Gallery @BRAFA mdas members 2020 are dissatisfied with the action of the authorities
ARTinvestment.RU   04 марта 2020

The removal of the 34 items from the stands of the galleries right around the time the fair was regarded as an aggressive show of force

Fair BRAFA 2020, held in Brussels from 26 January to 20 February 2020, for many remember as an extremely successful event of the global art-рынка. However, several galleries — participating in the fair, specializing in primitive, pre-Columbian and antique art, the fair has caused a lot of stress and continues to keep them in suspense. Strong reactions from gallery owners caused the withdrawal process from the stand 34 pieces of Asian art, ancient Egypt and pre-Columbian America.

the President of the International Association of dealers of ancient art Vincent Girling (Vincent Geerling), commenting on this situation, The Art Newspaper, said: "what happened [at the fair], is unacceptable. The authorities came to check at a time when the fair was opened to the public. Four officers huddled around the stand, looking at all objects indiscriminately and touching them without permission. It's unheard of". It is reported that 33 out of 34 of the seized items were in the list of the 85 exhibits, which were further tested by the Committee of the fair for art and Antiques.

authentication of the object, its customs and other documents have become almost routine for many fairs, but usually they run up to the opening of the fair, away from the public. The reasons for confiscation of specific items on BRAFA 2020, as the timing of their return are still unclear. According to the organizers of the fair, who took the side of the authorities, seizure of objects from the stands of the fair — a result of the decision that they for some-то reasons are not suitable for exhibiting. It is argued that the attention of specialists, who claimed the list taken from the stand of items focused on quality, attribution or authenticity of things, and not on some-либо documentary questions on the legality of the sale.

However, according to opinion the media, such actions of the authorities — a result of the entry into force on 5-й of the EU Directive on combating money laundering. With the entry into force of the Directive art-рынок increasingly becoming the object of scrutiny on the part of certain relevant government agencies.

Among the works confiscated was, in particular, the spear owned by the king of the Luba tribe from pre-colonial Congo, dated 1860-80 years, from the gallery of Pierre Dartevelle (Pierre Dartevelle Gallery, Paris). The dealer told Belgian newspaper L'Echo that he had not received any documents from the authorities in this subject, and that he had "no other choice except to file a complaint for theft".

the Material was prepared by Maria Kuznetsova, AI

Sources: theartnewspaper.com