TEFAF ONLINE PROVIDES BENEFITS FOR DEALERS AND VISITORS

An Exclusive Interview With JAN PETER VERHAGEN | Marketing And Communications Manager, TEFAF.
By Miguel Bermudez.

The year 2020 could become known as a consequential and transformative moment for the art world. Technology had been slowly making inroads into the complex and often closely guarded community of the art market’s traditional sectors.

In our interview with Jan Peter Verhagen, Marketing Communications Manager of TEFAF Global, we learn that the online art fair organized by TEFAF in New York City this past fall was an excellent example of what is to come and what cannot be replaced. These online experiences are definitely widening the audience to a worldwide reach that has been unthinkable just a few years ago. Some hints of the staggering number of online auction sales participants give us an idea of the growing interest in the art world.

During its Hong Kong evening sales, Christie’s reports that over 500,000 global viewers tuned in live to follow the auctions. Technology and wide access to high definition images, video streaming, and other tools are making the online experience as close as possible to being physically present.
There is, however, that unique and irreplaceable component that art lovers and collectors want to have in front of an art piece. The moments of discovery, the dealer/educator participation in explaining the piece, the sharing of stunning achievement of the piece’s creator are just a few elements that give a material piece its significance and human dimension.

TEFAF produced a wonderful and elegant presentation with its New York online Art Fair 2020, and we will learn from Mr. Verhagen of its plans for the upcoming Maastricht Fair and their future plans.

An Exclusive Interview With Jan Peter Verhagen
Marketing And Communications Manager, Tefaf.
By Miguel Bermudez

Meb3: Tell us about the selection of art dealers that participated in this online art fair. Were these dealers the ones that would normally have participated in the more traditional TEFAF New York Autumn Fair?
Were there more dealers interested in participating, or was the number reduced for any reason?

J. P.: The inaugural fair TEFAF Online took place in the time slot of TEFAF New York Fall 2021. As the online Fair was not bound to a specific location, we decided to invite every member of our community to showcase one highlight representing their expertise in the top segment of the art market. This resulted in a representation of a majority of our community, showcasing the strength of TEFAF with the entire breadth of our community.

Meb3: The format of the online presentation was a beautiful display of wonderful pieces of art. We noticed the introduction of “Favorites” objects now and then amongst different rows. How did you go about selecting those, and how did you come up with the idea?

J. P.: TEFAF Online stands for 7,000 years of art history, and we wanted to create functionality for visitors to discover new artworks. There was a surprise me button, where a visitor was randomly taken to an art object. We have received very good feedback from visitors and exhibitors on this functionality. One can argue that it was a digital counterpart of the discovery of new art objects/genres while visiting the 270 dealers at TEFAF.

Meb3: We know that some 30,000 visitors were online to see the Fair. Could you share with us the statistics of daily visitors, engagement time, and other relevant parameters? How does it compare with total visitors during a regular physical Fair?

J. P.: The first edition of the Fair was a success; we indeed welcomed many visitors. The majority of our visitors were located in Europe, followed closely by visitors from the USA. This was to be expected given our exhibitor community; the majority is based in Europe. Regarding the time spent on the Fair, this is difficult to compare with the physical fairs. TEFAF Maastricht is a destination fair, where collectors spent several days to meet our exhibitors, see their collections and meet with other collectors.
The New York fairs have a different flow, where collectors tend to come several times. TEFAF Online’s concept with one masterpiece created a different flow; we stimulated our visitors to get in contact with our exhibitors. Once the connection was made, this was between the visitor and exhibitor.

Meb3: What was the response that you have heard back from dealers, visitors, collectors, and art critics in general?

J. P.: We have received very positive feedback from our exhibitors, visitors, and collectors. The concept of one highlight has been very well received, as well as the design functionality and programming. An online fair cannot replace an in-person fair, and from all these groups, we have also received feedback that they are looking forward to seeing one another face to face.

Meb3: TFAF Online included art lectures and online conversations; what was the reaction to those, and will they be available online after the Fair’s conclusion?

J. P.: The lectures and VIP programming were very successful. Our cultural programming for the in-person fairs in New York was extensive; in Maastricht, we had a different focus. For TEFAF Online, we had over 2,000 registrants for our programming, which is an enormous increase compared to our former programming. We believe that this is an important and new development.
The TEFAF Talks are available via our website, as are several tours by museums and exhibitors.

Meb3: How do you see the future integration of both physical and online venues for TEFAF art fairs? Would you make lectures, conversations, catalogs, videos, and walk tours permanently accessible to the general public?

J. P.: One of the goals of TEFAF is also to share knowledge and culture, and that is enjoyed by as many people as possible. This digital innovation was fast-forwarded by the current global Pandemic, which was a crucial factor in our field. Therefore, our online fairs are here to stay and will live alongside future in-person fairs providing the possibility to share this knowledge during and after our fairs.

Meb3: One of TEFAF’s most treasured components is the strict and methodical vetting of all objects exhibited. How was it possible to vet so many pieces of art when dealers were located all over the world and would exhibit only via the web?

J. P.: One of the pillars of TEFAF is its vetting procedures. In the digital world, we needed to adapt our procedures. We have tried to provide the most thorough digital vetting procedure possible within a digital context.
Unlike works on display at physical TEFAF fairs, objects on TEFAF Online were not physically examined by our vetting committees. Our exhibitors were asked to supply us with documentation and a condition report executed by an expert. These documents have been checked diligently by our vetting committees and The Art Loss register.

Meb3: Is TEFAF Maastricht being planned as an online Fair given the current situation with the Pandemic?

J. P.: We are looking forward to an in-person fair in May/June together with an online fair.
The Executive Committee has decided to move the dates of TEFAF Maastricht 2021. Traditionally taking place in mid-March, the shortened Maastricht fair will now run in-person from May 31 through June 6, 2021, with preview days on May 29 and 30, 2021. Amid imperfect circumstances, this move is designed to allow the global art community, including TEFAF’s exhibitors, to more securely and safely come together to participate in TEFAF in-person, in the height of the European cultural season.

Meb3: Would a dealer be able to choose either to participate online only or both online and physically?

J. P.: No, exhibitors that are welcomed to participate at TEFAF Maastricht 2021 will automatically participate in TEFAF Online.

Meb3: Given the steep cost of transporting art treasures and creating spectacular exhibiting spaces, was this online Fair a more profitable one for most dealers? What about for TEFAF?

J. P.: The costs for an online fair for a dealer are much lower than joining a physical fair. Looking at the numbers in the art market, we see that sales via digital channels increase, but they are by far not the same as the numbers for in-person events. The power of an art fair is the in-person contact with the community and the artworks. In our segment of the market, this will remain crucial.

Meb3: Was there a mechanism that was put in place to gather information on those visitors, their preferences, times of engagement, actual visits to dealer’s websites, conversations with dealers, etc., that could serve as an information-gathering tool?

Read the full interview article on Art Market Magazine Issue #54