Tefaf Opens Applications For Its 2026 Philanthropic Initiatives

Museums and Curators are Invited to Apply for Restoration Grants and Curator Education Program

Amsterdam, Netherlands, August 11, 2025 – The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) has opened applications for the 2026 TEFAF Museum Restoration Fund (TMRF) and Curator Course. TEFAF is a not-for-profit foundation that champions expertise, excellence, and diversity in the global art market. As part of its commitment to supporting the international art community, the organization spearheads philanthropic and educational initiatives that bolster the symbiotic relationship between TEFAF and global institutions.

TEFAF MUSEUM RESTORATION FUND

TEFAF Museum Restoration Fund (TMRF) was established in 2012 to support and promote professional restoration and related scholarly research of significant museum artworks. Championing art in all its forms, grant applications are open to public museums worldwide for fine and decorative artworks of any period and nationality. Each year, a maximum of €50,000 will be allocated. The Committee of independent experts usually selects two winners, each to receive €25,000 to support their restoration project. Applications for 2026 are open until Wednesday, October 1, 2025.  

TMRF provides an opportunity for institutions to secure funding to conserve and restore a work in their collections for future public display. The fund supports the international museum community’s vital work in preserving artistic and cultural heritage. 

Last year’s grants were awarded to the Musée Condé, Château de Chantilly Château de Chantilly (Limbourg brothers, the “Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry”) and the Hispanic Society Museum & Library, New York (“Horae beatae marie secundum usum curie romane (Black Book of Hours)”), the latter in collaboration with and supported by the Bank of America Art Conservation Project. An exhibition at the Musée Condé (June 7 - October 5, 2025) will give visitors an unprecedented opportunity to witness the Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry in its full glory, following several months of analysis and restorative work by the onsite conservation team. Details of other previous recipients can be viewed here.

For further information, please visit the TEFAF Museum Restoration Fund webpage. 


TEFAF CURATOR COURSE

Developed in partnership with Maastricht University and supported by TEFAF Global Lead Partner AXA XL, the course provides curators with exclusive access to the expertise behind TEFAF’s renowned vetting process and exhibitor community, as well as leading authorities from around the world in the art sector. Applications are open through the TEFAF website and will close on Wednesday, October 1, 2025. 

Over five days, participants will gain insights from seasoned art market professionals, participate in hands-on assignments, and engage in high-level discussions about art market dynamics. Applications are reviewed by a committee that compiles a shortlist, which is then subject to references. Ten participants are selected annually.

Past participants include curators from the Cleveland Museum of Art, M+ Hong Kong, Museum Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt, Österreichische Galerie Belvedere Vienna, Toledo American Art, National Gallery of Art Washington, Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery Glasgow, Minneapolis Institute, Zayed National Museum (Abu Dhabi) and Royal Museum for Central Africa (Brussels). 

The course is led by Prof. Rachel Pownall, Founding Director of the Executive Master in Cultural Leadership, along with the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Guest lecturers include Sarah Hilliam, a Director of Development at the National Portrait Gallery; Maastricht University’s Dr Donna Yates, a specialist in the illicit trade in cultural objects, art and heritage; and Anders Petterson of ArtTactic market research. The course runs from March 10-14, 2026, in Maastricht.
 

Maaike Rikhof is a curator at the Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, who took part in the 2025 course. She comments, "One of the most rewarding aspects of the course was the opportunity to connect with a group of peers who, despite coming from incredibly diverse backgrounds—geographically, professionally, and institutionally—shared a genuine passion for curatorial work."

For further information, visit the TEFAF Curator Course webpage.

High-resolution images are available here. 

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ABOUT AXA XL 

AXA XL Insurance is the P&C (Property & Casualty) and specialty risk division of AXA, known for solving even the most complex risks. AXA XL offers traditional and innovative insurance solutions and services in over 200 countries and territories. 

As part of its specialty risk offering, AXA XL protects a range of objects, including fine art, antiquities, antiques, jewelry, watches, classic cars, raw and polished gemstones, and bullion, from thousands of years to weeks old. 

Over the past 50 years and well into the future, AXA XL, a leading global insurer of fine art and specie, has and will continue to redefine how it serves and services its collector, museum, corporate, gallery, conservator, and artist clients across Europe, the UK, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific region, with a sincere consideration for the way valuable objects are insured and cultural patrimony is protected. 

ABOUT TEFAF  

TEFAF is a not-for-profit foundation that champions expertise, excellence, and diversity in the global art community. This is evidenced by the exhibitors selected for its two fairs, which occur annually in Maastricht and New York. TEFAF is an expert guide for private and institutional collectors, inspiring art lovers and buyers everywhere.   

ABOUT TEFAF MAASTRICHT  

TEFAF Maastricht is widely regarded as the world’s premier fair for fine art, antiques, and design, covering 7,000 years of art history, from ancient to contemporary. Featuring over 270 prestigious dealers from some 22 countries, TEFAF Maastricht is a showcase for the finest artworks currently on the market. Alongside the traditional areas of Old Master paintings, antiques, and classical antiquities that cover approximately half of the fair, you can also find modern and contemporary art, photography, jewelry, 20th-century design, and works on paper.  

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