History

The Birth of Pictura Antiquairs Nationaal

In 1987, six Dutch art and antiques dealers came together to establish PAN Amsterdam, originally named *Pictura Antiquairs Nationaal*. Their idea was straightforward: to create a national art fair bringing different disciplines together under one roof, in a modern setting and to a high standard of quality. Amsterdam was the natural home for such an initiative, and the RAI provided the space and infrastructure for a fair that would give the Dutch art trade a new shared platform.

John Fentener van Vlissingen played an important role in PAN’s founding. He chaired the initial meetings, guaranteed one-third of the start-up capital and personally guaranteed the rent of the RAI Holland Hall for the first edition. This laid the foundation for the longstanding relationship between PAN and the RAI that continues to this day. The inaugural fair opened in 1987 by Amsterdam mayor Ed van Thijn and attracted 10,894 visitors. Eighty-three Dutch dealers took part, alongside seven Amsterdam museums, which presented a joint exhibition on their own ‘Museumplein’.

From the outset, quality was central to PAN’s identity. Dealers and their objects were assessed by independent experts for, among other things, authenticity and quality. At the same time, PAN was conceived as more than a marketplace. The presence of museums at the very first edition already reflected a broader ambition: to create a place where art could be encountered, explored and discussed.

PAN as a place to connect

In the years that followed, PAN evolved into a broad art fair where art, antiques and design were increasingly brought into dialogue with one another. Photography, applied arts, design, and modern and contemporary art found their place on the fair floor. The boundaries between disciplines became less defined - a development that was deliberately reinforced in 2016 with a new fair design and the guiding principle ‘eclectic living, eclectic collecting’. By presenting different disciplines alongside and among one another, PAN encouraged visitors to make unexpected connections and to explore the fair with an open mind.

Special exhibitions and presentations also became an important part of PAN’s identity. In 1998, for example, Old Man with a Turban, newly attributed to Rembrandt following research by the Rembrandt Research Project, was shown to the public for the first time. In other years, PAN brought together works from private and museum collections. The fair thus became not only a place to acquire art, but also a place to encounter new discoveries and stories surrounding works of art.

From the 1990s onwards, education also took on an increasingly prominent role. Lectures, guided tours, programmes for young collectors and initiatives aimed at introducing new audiences to art and collecting became part of the fair. In 2016, PAN Podium was introduced: an intellectual and cultural programme bringing together museums, cultural institutions, research organisations and other partners to share perspectives on art and collecting. PAN Podium has since become an established part of the fair.

PAN moving forward

This development continues today. PAN has grown into the largest national art fair in the Netherlands, but its ambition extends beyond bringing dealers and collectors together. Increasingly, the fair seeks to connect with other cultural disciplines and organisations beyond the traditional art world.

This is reflected in its campaigns and public programmes, which invite artists, designers, architects, writers and other cultural practitioners to explore art from their own perspectives. PAN Podium likewise brings together different voices and disciplines each year, exploring subjects ranging from technical art-historical research and provenance to collecting, heritage and the future of the art world.

In this way, PAN continues to build on an idea that was at the heart of its founding in 1987: bringing different worlds together. The fair remains rooted in carefully selected works of art, expertise and independent vetting, while continually evolving how visitors encounter and engage with them. From a national fair for art and antiques, PAN has grown into a broader meeting place for art, knowledge, collectors and the public - with RAI Amsterdam as its longstanding home.