2001 Ad

Magazine Antiques, Feb, 2001 by Miriam Kramer

The European Fine Art Fair, held in Maastricht, the Netherlands, every March makes this charming city a beacon for art lovers and collectors from around the world. This year the fair, which will be held from March 10 to 18, comprises 197 art and antiques dealers. The installation has been redesigned by the sculptor, architect, and designer Tom Postma of Amsterdam.

A special exhibition has been organized to coincide with the fair. It is on view at the Bonne-fantenmuseum and consists of sixty-five paintings that were in the collection of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II (r. 1576-1612). Rudolf was renowned in his own lifetime as an accomplished art connoisseur and an acquisitive collector not only of paintings but of many other rarities. His court at Prague was a haven for accomplished artists living all over Europe, many of whom enjoyed the ruler's patronage. Most of the paintings in the exhibition, by artists such as Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto, Reni, Rubens, and Cranach, have never left their original location in Hradany Castle in Prague, making the museum a special destination for visitors to Maastricht next month.