TEFAF New York Spring 2017

Straight off the heels of a tremendously successful showing at TEFAF Maastricht in March, Team Yufuku enthusiastically embarked for new vistas in New York City, where the inaugural edition of TEFAF NY Spring, a fair dedicated to modern and contemporary art, was held at the venerable Park Avenue Armory from May 4th to May 8th, with a VIP preview held on the 3rd.

Could the TEFAF brand make a successful crossover to NYC, esp. at a time when new international art fairs seem to proliferate on a daily basis, and esp. when considering that a part of TEFAF’s Maastricht charm and allure was its catering to “Art Across the Ages,” from cutting-edge contemporary to the beauty of Antiquity? By severing TEFAF’s introduction to the US market into bicameral fairs – one in Fall (Antiques and Old Masters) and in Spring (Modern and Contemporary), TEFAF audaciously embraced a serious risk of endangering what made Maastricht so endearing in the first place: of having the very best art in a single venue.

Yet alas, the importance of having a fair in the Armory trumped the apparent risk with its incomparable advantages. And did TEFAF New York Spring succeed in convincing the market that it could thrive in a crowded art scene that is NYC? Without question, the answer is an unequivocal yes.

In total, Yufuku surpassed (in fact, doubled) its sales record for international fair debuts achieved at TEFAF Maastricht in 2013, and we were pleased to meet a trove of new collectors and museums unaccustomed to contemporary Japanese aesthetics. The addition of TEFAF NY to our yearly schedule is a welcome one, and helps provide a greater momentum in having our art and aesthetics reach a wider and more prominent international audience.

Says Yufuku owner Wahei Aoyama, “TEFAF NY was everything we had expected it to be and more, with incredible clientele and museums walking the halls and enjoying the caliber of art on display. We are proud to be here, and truly look forward to improving our collection and presentation for the next edition of TEFAF NY in May 2018. Thank you very much for your support!”