Italian Galleries at TEFAF Maastricht 2023: A Strong Presence

The 36th edition of TEFAF Maastricht, held at the MECC, features over 260 galleries, including 13 debutants. Among them are two Italian newcomers: Berardi Galleria d’Arte from Rome and Caterina Tognon Arte Contemporanea from Venice, bringing the total Italian participation to 22 galleries. Alessandra Di Castro, the only Italian gallerist on TEFAF’s Executive Committee, presents a focus on Italian minute mosaic from the 18th and 19th centuries, with a dedicated catalogue titled 'Pitture in mosaico'. Notable highlights include Matteo Salamon’s booth featuring a Lucio Fontana glass work alongside views of Guardi and Canaletto; Lisson Gallery showing Anish Kapoor’s 2020 Afghan pink onyx sculpture; Matteo Lampertico exhibiting Alberto Burri’s 1973 'Cretto bianco'; and Galleria Continua displaying Ai Weiwei’s black Murano glass chandelier assembled from human skulls, skeletons, animal bones, internal organs, and crabs. Antonacci Lapiccirella Fine Art presents Giacomo Balla’s four-canvas work 'Le Quattro Stagioni' (1939–40), shown for the first time in Maastricht, and a 'Grande Biblioteca' by François Linke made for the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle. In the Showcase section for young talents, Italian Miriam Di Penta Fine Arts participates. Ambrose Naumann Fine Art (USA) updates the still-life focus. The fair opened with strong collector attendance during early access on March 9–10.