International Art Fair

The Mondriaan Fund Makes It Possible
Will you be taking part in an international art fair or art book fair? Do you want to present living visual artists from the Netherlands or publications about contemporary visual art in the Netherlands? If so, you may be eligible for an Art Fair International grant from the Mondriaan Fund.

Art Fair International
With the Art Fair International grants, the Mondriaan Fund means to strengthen the international standing of contemporary visual art from the Netherlands, and help it to become better known and appreciated outside the Netherlands.

For whom
Art Fair International grants are for Dutch or non-Dutch galleries participating in major art fairs outside the Netherlands, as well as for publishers of books on contemporary art in the Netherlands.

How and when to apply
Applications can be submitted at any time of the year, using the Mondriaan Fund’s online application system. You first apply for an account via the Mondriaan Fund website. You need an account in order to apply for any grant. Take into consideration that a processing period of three months is needed once your application has been submitted. Grants cannot be awarded retroactively.

These are the three possibilities:

• Art Fair International Grants for Galleries

  Both Dutch and non-Dutch galleries taking part in art fairs outside the Netherlands can receive a grant to support presentations by living visual artists from the Netherlands.

  For what
  – Stand rental to present visual art from the Netherlands at an art fair outside the Netherlands;*
  – The costs (such as transport, etc) of special presentations of existing work in a separate section at an art fair;
  – The cost of producing new work on invitation from the fair for a presentation in a separate section of an art fair.

  *The Mondriaan Fund has a fixed list of internationally respected art fairs. This list is updated every two years. Application for grants to cover participation in art fairs that are not on this list are submitted to an advisory committee for further assessment.
  Click here to the Mondriaan Fund list of respected art fairs.

  How much
  Art fair participation
  The maximum amount of the grant depends on the amount of the (basic) stand rental and the percentage of work by artists from the Netherlands in the presentation. The maximum is € 10,000.
  • Stand rental:
  Less than € 20,000: maximum grant amount = € 5250
  € 20,000 to 30,000: maximum grant amount = € 7500
  More than € 30,000: maximum grant amount = € 10,000

  • Percentage of work by Dutch artists:
  More than 60%: 80% of the basic stand rental up to the maximum amount;
  25% to 60%: 50% of the basic stand rental up to the maximum amount;
  Less than 25%: no grant is possible.

  Art fair presentation in a separate section
  A grant can be applied for to cover the total costs of transport, insuring the works and travel and lodging for the participating artist, as well as for 50% of the production cost of the new work.

  Conditions
  – Galleries can apply for a grant to cover stand rental;
  – If an art fair invites you to take part in a separate section of the fair and you are presenting work by Dutch artists, you can apply for a grant to cover transport, insurance during transport, and travel and lodging expenses for the participating artist whose presence is important for expanding the visibility of the work. No grant is possible for stand rental, costs of installation, BTW or other additional expenses.

  For new work created at the invitation of the art fair for a special presentation at the fair, the gallery can apply for a grant to cover a maximum of 50% of the production costs, under the following condition:
  – The budget must include a realistic reimbursement for the artist.

  The participating artist must qualify as a professional artist:. He or she must:
  – be working as a professional artist for at least three years,
  or
  – have studied at least three years at a certified art college and worked for one year as a professional artist,
  or
  – have worked for at least one year as a professional visual artist and be registered as a business with the Kamer van Koophandel (KvK, Chamber of Commerce) in the Netherlands or with a comparable organization in another country.

  Click here to read all the terms and conditions of the Art Fair International grants for galleries.

  Click here to read the General Terms and Conditions of the Mondriaan Fund.

  Assessing the applications
  Mondriaan Fund staff check the submitted applications and attachments to ensure that they are complete. Once an application is complete, it is submitted to the committee that advises on awarding Art Fair International grants for galleries. Click here if you want to know what happens to your application.

  Once you have been positively assessed for participation in one of the art fairs on the Mondriaan Fund list of respected art fairs and are presenting work in a stand there, if you meet the conditions, the stand rental grant will be directly awarded. If you wish to participate in an art fair that is not on the Mondriaan Fund list, we request that you provide a good argument to support your participation at this particular art fair.

  The advisory committee assesses your application on the basis of:
  • information about the art fair;
  • information about your gallery practice;
  • a plan, including a statement of motivation and communications plan in which you describe how you intend to reach an appropriate audience;
  • curriculum vitaes of participating artists;
  • visual documentation, if the grant is for new work.

  (See the Checklist for an explanation of the required information.)

  In assessing an application for a grant to help cover a presentation of existing work, the advisory committee assesses the importance of the proposal for contemporary art in the Netherlands. They take the following into consideration:
  – the importance of the international standing of the fair, as indicated by the quality of their programme, audience reach (qualitative and quantitative), the reputation of the fair and the amount of attention it receives in the relevant media;
  – your motivation as a gallerist for participating in this fair;
  – the quality of your working plan and how you reach and engage an appropriate audience;
  – the quality of the work to be presented.

  In assessing an application for a grant to help cover the production of new work, the advisory committee assesses the following criteria:
  – the international importance of the fair, as indicated by the quality of their programme, audience reach (qualitative and quantitative), the reputation of the fair and the amount of attention it receives in the relevant media;
  – the reputation of the curator;
  – the quality of your working plan, with emphasis on the way the gallery will present the work at the fair;
  – the quality of the oeuvre of the artist, its development and the standard of cultural entrepreneurship.

  An Art Fair International grant is awarded only if the committee advises to that effect. In that case, the committee can also advise on the amount of the grant and the period covered by the grant.

  Grants for participation in art fairs that are not on the Mondriaan Fund list can only be awarded if the committee considers the above criteria to be sufficiently met.

  Because our budget is limited, we can unfortunately not honour all the approved applications. The Mondriaan Fund therefore asks the committee to then consider these applications in relation to one another and indicate which should have the highest priority. This means that it is possible for an application to receive a positive advisory and still not be awarded a grant, or be awarded a grant for a lower amount.

• Art Fair International Grants for Non-Dutch Art Fairs

  Art fairs of international importance located outside the Netherlands can receive support for spotlighting living Dutch visual artists.

  For what

  • the cost of special presentations of existing work in a separate section of the fair;
  • production costs for new work for a presentation in a separate section of the fair.

  How much
  The total costs of transport, insuring the work, and travel and lodging expenses for the participating artists, plus a maximum of 50% of production costs for new work.

  Conditions applying to art fair grants:
  If your fair invites Dutch artists to present their work in a separate section of the fair, you can apply for a grant to cover transport, insurance, and travel and lodging costs for artists whose presence is considered important for the visibility of the work. No support is provided for stand rental, installation, value added tax (sales tax) or other expenses.

  For new work being made especially for a presentation at the fair, the art fair (or gallery) can apply for a maximum of 50% of the production costs, given the following condition:
  – The budget must include a realistic reimbursement for the artist.
  The participating artist must qualify as a professional artist. He or she must:
  – be working as a professional artist for at least three years,
  or
  – have studied at least three years at a certified art college and worked for one year as a professional artist,
  or
  – have worked for at least one year as a professional visual artist and be registered as a business with the Kamer van Koophandel (KvK, Chamber of Commerce) in the Netherlands or with a comparable organization in another country.

  Click here to read all the terms and conditions of the Art Fair International grants for art fairs presenting Dutch artists.

  Click here to read the General Terms and Conditions of the Mondriaan Fund.

  Assessing the applications
  Mondriaan Fund staff check the submitted applications and attachments to ensure that they are complete. Once an application is complete, it is submitted to the committee that advises on awarding Art Fair International grants. Click here if you want to know what happens to your application.

  The advisory committee assesses your application on the basis of:

  • information about the art fair;
  • a plan, including a statement of motivation and communications plan describing how you intend to reach an appropriate audience;
  • curriculum vitaes of the participating artists;
  • visual documentation if the application applies to the production of new work.

  (See the Checklist for an explanation of the required information.)

  In assessing an application for a grant to help cover a presentation of existing work, the advisory committee assesses the importance of the proposal for contemporary art in the Netherlands. They will take the following into consideration:
  – the importance of the international standing of the fair, as indicated by the quality of the  programme, audience access (qualitative and quantitative), the reputation of the fair and the amount of attention it receives in the relevant media;
  – motivation for this artist to participate in this fair;
  – the quality of the working plan and how you reach and engage an appropriate audience;
  – the quality of the work to be presented.

  In assessing an application for a grant to help cover the production of new work, the advisory committee assesses the following criteria:
  – the international importance of the fair, as indicated by the quality of the programme, audience reach (qualitative and quantitative), the reputation of the fair and the amount of attention it receives in the relevant media;
  – the reputation of the curator;
  – the quality of the working plan, with an emphasis on the way the fair (or gallery) will present the work at the fair;
  – the quality of the artist’s oeuvre, its development and the level of cultural entrepreneurship.

  An Art Fair International grant is awarded only if the committee advises to that effect. In that case, the committee can also advise on the amount of the grant and the period covered by the grant.

  Because our budget is limited, we can unfortunately not honour all approved applications. The Mondriaan Fund therefore asks the committee to consider these applications in relation to one another and indicate which should have the highest priority. This means that it is possible for an application to receive a positive advisory and still not be awarded a grant, or be awarded a grant for a lower amount.

• Art Fair International for Publishers

  Publishers participating in an art fair or art book fair outside the Netherlands can apply for a grant to cover the presentation of publications about contemporary visual art in the Netherlands.

  For what
  The costs of participating in art book fairs with publications about contemporary visual arts in the Netherlands, including stand rental and travel and transport expenses.
  Click here to the Mondriaan Fund list of approved art and art book fairs

  How much
  The maximum amount of the grant depends on the percentage of books about contemporary visual art in the Netherlands that are being presented.
  €1500 to € 3000 (see Conditions below).

  Conditions
  – Grants can be awarded for participation in an art book fair, to cover the costs of stand rental, transportation and travel expenses.
  –  If more than 50% of the presented publications are about the work of visual artists in the Netherlands, or about Dutch visual arts in the 21^st century, the grant amount is € 3000.
  – If between 25% and 50% of the publications being presented are about visual artists in the Netherlands or about Dutch art in the 21^st century, the grant amount is € 1500.
  – If less than 25% of the publications are about Dutch visual artists or Dutch visual arts in the 21st century, no grant is possible.

  Click here to read all the terms and conditions of the Art Fair International grants for galleries.

  Click here to read the General Terms and Conditions of the Mondriaan Fund.

  Assessing the applications
  Mondriaan Fund staff check the submitted applications and attachments to ensure that they are complete. Once an application is complete, it is submitted to the committee that advises on awarding Art Fair International grants to publishers. Click here if you want to know what happens to your application.

  The advisory committee assesses your application on the basis of:
  – information about your practice as a publisher;
  – information about the art book fair, including recent programming, media attention and professional profile;
  – a plan with a statement of motivation for the proposed presentation, the list of publications to be presented, and an explanation of how you reach and engage a suitable audience.

  (See the Checklist for an explanation of the required information.)

  In assessing an application for support for your participation in an Art Book Fair, the advisory committee assesses the importance of the proposal for contemporary visual art in the Netherlands and/or whether its international position will be reinforced.

  The committee takes the following criteria into consideration:
  – the importance of the international standing of the fair as indicated by the quality of its programming, audience reach (qualitative and quantitative), the reputation of the fair and the amount of attention it receives in the relevant media;
  – your own motivation as a publisher for participating in this particular fair;
  – the quality of the publications to be presented;
  – the quality of the working plan, including the way you reach and engage a suitable audience.

  An Art Book Fair International grant is awarded only if the committee advises to that effect. In that case, the committee can also advise on the amount of the grant and the period covered by the grant.

  Grants for participation in art fairs that are not on the Mondriaan Fund list can only be awarded if the committee considers the above criteria to be sufficiently met.

  Because our budget is limited, we can unfortunately not honour all approved applications. The Mondriaan Fund therefore asks the committee to consider these applications in relation to one another and indicate which should be given the highest priority. This means that it is possible for an application to receive a positive advisory and still not be awarded a grant, or be awarded a grant for a lower amount.

• Checklist

  In order to process your application, the Mondriaan Fund needs information. All of this information can be submitted in the application form itself, along with documentation that you can upload. Here below is a checklist that follows the layout of the application form and includes all the information we require. We suggest you collect all your information before you start filling out the online application form. Your attachments can be uploaded as PDFs. Please note: wherever a maximum number of pages is given, do not exceed that number of pages. Additional pages will not be included!

  Application for Art Fair Stand Rental
  – a copy of the invitation from or application for the fair, including the size of the space;
  – a working plan with a sketch of the floor plan of the stand, names of the artists, numbers of works, dimensions, and the percentage of work by artists living in the Netherlands (including their date of birth and place of residence);
  – a copy of an estimate from the fair organizers for your stand, indicating the basic rental amount per square metre;
  – if the fair is not on the Mondriaan Fund list of recognized fairs (see link below), a motivation for participating in this particular fair. Link to the Mondriaan Fund list of respected art fairs.

  Application for an Art Fair Presentation
  – a copy of your acceptance or invitation from the fair;
  – curriculum vitaes of the artists;
  – curriculum vitae of the curator;
  – a working plan with a completed floor plan of the stand, names of the artists, numbers and measurements of works, and percentage of work by visual artists living in the Netherlands (including their date of birth and place of residence);

  Application for the Production of New Work for an Art Fair
  – a copy of the acceptance from the fair;
  – curriculum vitae of the artist;
  – curriculum vitae of the curator;
  – visual documentation of work by the artist;
  – an explanation of the work;
  – a working plan, including an explanation of how a suitable audience will be reached;
  – a budget and financial plan, including a realistic honorarium for the artist.

  Application for Stand Rental at an Art Book Fair
  – a copy of the invitation from or application for the fair;
  – information about your publishing firm;
  – information about the art book fair: recent programming, media attention and professional profile;
  – a motivation for why you are participating in this fair;
  – a working plan with a proposed presentation, with an explanation of how you will reach and engage a suitable audience.

• Questions?

  If something is not entirely clear, please feel free to contact the Mondriaan Fund staff.

  Sophie Heyligers (020-5231640), Dewy Karsten Schüler (020-5231515), Philip Montnor (020-5231655) or call the general phone number (020-5231523).

  The following is based on the deelregeling Art Fair Internationaal (in Dutch).

• Tips and examples

  Click here to read interviews with International Art Fair grant recipients and see examples of approved applications.