Dickinson does TEFAF 2020
"We all fantasise about discovering a Van Gogh, although it virtually always remains a dream. But in the 1960s, it actually happened, when an Italian resident in north London bought a picture from a junk shop for £45."
- Martin Bailey, The Art Newspaper
As TEFAF 2020 kicked off in Maastricht in early March, Dickinson Gallery returned for their 22nd edition with an impressive exhibition of Old Masters through Impressionists, to Modern and Contemporary works. This was the 5th TEFAF that Branch Arts has worked with Dickinson who also regularly exhibit at Frieze Masters & Masterpiece and consistently raises the bar with highlight works or carefully curated stands.
2020 was no different. Dickinson's Stand 402 was led by Vincent Van Gogh's Paysanne Devant une Chaumiere (Peasant Woman in front of a farmhouse), late July 1855. The Branch Arts team enjoyed a sneak preview of this large and strangely bright oil before it left for Holland. Managing Director, Emma Ward has a way of bringing it alive with her passion.
In the build up to the Fair, the painting certainly caught people’s attention and we were delighted to be dealing with international press enquiries as far and wide as Brazil, Australia and the US. Martin Bailey’s own insights in The Art Newspaper shed new light on the mystery behind the painting, which went on to sell to a private collector at TEFAF.
Behind the scenes we have worked closely with the Dickinson team on a proactive social media campaign which also marked a new formula for the gallery. The gallery are now producing beautifully curated insight films which take the viewer on an expert’s discovery of individual pieces. Their own promotional film was similar to a nice interview by Helen Rosslyn who interviewed Director, James Roundell for Tatler:
On 11 March, COVID-19 Coronavirus stole the show. TEFAF Maastricht was closed early, signalling a new era for the art world. Dickinson’s team left the fair.
“We would like to thank the staff for their professionalism and efforts to keep things going despite the circumstances; all our visitors and clients for attending; and our team and colleagues for supporting us.”
Since first working with Dickinson for the inaugural Frieze Masters in 2012, we have so enjoyed the insights into the art market and expertise of this established gallery. As the world faces the new challenge posed by a pandemic, the sale of Paysanne Devant une Chaumiere might remind us that creativity and art can ride out the storms.