Dominique Savelkoul has been tapped to be the managing director of TEFAF, the European Fine Art Foundation, a seat that has been occupied by several leaders in recent years. TEFAF organizes prestigious annual art fairs in Maastricht in the Netherlands and in New York at the Park Avenue Armory.

The organization also announced that two new members have been appointed to its board of trustees:  Adrian Sassoon, a London dealer focusing on contemporary art and antique French porcelain, and Valentina Vico, director and company shareholder of Benappi Fine Art, a dealer specializing in European Old Master paintings, also in London.

Savelkoul has previously held management positions at the Festival of Flanders, in Brussels, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Gallery in London, and the Ruhr Triennale in Germany. She also served as an advisor in the cabinet of the Flemish Minister of Culture.

In her most recent role, she was the leader of Mu.ZEE, a museum in Oostende, Belgium, for Belgian art since 1850.

“I am thrilled to join TEFAF, a key player in the international art community,” Savelkoul said in a statement to press. “TEFAF holds a significant role in connecting the institutional/non-profit sector with the constantly evolving art market.”

TEFAF Maastricht (2022). Photo: Jitske Nap. Courtesy of Tefaf Maastricht.

Hidde van Seggelen,  president of TEFAF’s executive committee, said that Savelkoul’s “unique experience and knowledge, gained from a distinguished career in the international cultural sector, will be an asset to TEFAF in the coming years, particularly in fundraising, audiences, and visitor experience.”

TEFAF has seen several changes in leadership lately.

Managing director Charlotte van Leerdam went on medical leave in March 2022; she died in July after a serious illness.

Van Leerdam was succeeded by Bart Drenth, who became the foundation’s fourth director in three years when he took the reins in December of 2022, but he stepped down just six months later, after Artnet News’ “Wet Paint” columnist Annie Armstrong reported on Drenth’s history of using his personal Twitter account to express provocative opinions on Muslims, leftists, and “woke” culture, among other topics.