IN CELEBRATION OF THE 65TH BRAFA, THE ART FAIR IS ORGANIZING A CHARITY AUCTION OF FIVE SEGMENTS OF THE BERLIN WALL
The 65th BRAFA art fair, which will take place from 26 January until 2 February 2020, will be celebrated in a highly original manner with the exclusive exhibition and sale of five segments of the Berlin Wall.
The proceeds from the sale will be split among five beneficiaries (associations and museums) in the areas of cancer research, the social integration of people with disabilities and the preservation of art heritage. This initiative is only possible due to BRAFA’s nonprofit status which it has retained for 65 years and allows for greater investment in the arts and support of other non-profit organizations.
BRAFA’s visitors have come to expect a different guest of honour every year. These have included international museums, foundations and artists, who have all added their own unique touch to the event.
In 2020, the art fair is choosing an innovative approach, launching an unusual initiative on the occasion of the 65th BRAFA in the form of a charity sale of original segments of the Berlin Wall.
These segments were already acquired in 2018, in anticipation of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 2019. They were taken from the Hinterlandmauer, or the 68-km ‘inner wall’ that blocked off the border strip to East Berlin. The segments were dismantled by the armed forces of the former German Democratic Republic, or East Germany, during the demolition works following the fall of the Berlin Wall.
They were subsequently acquired and re-used by a public works company that is based in a Berlin suburb. The segments, which are 3.8 m tall and 1.2 m wide, weighing 3.6 tons each, feature graffiti on both sides by anonymous street artists from different periods.
The five segments will be exhibited in the art fair’s main hall and will be sold at the charity auction, which is open to BRAFA visitors for the duration of the fair. The proceeds from the sale will be split among five charities.
Firstly, in the area of cancer research, to Télévie, a campaign by Belgian TV channel RTL-TVI and the nonprofit organization Kom op tegen Kanker. Secondly, an organization that promotes the social integration of people with disabilities, with CAP48, a charity campaign by Belgian TV channel RTBF and the nonprofit organization Hart voor Handicap.
In the area of art heritage preservation, we have decided to support two projects by the Art&History Museum (Cinquantenaire): a new gallery for the pre-Columbian mummies, and if the museum is able to raise the funds for this project, the restoration and installation of Victor Horta’s winter garden for Jean Cousin in a museum gallery that is dedicated to Art Nouveau.
This initiative is completely in line with the spirit of BRAFA, as it is organized by a non profit organization rather than a trading company. This particularity, which sets BRAFA apart from other major art fairs, also inspired the idea behind this event to a large extent.
BRAFA’s objective is not to make a profit but to organize an outstanding art fair, with the best dealers and the most beautiful art objects that are currently available on the market. As Belgium’s leading art event, the fair also aims to attract a maximum number of collectors and international visitors.
