INTERVIEW
WITH
Frédérique
van Oorschot
WHAT MAKES PAN AMSTERDAM
UNIQUE? WHAT DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO AT
THE FAIR?
PAN Amsterdam is a majestic art experience. The
strength of the exhibition is apparent in the quality
and diversity of the objects that are offered for sale at
our fair every year. Here you will find that the oldest
object is more than 5,000 years old, and the newest
artwork is just now being made. This versatility is
really the DNA of what we do. There is something for
every buyer or collector. In addition, the objects are
inspected by independent committees of 80 experts
before we open them. They check for authenticity,
quality and condition. In the RAI, the event center
of Amsterdam, we really have a great large space
with natural light. The design is by Tom Postma
Design who designs almost all the leading trade
fairs internationally and we have great catering on
the exhibition floor. All these things make the fair a
feast for the art lovers or lovers of beautiful things.
We’re different from a museum, a gallery or an art
trade and are therefore an important event on the
annual Amsterdam cultural scene.
We’ve a wonderful program with different cultural parties in
the Netherlands and Belgium on ‘PAN Podium’. We’re doing
this now for the third time and it’s a huge success. The theme
this year is ‘From Private Collection towards a Museum’, and
we think it’s important to show that you can think big. Col-
lections often start with passionate individuals who are no
longer free from the search for artworks and the thrill of find-
ing and buying. This is not just for the rich of this world; in
fact, you can gather in many ways. Furthermore, we have so
many top works coming and which are also made or saved
especially for the fair. ARTITLED shows several Amsterdam
Aerials by Jeffrey Milstein that he recently made of the city.
They’re spectacular top views of beautiful places in Amster-
dam. But also, in design there are great digs to discover. One
of our loyal participants is Zitzo. This year he is taking a great
sofa that can be modeled to his own taste, a real eye-catcher.
Naturally, the Dutch masters can’t be absent at a Dutch fair.
Sander Bijl-of Van Bijl Urk BV shows an enchanting view of
Alkmaar painted by Ruysdael. It’s a typical Dutch landscape
with cows, great air and a church tower in the background.
In terms of simplicity, it’s a fantastic painting. This is really a
tip of the iceberg.
WHAT’S NEW ON PAN THIS YEAR?
8
PAN Amsterdam
This year we embrace and emphasize our relation-
ship with the city of Amsterdam. PAN Amsterdam
is, as the name suggests, a fair with its roots firmly
etched in the capital. The rich history of the city, the
traders who went to live on the canals, the Rijks-
museum that was built and the art dealers and an-
tique dealers who settled in the Spiegelstraat and
Spiegelgracht, all this makes the fair rightfully be-
long in Amsterdam. To celebrate this, we asked the
internationally renowned photographer Erwin Olaf
to take eight new photographs with which he cre-
ates an exhibition and where we use a selection for
our campaign. Erwin chose eight highlights from
our participants and portrayed them with typical
Amsterdammers in Amsterdam. These have be-
come really exciting images, where sometimes the
combinations are a natural fit and sometimes full
of humor. In an exhibition at the fair, these great
artworks are shown together with the photographs.
The space is designed as a labyrinth through which
the visitor wanders.
Photo by Erwin Olaf
AND WHAT ARE THE PLANS IN THE
COMING YEARS?
HOW DOES PAN AMSTERDAM
PROCEED FROM HERE ON?
The organization is always looking for innovations to conti nue
to meet the current needs of our visitors and the customers
of our participants. Two years ago, we reviewed the entire
plan and we stay sharp every year. For us it’s very important
to find new buyers. Our participants present great collections
and we do everything we can to show this in the best possible
environment and to tell everyone as much as possible.
Photo by Aad Hoogendoorn
Photo by Sal Marson
PAN Amsterdam
9