Some collectors find smaller fairs in Dallas and Brussels to be more distinctive and approachable.
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The Brussels-based dealer Laurent Mercier, of Maruani Mercier, is a veteran of the fair in his town and had planned to show the work of Arne Quinze, Justin Brice Guariglia and Titus Kaphar, among others. An adjacent solo-artist booth was scheduled to focus on the abstract painter Paul Kremer’s “Float and Drop” series.
“It’s our hometown, so all our collectors pass through,” Mr. Mercier said. “We have to be there.”
Like Ms. Barzilai-Hollander and collectors in Dallas, he said cutting-edge artists were drawing the most attention these days.
“It’s a fair where you can discover new artists,” Mr. Mercier said. “People bring their young and up-and-comers.”
And his buyers, he said, are mostly from Belgium. “The other fairs, people pass through and attend auctions in the city at the same time — then they ship the works home,” he said, adding: “Every fair has its flavor, and ours is very relaxed. We like to enjoy ourselves.”
