TEFAF MAASTRICHT 2025 | A REVIEW
Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri | Wallaby Sign for Men and Women 1972 | Sold for USD$350,000 | TEFAF Maastricht 2025
D’Lan Contemporary’s inaugural presentation at TEFAF Maastricht 2025, which brought together over 260 galleries from over 20 countries, and thousands of visitors from all over the world, was the first exhibition of Australian First Nations art at the Fair.
Will Korner, Head of Fairs at TEFAF said, ‘Quality is our calling card,’…‘High-quality Aboriginal art was a gap in our offering, so it’s great that we’ve been able to add it.’
The exhibition comprised exceptional works of art by the country’s preeminent First Nations artists including Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri, Rover Thomas Joolama, Emily Kam Kngwarray, Paddy Bedford, Nonggirrnga Marawili and Carlene West, among others. Spanning the 1960s through to the present day, this curated selection provided audiences at TEFAF with an overview of the dynamic and distinctive art movement that is contemporary Australian First Nations art.
Overall sales totalled USD$1.4 million with sold highlights including Awelye II 1995 by Emily Kam Kngwarray which sold for USD$600,000, a pivotal work by Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri, Wallaby Sign for Men and Women 1972 which sold for USD$350,000 and Mendoowoorrji – Medicine Pocket 2004 by Paddy Bedford, which sold for USD$280,000 at the Fair.
Director & Founder, D’Lan Davidson said, ‘It was an honour to participate in this prestigious Fair and to present the work of Australia’s most revered First Nations artists to an international audience for the first time at TEFAF Maastricht.
And ‘TEFAF provides an unrivalled platform from which to engage and connect with discerning collectors, curators, and colleagues from this region and beyond, and vital exposure for First Nations art.’
‘We thank the organisers of the Fair, and all who visited, for their warm reception, and very much look forward to returning.’
Following participation in TEFAF Maastricht, and as part of an annual international programme of exhibitions and events at its galleries in Melbourne, Sydney, and New York, D’Lan Contemporary will continue to foster awareness and appreciation of First Nations art in Europe with a solo exhibition of Emily Kam Kngwarray’s work in London, in collaboration with Pace gallery in June 2025, followed by participation in Frieze Masters, for the third time in October 2025.
Read Press Highlights For D’Lan Contemporary at TEFAF here and listen to Tina Baum, Senior Curator of Indigenous Art at the National Gallery of Australia speak to SBS Radio about TEFAF here.