Stunning Van Gogh, Kandinsky masterpieces take center stage at TEFAF Art Fair

This weekend, The European Art Fair (TEFAF) in Maastricht, Netherlands, is set to showcase a remarkable collection of artworks, including a rare early piece by Vincent van Gogh and a record-selling masterpiece by Wassily Kandinsky. The art extravaganza, running until March 14, invites art enthusiasts to explore a diverse array of paintings, sculptures, and jewelry.

The stars of the show are undoubtedly Van Gogh’s “Tete de paysanne a la coiffe blanche” and Kandinsky’s “Murnau mit Kirche II.” The former, also known as “Head of an Old Peasant Woman with a White Cap,” painted around 1884, is being offered for sale by M.S. Rau, a renowned gallery based in New Orleans. The asking price for this early Van Gogh gem is a staggering 4.5 million euros ($4.9 million).

“Van Gogh is such an incredibly timeless artist,” remarks Rebecca Rau, Vice President of Acquisitions at M.S. Rau, expressing anticipation for substantial buyer interest. The painting was created during Van Gogh’s time in Nuenen, a year before he painted the iconic “The Potato Eaters.”

Meanwhile, Kandinsky’s “Murnau with Church 2,” painted in 1910, captured attention last year when it fetched a record-breaking $45 million at a Sotheby’s auction in London. The colorful masterpiece, depicting the German village of Murnau with its church spire reaching towards the Bavarian Alps, marks a pivotal moment in Kandinsky’s shift towards abstraction.

This painting, once adorning the dining room of textile entrepreneurs Johanna Margarethe Stern and Siegbert Stern, found its way back to the public eye a decade ago in a Dutch museum. The Sterns, central figures in Berlin’s cultural scene during the 1920s, lost their collection due to tragic circumstances, with Siegbert’s death in 1935 and Johanna’s tragic fate in Auschwitz in 1944.

Auctioned by Sotheby’s last year, the painting was acquired by art dealer Robert Landau, who invested around $50 million in what became the most expensive Kandinsky ever sold. While the asking price at TEFAF remains undisclosed, the anticipation surrounding these masterpieces is undeniable.

The fate of these artworks, once acquired, may lead them into private collections, but Rebecca Rau optimistically suggests, “The way I feel about most of the masterpieces… is eventually, they will likely end up in a museum.” The allure of these timeless creations is poised to captivate both art enthusiasts and potential buyers at TEFAF this weekend.