Belgian Private Collections: From Intimate Anthologies to Museum-Scale Ambitions
A survey of four major Belgian private collections reveals diverse strategies for preservation and public access. The Matthys-Colle collection, built since the 1960s by neuropsychiatrist Roger Matthys and his wife Hilda Colle, was shown at Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens in Deurle (summer 2007). It features conceptual and minimalist works by Kosuth, Ryman, LeWitt, and others, with a focus on small-format pieces from artists' early careers. Mark Vanmoerkerke, founder of Sun Parks, amassed 900 works since 1998, now housed in a converted 1942 German shooting range near Ostend Airport (750 m²), renovated by architect Peter De Bruycker. The space opens every four months with a new curator; Patrick DeBrock curated the first display. Walter Vanhaerents opened his 3,500 m² former sanitary warehouse in central Brussels (renovated by Robbrecht & Daem) as a private museum titled 'Disorder in the House,' featuring 70 works by 30 artists including Murakami, McCarthy, and Barney. The Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, founded by Guy and Myriam Ullens, opens November 2, 2007, in Beijing's Dashanzi district (6,500 m²), designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, directed by Jan Debbaut, with Fei Dawei managing the collection. Its inaugural exhibition '85 New Wave' focuses on Chinese avant-garde art from 1985.
Key facts
- Matthys-Colle collection shown at Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens in Deurle from July 1 to September 23, 2007
- Vanmoerkerke collection includes 900 works, stored in a 750 m² former German shooting range near Ostend Airport
- Vanhaerents Art Collection opened in Brussels with 70 works by 30 artists in a 3,500 m² former warehouse
- Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing opens November 2, 2007, with 6,500 m² space
- Matthys-Colle collection includes One and Three Tables by Kosuth (1965) and works by Ryman, LeWitt, Flavin
- Vanmoerkerke's first curation by Patrick DeBrock; subsequent curators include Peter Doroshenko and a trio led by Micheline Szwajcer
- Vanhaerents collection focuses on pop art and its heirs, including Warhol, Koons, Sherman, and Nauman
- Ullens Center first exhibition '85 New Wave' followed by Huang Yong Ping retrospective in early 2008
Entities
Artists
- Roger Matthys
- Hilda Colle
- Mark Vanmoerkerke
- Walter Vanhaerents
- Guy Ullens
- Myriam Ullens
- Christo
- Arman
- Roy Lichtenstein
- Claes Oldenburg
- James Rosenquist
- Andy Warhol
- Tom Wesselmann
- Cy Twombly
- Dan Flavin
- Michelangelo Pistoletto
- Jean-Pierre Raynaud
- Joseph Kosuth
- Jan Dibbets
- Stanley Brouwn
- Hanne Darboven
- Douglas Huebler
- Robert Barry
- Mel Bochner
- Lawrence Weiner
- Richard Long
- Dennis Oppenheim
- Robert Ryman
- Carl Andre
- Donald Judd
- On Kawara
- Robert Mangold
- Alan Charlton
- Carel Visser
- Ulrich Rückriem
- Bruce Nauman
- Franz West
- Daniel Buren
- Niele Toroni
- Gilbert & George
- Sol LeWitt
- Allan McCollum
- Tony Cragg
- Johan Vermeiren
- Jan Vercruysse
- Thomas Schütte
- Juan Muñoz
- Michel François
- Thierry De Cordier
- Wim Delvoye
- Mike Kelley
- Marcel Broodthaers
- Ed Ruscha
- Bernd and Hilla Becher
- Barbara Kruger
- Carsten Höller
- Sherrie Levine
- John McCracken
- Robert Longo
- Louise Lawler
- Sergei Jensen
- Wolfgang Tillmans
- Imi Knoebel
- Kris Martin
- James Welling
- Jeppe Hein
- Mark Handforth
- Jeff Koons
- Cindy Sherman
- Chiho Aoshima
- Mariko Mori
- Takashi Murakami
- Yoshitomo Nara
- Doug Aitken
- Matthew Barney
- Thomas Demand
- Peter Friedl
- Paul McCarthy
- Jack Pierson
- Jason Rhoades
- Ugo Rondinone
- Tom Sachs
- Huang Yong Ping
- Fei Dawei
- Karel Geirlandt
- Anton Herbert
- Jan Hoet
- Peter De Bruycker
- Patrick DeBrock
- Peter Doroshenko
- Micheline Szwajcer
- Jan Debbaut
- Jean-Michel Wilmotte
- Dirk Snauwaert
- Anne Pontégnie
- Yayoi Kusama
Institutions
- Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens
- SMAK
- Palais des beaux-arts de Bruxelles
- Vanhaerents Art Collection
- Ullens Center for Contemporary Art
- Van Abbemuseum
- Tate Modern
- Wiels
- Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art
- Sun Parks
- artpress
Locations
- Belgium
- Ghent
- Deurle
- Brussels
- Antwerp
- Paris
- Ostend
- Beijing
- China
- London
- Amsterdam
- Cologne
- Düsseldorf
- Milan
- Turin
- Lyon
- Agen
- Dashanzi
- Art district 798
- Eindhoven
Sources
- artpress —