BRAFA is back, baby
The first big art fair of the year kicks off this weekend.
Reading time: 3 minutes.
Belgium’s Antiques and Fine Art Fair (BRAFA), one of the biggest and oldest art fairs in Europe, opens today.
It will stay on at Brussels Expo (near the Atomium) until next Sunday, February 2nd. A series of talks on various topics, from cultural heritage to how to tell if an artwork is fake, will be held daily.
Here are the basics:
BRAFA shows a wide range of art, from ancient times to Old Masters, to Modern (there’s always at least one Warhol around) all the way to contemporary art.
The layout is not divided into sections, meaning you can turn a corner and see a booth filled with antique vases next to one with 21st century video art. It’s intriguing, if a bit strange. This design is meant to welcome surprises and encourage visitors to explore.
The invited guest this year is Portuguese artist Joanna Vasconcelos; her sculptures can be seen around the fair (as pictured below).
Some 130 galleries, most based outside Belgium, are showing pieces selected after an extended vetting process.
As with any art fair, the vast majority of visitors will not be making any purchases but rather taking this opportunity to see a whole lot of art in one go. Maps are given at the entrance to guide you through the maze and help you find nourishment.
Giveaway: I have an invitation for 2 people to hand out. If you want it, let me know by replying to this email.
This year marks the fair’s 70th anniversary, which is quite a big deal. A timeline showcasing the fair’s history can be seen near the entrance. It’s quite brief and interesting.
For context, it was only about 20 years ago that the world saw a boom in the amount of art fairs worldwide. The oldest contemporary art fair, Art Cologne, is 56 years old — so the fact that BRAFA has been around for seven decades (and even withstood the pandemic) is quite remarkable.
Here are the booths I recommend:
De Zutter (based in Knokke) had some interesting contemporary art, peppered with well-known names.
Galerie Florence de Voldère (based in Paris) has a particularly soothing lighting design, quite dark overall with spotlights well placed to shine solely on the paitings themselves. This makes sense for a booth showing Old Master paintings (think Bruegel and co.), which were not meant to be seen under fluorescent light and are often better served by a darker room.
Thomas Deprez Fine Art has a beautiful Art Nouveau sculpture on display, that used to be in the infamous Hôtel Aubecq. The building was considered architect Victor Horta’s masterpiece, but was tragically demolished during the 1950s.
Once there, you can find their location via the map.
If you go, I’d love to hear your thoughts. What were your favorites? Was it crowded? How long did you last before your legs stopped working?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
What (else) is going on?
Ceramic Brussels, a new fair only in its second ever edition, is on through the weekend at Tour & Taxis. It shows playful new works and can be seen in its entirety in about an hour.
The Belgian Comic Strip Museum has an interesting temporary exhibit going on, focused on comics based on true stories. “Following in the footsteps of the graphic journalists who paved the way,” the website says, “comic reportage has been developing for over twenty years.”
The Affordable Art Fair is coming up on February 5th.
The Bright Festival, which makes for a lovely new way of seeing the city, is coming up as well in February.
What better way to pass a rainy weekend than indoors, looking at art?
Speak soon,
Ana