Albert Baronian: A Life in Art

Brussels gallerist Albert Baronian, who describes his profession as a passion rather than a career, has spent over forty years shaping the contemporary art scene in Belgium and Europe. Opening his first space, Galerie Delta, in 1973, he initially aligned with the Support/Surface movement through artists like Daniel Dezeuze and Claude Viallat. He later championed Italian artists such as Gilberto Zorio and Giulio Paolini, and in 1980 mounted Mario Merz's only solo exhibition in Belgium. Baronian also introduced American artists like Lynda Benglis and Jack Goldstein, and embraced the Neue Wilde painters including Georg Baselitz. As president of the Association of Belgian Art Galleries, he internationalized the Brussels art fair, moving it to the Heysel plateau and rebranding it as Art Brussels. Despite a brief foray into Knokke in the 1980s, Baronian remained in Brussels, relocating his gallery multiple times. In 2002, he partnered with Edmond Francey, moving to a sleek new space. His career is documented in the book "Nothing is Permanent. Albert Baronian, profession: galeriste" (2009).