Donald Ellis Gallery Impresses with an Alaskan Atlatl

Reviewing TEFAF Maastricht 2017, Scott Reyburn of the New York Times reports that while softer, the fair still impresses with pieces like an 18th-century Alaskan wood atlatl, or throwing board, on view at Donald Ellis Gallery.

While the author laments the ‘the less-than-fashionable core’ of TEFAF Maastricht, ’the scale, diversity and quality of the 10-day fair that closes on Sunday continue to impress.’ One of the singular stand-outs of the show is an 18th-century Alaskan wood atlatl, or throwing board, on view at Donald Ellis Gallery. ‘Reminiscent of a Modernist sculpture, and one of just 11 known examples,’ the work was sold to a New York collector for 200,000 euros, or roughly $213,000, within the first few hours of the preview. 

For 30 years, TEFAF Maastricht in the Netherlands has been the world’s pre-eminent fair for art and antiques,’ Reyburn reports. Yet its 'reputation as a destination event faces challenges.’ The fair, run by a nonprofit foundation, has recently established smaller spring and fall editions in New York.  Donald Ellis notes that this year’s fair indeed feels softer: While leading curators from American institutions such as the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, were at the fair in the Netherlands, there appeared to be fewer American private collectors in Maastricht, traditionally a driving force of the market.

Quoting Johnny van Haeften, an old-master dealer in London, the author concludes that TEFAF has changed exponentially over the years. 'But it needs reinventing, regenerating. We need new blood.'