Spanish art and antiques fair holds 27th show

Art Business News, Feb, 2004

MADRID -- Feriarte, the International Art and Antiques Fair, held its 27th edition at the Juan Carlos I Exhibition Centre here in late November. Fair organizers reported a total of 6,317 pieces sold, a figure slightly higher than the previous year's results. The total number of visitors totalled 37,147.

Feriarte featured 200 antique dealers and gallery owners from Spain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Argentina and Switzerland, which provided art to collectors, experts, decorators and the general public.

Items offered by exhibitors at the fair included pieces of furniture, archaeological finds, paintings--both old and contemporary--sculpture, jewelry, watches, religious art, Oriental art, African art, porcelain, lamps and silverware.

In the category of paintings, Feriarte E exhibited works by a number of modern artists, such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Salvador Dali, Fernando Botero, Antoni Clave and Miguel Barcelo, and older artists, such as Juan de Arellano and Jan Brueghel.

Feriarte relied on a panel of experts in the various artistic fields represented at the fair to check and survey the pieces before the fair opening. These experts guaranteed that the pieces offered at the show met certain standards of antiquity, quality and authorized degree of restoration.

During the course of Feriarte, a new Masters in Antiques and Works of Art degree was announced, the first officially recognized degree of its kind in Spain. The Masters course began in January as part of the academic programme at the University of Alcala de Henares.

The next edition of Feriarte will take place Nov. 27 to Dec. 5, 2004, at the Juan Carlos I Exhibition Centre. For more information, call 34 91 722 50 00.