The Didier Ltd. exhibition space at TEFAF Maastricht 2026Anthony DeMarcoTEFAF Maastricht 2026 closed on March 19 after attracting more than 50,000 visitors and reporting robust sales across categories, underscoring continued demand at the high end of the art and design market.Among the fair’s more distinctive exhibitors was Didier Ltd., whose niche focus on artist-designed jewelry is so specific that TEFAF classifies it as a design gallery. Its stand is positioned well outside the main cluster of contemporary jewelry and vintage dealers—though the location has done little to deter interest.Owners Didier Haspeslagh and Martine Haspeslagh are regular participants at the fair, presenting works by mid-century artists who also created jewelry, sourced on the secondary market. Each year, the couple organizes its booth around a theme; for 2026, it was “Gold in the Hands of Artists.”A fish-shaped brooch by Georges Braque, one of the major sales reported by Didier Ltd.Didier Ltd.Reported sales included two pendants by Max Ernst and Jean Arp, a bracelet by Belgian sculptor Pol Bury that once belonged to his wife, and a fish-shaped brooch by Georges Braque. Dating from the 1960s and 1970s, the pieces sold in the five-figure range, according to TEFAF organizers.MORE FOR YOUOn Monday, Kieran McCarthy, joint managing director of the London gallery, Wartski, reported robust sales throughout the fair. “There was a blaze of sales. Our busiest TEFAF in quite some time. No idea of why,” he said. “Buyers came from across the globe and the majority were new customers. The age seemed to be lower too.”McCarthy noted that during the first of the two invitation-only preview days, the Rijksmuseum expressed interest in a Fabergé cloak clasp loosely depicting the Egyptian goddess Isis. However, the museum was too late: as previously reported, a private collector had already acquired the circa 1908 piece earlier that day.The eight-day fair—held March 12–19, including preview days on March 12 and 13—brought together 277 galleries presenting works spanning 7,000 years of art and design. Attendance exceeded expectations despite what organizers described as a challenging geopolitical environment.“TEFAF has not seen any clear indication that global market activity has slowed,” said Boris Vervoordt, chairman of the TEFAF Executive Committee, following the preview days. Vervoordt noted strong early sales and continued demand from international collectors, even as travel from parts of the Middle East and Asia remained uneven.Egyptian-inspired Fabergé cloak clasp, circa 1908, sold by Wartski on the first day of TEFAF Maastricht 2026Anthony DeMarco“Our global collector groups have arrived as scheduled, and demand for exceptional works remains strong—especially in the depth of the cross-cultural categories and expertise that TEFAF and our exhibitors represent.”In a statement, TEFAF said the strong early momentum carried through the run of the fair, with sustained sales reported across categories.Institutional attendance remained significant, with more than 450 museums represented, including 67 patron groups. Attendees included the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre and its Abu Dhabi counterpart, the Musée d’Orsay, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Gallery, the Van Gogh Museum, the Städel Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.The 2026 TEFAF Maastricht Flower WallJitske Nap for TEFAFTop sales reported by TEFAF officials included:Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books, Basel, Switzerland, recorded eight-figure sales, including the Liechtenstein Tacuinum Sanitatis, which sold for CHF 5 million ($6.3 million). Alon Zakaim Fine Art, London, placed a rare pair of paintings by Claude Monet—reunited after more than 130 years—on reserve for a private collector, with an asking price of €20 million ($23.1 million). Paul Coulon, London, sold Untitled Blue Sponge Sculpture by Yves Klein to a private collector; the work carried an asking price of €2.5 million ($2.9 million). Tomasso, London and Leeds, U.K., sold a 14th-century marble kneeling figure to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for approximately €1.5 million ($1.7 million). Utermann, Dortmund, Germany, sold Orchard Still Life with Green Bowl by Max Beckmann for around €1 million ($1.2 million), with immediate museum loan interest. M.S. Rau, New Orleans, La., reported multiple sales above $1 million, including works by Mary Cassatt and Pablo Picasso. Galerie Lefebvre, New York, sold Hibou de Pierre by François-Xavier Lalanne for around $1.2 million.