BRAFA 2024, a guarantee of quality for art lovers

132 galleries of 14 countries at BRAFA 2024, @Brussels Expo, 28/1-4/2.

BRAFA, one of the highest-quality international fairs in Europe, renown for selecting excellent exhibitors, is preparing its 69^th edition which will take place from Sunday, January 28^th to Sunday, February 4^th, 2024 at Brussels Expo in Halls 3 & 4.
The Fair, of which Excellence Magazine is media partner, counts 132 the galleries from 14 countries that will offer a range of specialities from Antiquity to contemporary art.

Didier Claes, Vice-Chairman of BRAFA, Non-European Art Section, explains: “For this edition, we wanted to offer an even greater diversity of specialities, whilst remaining close to the DNA of the Fair, which is first and foremost an antiques fair. As a result, in January 2024, we’ll have an appropriate balance between the different fields on display. With this dynamic, we’re seeking to attract a multi- generational audience”.

Each year new applications are carefully examined two days before the opening of the Fair by more than 80 international experts specializing in different periods and fields, checking authenticity, quality and state of conservation of the works, so that collectors can buy with complete confidence.

Francis Maere, the Vice-Chairman of BRAFA’s Modern and Contemporary Art Section, remarks: “The art market nowadays is so bountiful that it can be hard to find your way around. What sets BRAFA apart from other fairs is its seriousness, with a particular focus on quality. We’ve taken yet another step in this direction for the next edition”.

18 new exhibitors at BRAFA

In Antique Art, the Spanish Nicolás Cortés Gallery will be exhibiting European paintings and sculptures from the 15^th to the early 20^th century, including works by Zurbaran, Goya, Ribera and Murillo. Ralph Gierhards Antiques/Fine Art, a German specialist in European art from the 17^th to the 19^thcentury, will be presenting gilt bronze objects, sculptures, furniture, Old Master paintings, Impressionist paintings and Art Deco objects. The Heutink Ikonen Gallery, based in the Netherlands, will be displaying a selection of icons from the 16^th to the 19^th centuries from the Balkans, Russia, Greece, Egypt and Ethiopia. The German gallery Kunsthaus Kende will be offering antique and modern silverware, as well as contemporary creations. Two Italian galleries specializing in the Haute Epoque, Mearini Fine Art and Romigioli Antichità, will also join this edition.

The French gallery Marc Maison will be presenting 19^th century architecture, furniture and objects relating to the World’s Fairs of 1851-1900 and, for the first time, BRAFA will also be welcoming Secher Fine Art & Design, a Danish gallery specializing in modern art (CoBrA movement). In contemporary art, the French gallery Christophe Gaillard, just moved to Brussels, will be presenting works by contemporary artists as well as those active in the 60s and 90s.

2024 will also mark the return of two Parisian galleries: Galerie Kevorkian, specialized in Ancient Oriental archaeology, Islamic and Indian art, and Galerie Flak, specialized in classical art from Africa, Oceania and North America. Finally, the Belgian gallery Sofie Van de Velde will once again have a stand at the Fair at the next edition, offering a bold confrontation between modern and contemporary artists.

Also, 6 renown Swiss galleries will be presenting selected works. Bailly Gallery and Opera Gallery specialized in modern and contemporary art, Galerie De Jonckheere in old masters and modern art (Geneva), Cortesi Gallery in modern and contemporary Art as well as Repetto Gallery in postwar Italian art, Arte Povera and Land Art both from Lugano as well as Galerie Von Vertes showing modern and contemporary art (Zürich).

The full list of participating galleries at BRAFA 2024 is available here.

Spotlight on the Paul Delvaux Foundation

The Paul Delvaux Foundation will have its dedicated space as guest of honour at BRAFA 2024, presenting an exhibition that will show the major stages in the creation of the Belgian artist associated with Surrealism, a journey into the highly personal world of Delvaux, whose works, like waking dreams, feature mysterious figures, with women playing a central role, as well as the more unexpected figures of skeletons in ancient architectural settings or railway stations, which particularly fascinated the artist. The ROCAD (Royal Chamber of Art dealers in Belgium) will be exhibiting works on paper by the same artist.

BRAFA Chairman Harold t’Kint de Roodenbeke explains: “2024 will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Surrealism. In this context, the Paul Delvaux Foundation wanted to pay tribute to this great Belgian painter, Paul Delvaux, to mark the 30th anniversary of his death. The international press and foreign observers often describe Belgium as Surrealist, a term that fits perfectly with our often off-beat way of doing things”.

Camille Brasseur, the Director of the Paul Delvaux Foundation, comments: “The Foundation has seized the opportunity presented by BRAFA 2024 to take part in the Year of Surrealism and shine a spotlight on the work of the great master. BRAFA is a key event for promoting contact with the general public and collectors alike.”

Camille Brasseur, the Director of the Delvaux Foundation, will also be giving a talk devoted to the Belgian painter on Tuesday, January 30^th, 2024 as part of the BRAFA Art Talks, which will take place daily at 4pm at the stand of the King Baudouin Foundation.