aesthetes. Zaha Hadid’s Double Seat Bench “UltraStellar” (2016) was one of the more modern masterworks drawing attention on the fair’s VIP day.
Transforming a familiar object into a sculptural form, the late, legendary architect designed this bench that flows outward in two opposing directions. It belongs to Hadid’s final collection for the design stalwart David Gill Gallery. “The whole collection was created in wood, which was very different from the first two collections, which were in aluminum and acrylic,” said Maria Garmaeva, a director at the gallery. “This work very much returns to nature and was designed shortly before her passing.”
Though best known for her buildings, Hadid frequently explored furniture and objects as extensions of her architectural practice. The bench’s futuristic yet organic form recalls the fluid lines that defined her buildings, like the London Aquatics Centre and the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul.
Henry Moore, Figure, 1932
Presented by Osborne Samuel
Price: €950,000–€1 million ($1.09 million–$1.16 million)
Figure, 1932
Henry Moore
Osborne Samuel
Wood pieces are rare in the illustrious career of Henry Moore—so rare that Osborne Samuel, leading specialists in the sculptor, say it has only worked with a handful over the years. The pint-sized Figure (1932) rewards close inspection: Moore traces the grain of the beechwood, distilling the small figure into a series of swelling, simplified forms. The torso and limbs merge into smooth volumes, while the rich surface retains a tactile warmth.
“He’s taken something which looks, at first glance, relatively inanimate, and created something figurative from it,” said gallery co-founder, Peter Osborne.
One of the 20th-century’s most influential sculptors, Moore is also enjoying a notable posthumous moment. Last week, King and Queen (1952–53) set a new auction record for the artist, and the largest-ever outdoor exhibition of his work is set to open in London this summer. Figure, made early in his career, offers hints of the sensibilities that would define his later monumental works: rounded contours that suggest anatomy while also recalling pebbles, bones, or weathered landscapes.
