Next 27 July, at the precise moment at which its famous Festspiel will begin, Salzburg will welcome for eight days the first edition of the SWFAF, the Salzburg World Art Fair. The organizers, who already perfected their know-how at the Moscow World Fine Art Fair, undeniably have the feel for prestigious, historical venues and for cultural references.
The Residenz
Following the famous Manége of Moscow, antique dealers and visitors will be hosted this time in a building steeped in history. The Residence of the Princes-Archbishops in the heart of Salzburg, is part of the world heritage list of the Unesco. The Rezidenz was built in the XVIIth century in the Italian Renaissance style, and the Princes-Archbishops multiplied the purchases and orders to decorate it. Works by Rubens, Rembrandt and Brueghel enhance its gallery. A Court orchestra and a school were created for music.
Mozart, born in Salzburg, had a difficult relation with Prince-Archbishop Colorado, and had to leave the city. But the creation of the Festival in 1917 definitely linked him to his native town...
In the Tuscany wing, an extension of the Rezidenz, in the Law School library, the Landkarten - the Gallery of maps - of which the walls were decorated with maps drawn Al secco in the beginning of the XVIIth century - offers an exceptional view of the countries and cities of the World. To add to the excitement, it will open for the first time to the public, an event in itself. Throughout the Fair, visitors will be able to discover these maps and the first atlases that inspired the artists
Illustration: Wool carpet, handwoven at the Savonnerie, by Albert Gleizes Galerie Boccara.
A fair both intimate and spectacular
In the baroque and luxurious rooms that succeed one another, the accent is put on the framework and the presentation, while respecting the premises. The stands are placed like a series of small theatres, and they offer an itinerary that is both intimate and spectacular. Some thirty merchants, antique dealers, gallery owners and jewellers will flow in from all the major countries in Europe, offering pieces from such diverse fields as ancient art, tribal or Asian art, sculpture and classical painting, modern and contemporary works, drawings, tapestries and ceramics, or jewellery. Ten of them come from France. Roberto Paulo, from the Galerie Historismus, exhibits a furniture ensemble from the beginning of the XXth century, illustrating in particular the decorative arts from Northern Europe. Frank Laigneau turns the spotlight on a «Viking Revival» armchair by Norwegian artist Lars Kinsarvik. And Ratton Ladrière shows off an exceptional pair of scagliole vases imitating porphyry, from the collections of Madame du Barry. Pierre Alain Challier defends for his part Jean Luc Parant and his surprising installations of balls, while Nathalie Séroussi continues her exploration into the 60s, at the limits of Pop Art and New Realism. The old masters hold their own in the Austrian gallery of Konrad Benheimer, while the German Albrecht Neuhaus presents furniture and objets d'art from the XVIII and XIX centuries; in the meantime German expressionism is the guest of honour at the Galerie Thomas. Photography at Capital Culture from London, furniture and XVIII and XIX century objets d'art at the Galerie Partridge … In short, art in all shapes and forms.
Illustration ; An early Meissen porcelain clock with stand decorated with chinoiseries by George Fritsche, ca 1728 Gallery Roebbig
| 
