Welcome to the latest edition of the de Jonckheere Gallery newsletter. Since we were last in touch, times have been strange for us – as for everybody in the art world and beyond. But we have stayed busy, using the time to consolidate and to plan new projects. In this newsletter, we want to tell you a little about those undertakings. Some wonderful things are coming up in the next weeks and months, as the world reopens and (we hope) things begin to return to their normal rhythm.
A few weeks ago we took part in Masterpiece, the fair that usually takes place in the grounds of the Royal Chelsea Hospital in London This year it was online, of course, but it remained just as thrilling and eclectic as ever. The thing we love about Masterpiece is the joyous mix of art and design from all periods.
The next big fair for us is Tefaf, which takes place September 9-13. Like Masterpiece, it will be online this time round, rather than in Maastricht. Tefaf has always been important to us as a gallery: we have not missed a single edition since it began. And this is the time of year when we usually unveil our most significant masterpiece.
After Tefaf comes Frieze Masters, which – at long last – will be a real-world event, a gathering in London as usual. We are glad of that – because the buzz of Frieze Masters, the uniquely chic atmosphere, is what makes the event so special.
September is looking like being a big month for us all round. We will be publishing our 2021 catalogue, a major undertaking that we have been working on, quietly but diligently, throughout this pandemic year. We have some amazing new acquisitions, and it has been a huge task to do all the research, establish attribution, complete the delicate cleaning and the painstaking restoration of the works themselves.
I wish I could reveal here and now what treasures will be in the catalogue, because some of them are truly exciting, but I’m afraid that must wait until the autumn. All I can say for now is that we think this catalogue will be amongst the best we have ever produced, a real milestone in the history of the gallery.
This autumn will also see the launch of our completely revamped website. We are in the process of re-thinking the platform, re-imagining the shop window, so to speak. The intention is to provide old friends of the gallery, and new clients, with a clearer and more enjoyable experience when they visit us online. We will also create space for our online archive, a enormous work-in-progress that will come to fruition next year.
So the work of the de Jonckheere Gallery goes on, never ceasing to be challenging and inspiring and eye-opening. Do get in touch if there is anything you would like to talk over with a member of the team. In the meantime, here’s wishing you a warm and happy summer.
Georges and François De Jonckheere.
The gallery is closed for its summer break from July 30 to August 23.