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Paintings by Chagall, Russian 16th century icons to be on display at Brussels art fair

BRAFA is on the list of three biggest and most prestigious art fairs in the world

© ITAR-TASS/Mitya Aleshkovsky

MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. The BRAFA art fair to be held in Brussels from January 21 to 29, featuring artworks from 132 galleries in 16 countries, created in the past 400 years, BRAFA Chairman Harold t’Kint de Roodenbeke told TASS.

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Paintings by Marc Chagall and two Russian 16th century icons will be among the artworks on display at Tour&Taxis.

"First and foremost, I would say, the possibility of finding top level galleries and dealers and being able, through their objects, to trace the whole development and all the forms of art from archaeology to modern-day creations," Harold t’Kint de Roodenbeke said, adding that BRAFA is "a real ephemeral museum," with the exception that all its works of art can be bought.

BRAFA, founded in 1956, is on the list of three biggest art fairs specializing in antiques along with the Paris Biennale des Antiquaires and TEFAF Maastricht. The fair focuses on all directions of collecting - from ancient Egyptian and antique monuments to modernism in their more financially affordable format.

"Our ambition is to offer the best in an extremely wide range of fields. We must be able to exceed the expectations of confirmed collectors with very specific knowledge and requirements and, at the same time, arouse in art lovers a desire to start a collection or buy a piece of art," the chairman said.

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Although Russian galleries are not presented at the fair as of yet, Russian art is featured rather widely. Gallery Desmet will display a marble bust of Russian Count Nikolai Demidov, patron of art, by Italian sculptor Adamo Tadolini, while Perrin Gallery will present a pair of vases of the St. Petersburg Imperial Glass Factory dating back to the end of the 18th century.

As for the paintings, these are mainly pictures by painters who emigrated from Russia. Several galleries will display paintings by Marc Chagall - "Salomon" gouache presented by Stern Pissaro and "Les Fiances au Cirque" from Boulakia Gallery.

The Brenske Gallery specializing in impressionist and modern art will present two Russian icons of the 16th century.

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