PAN Amsterdam, the prestigious annual arts and antiques fair which has just opened has already made various news headlines already. Many eyes are on the rare works on display such as the 17th century painting of the English war ship The Portsmouth by Willem van de Velde de Jonge. And a genuine Andy Warhol work depicting Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands – Royal edition with diamond dust – is another piece of art people are watching intensely.
The PAN Amsterdam fair is the annual trade show of the top Amsterdam art galleries, who offer authentic art appraised by at least 80 experts. Of all this year’s 150,000 paintings, antique objects and statues on display, around 40 per cent is contemporary and the remainder is old, vintage or tribal. Every year, there’s a focus on a few really rare or unique paintings or arts objects at the trade fair.
The big trade this year thus far has been the purchase by the Rijksmuseum of a rare silver box made in 1919, the maker of which is currently unknown. The design of the little box has influences of De Stijl, a Dutch trend that equated to neoplasticism, and was also practised by among others Mondriaan and Rietveld in the 1920s. Experts at the Rijksmuseum will investigate the object in an attempt to trace the originator. It’s developments like this that make going to Pan Amsterdam interesting; as a visitor you feel you’re part of history.
What to look out for especially? The Revue Girls of Isaac Israëls, an old painting is definitely rather rare. The Studio Job presentation of its Landrover project is something completely different but equally unique. The people at Studio Job, as well as the up and coming photographer Pieter Henket, are currently considered the top contemporary Dutch artists with international reputations and followers. You should definitely also not miss out on contemporary work by Joanna Vasconcelos and that of J.H. Moesman, who was one of the most important surrealist painters in the Netherlands.
Aside from the modern day artists there’s also a lot of attention for various genuine pieces by 17th century painters. And there’s an Egyptian statue of over 4,000 years old on display at the Mieke Zilverberg stand. The statue is carved into wood and shows a man without legs, wearing a white kilt. The statue dates from the 6th dynasty toward the end of Pepi II’s reign or later, round about 2200-2000 before Christ.
Pan Amsterdam booked tremendous sales successes throughout all price ranges during its first weekend, which, given the lacklustre economy in the Netherlands, signals that there’s value to be had. A good few famous people have been spotted, such as the fashion designers Viktor en Rolf, Jan Taminiau, furniture designers Jan des Bouvrie and Marcel Wolterinck, which probably also explains the buoyant sales.
The show ends Sunday 1st December 2013. A selection of the works on display are online via the trade fair website and the app. To get there, head to the Rai, Parkhall 8 via public transport. Amsterdam Apartments rents out a number of apartments in this area, so chances are you won’t have far to go.
