Page 53 - Studio International - October 1970

Lerberghe, as yet reveals no well defined policy. Messrs Dotremont, Urvater and Graindorge. Galleries with a distinguished and permanent
The programme for the following months Now the most important works of the former team of artists or with an important stock of
illustrates the eclecticism of this management. two collections are in foreign museums, e.g. international works of art are not numerous.
After 'Europalia', this year devoted to Dutch in Rotterdam: Magritte, On the Threshold of It is likely that, as a result of the cultural
Art on the occasion of the twenty-fifth Liberty (1929); De Chirico, Troubadour (1925); autonomy, decentralization will lend new forces
anniversary of the cultural agreement, follow: Max Ernst, The Couple (1925); in Dusseldorf: to centres like Antwerp, Ghent and Liege, and
`Art of the Space Age' (Stuyvesant collection), Kandinsky, Im Blau (1925); Miró, Personnages that Belgian artistic life will get its vitality
Monory, Michaux, 'West Coast Artists', Rythmiques (1934); Dubuffet, Paysage d' Airain from the diversity of different centres such as is
Morellet, 'Situation Milan 1971', 'Belgian Art', (1952); Schwitters, Young Earnest (1946); the case in Switzerland for example.
Horst Antes, and possibly Tinguely. This is a Tapies, Grande Peinture Grise, etc. Even today the most prominent achievements
programme which remains at a safe distance A real drain of masterpieces which our own are neither exclusively to be found in Brussels
from recent artistic developments. museums nevertheless badly need! Numerous nor are they the result of extremely favourable
Apart from the Palais des Beaux Arts in important collections have now been brought circumstances. They are primarily due to
Brussels there are no permanent centres for together, some of which reflect the present-day personalities who, sometimes grimly, strive
exhibitions on that level. During the summer international artistic movements. against the stream. A striking example is the
months the Belgian seaside resorts are Even the banks feel this urge to collect; for Wide White Space Gallery in Antwerp, which
particularly active. The most important example the Bank Lambert, with its interest in in recent years has held exhibitions and staged
manifestations are held in the Casino of the international artistic investment fund activities by Beuys, Panamarenko,
Knokke— which this summer held a most `Artemis', which purchases works of art as Broodthaers, Arakawa, Christo, Graubner,
interesting retrospective exhibition of Joan investment of capital and pays dividends. The Richter, Carl Andre, Lamelas, Palermo,
Mire, —and the Kursaal in Ostend where an Bank of Paris and the Netherlands exclusively Ruthenbeck, Buren, de Maria, Sol LeWitt,
international prize for painting attracts an buys national works of art, old and Bruce Nauman, James Lee Byars, and others ...
increasing number of competitors every year. contemporary, and publishes richly This gallery was also present at Kassel during
This summer the second Triennial of illustrated books about them. It was in the the Documenta, participated in the Berlin Art
Belgian Art was held at Bruges, which gave a presence of the King and Queen that a few Market, and was selected at Lausanne for the
survey of what the under-fifties are achieving : a months ago the two recent acquisitions of the third 'Salon International des Galeries Pilotes'.
particularly varied programme ranging from bank were inaugurated in the magnificently Whoever wishes to know more about the
social realism to conceptual art. restored Osterrieth house which is the home of Belgian galleries ought to go to Brussels, to
In answer to his selection, Jef Geys, an the bank in Antwerp : two remarkably fine Antwerp and to Ghent.
artist who belongs to the latter group, wrote a sketches by Rubens, bought in London at the Belgian art life, which for a long time was
letter in which he asked the Organizing
4
Committee to be allowed to sub-let the space
assigned to him to artists in need, and he
reckoned himself among them. The letter is
published in the catalogue.
During this Triennial a funny thing
happened. R. Raveel, an artist who in recent
years has dominated the art scene in our country,
contributed to the exhibition outside the
exhibition room, and created with the
agreement of the organizers four wooden
swans with square holes which he put on view
on the canals of Bruges. For ages swans have
been the symbol of this town, but these
charming creatures had to be removed from the
canals because they died in the polluted water.
It is indeed so bad that people living along the
beautiful canals have to keep their windows
shut because of the horrible stench. The town
council, afraid perhaps of the jokes which
Raveel's swans gave rise to, had them removed.
The County Council, however, which half
finances and organizes the Triennial, had them
put back after a few days; but the following
day they were again taken away by the
municipality. After a press-campaign the
artist and the organizers met. The
municipality decided to put the swans back
after August 15, when most tourists have left price of 42 million Belgian francs. dependent upon Paris, has now come to be seen
Bruges ... One might think that with such a set-up art as ideally located between London, Amsterdam,
Among the promoters of contemporary art galleries would be numerous and prosperous. the Rhine and Paris; it is now evident that
the collectors form an important group. Their Yet this is not entirely so. There are many Belgian art must become independent of
number in Belgium has always been very large. galleries indeed, not only in Brussels, but all exclusive interests.
This has among other things something to do over the country. They operate, however, The confused image Belgium offers today
with the extrovert character of our people. primarily by letting exhibition space, and for has something to do with this change of
Until a few years ago the best known the greater part restrict themselves to national outlook. q
collections of modern art were those of art. K. J. GEIRLANDT
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