Page 18 - Studio Internatinal - October 1974

Belgian art and art in general, since the museums certain museums have received interesting exclusive contracts, they are occasional and
don't. It is deplorable to confirm that, apart works, but it is understandable that few based on a choice of an artistic policy which the
from the works of Belgian artists, very few of collectors wish to make donations, when they gallery upholds. Numerous galleries only rent
the works of the great collections have know the works will be relegated to store, or to hanging-space.
remained in Belgium, or been acquired by the out-of-date rooms deserted by the public, for an As for the avant-garde galleries, the
museums. indefinite time. We shall not be able to assess situation in Belgium is proportionally neither
The museums abstained from buying works the generosity of our compatriots, until we have better nor worse than in France or England.
of collectors, who were members of their museums with up-to-date management. It does The German situation is an exception, based for
purchasing committee, out of wisdom or a seem obvious, however, that the lack of example on an exceptional economic strength.
desire to be correct. Some very important museums is responsible for the lack of donations. Real avant-garde galleries are nowhere found in
paintings from the old Urvater and Dotremont The galleries are set up where there is an great numbers, nor are they very rich. In
collections are now in the museums of intense artistic life and a potential number of Belgium as elsewhere some of them close down,
Rotterdam, Louisiana and Düsseldorf. Here are interested people and purchasers. So there are a or the proprietor changes to something else.
some examples: Magritte, Au seuil de la large number in Brussels, on the coast, in the The Wide White Space Gallery (Antwerp,
Liberté 1929; De Chirico Le Troubadour 1925; main towns and even in the country. opened in 1966) is worthy of attention as much
Max Ernst Le Couple 1925; Kandinsky Im Blau Each year the Belgian Association of Modern for its artistic policy, as for its tenacity. The
1925; Miró Personnages rythmiques 1934; Art Galleries organizes a fair. It is interesting to policy of most of the galleries particularly
Dubuffet Paysage d'Airain 1952; Schwitters see that the fair took place in Bruges in 1973 favours Belgian art. This is an understandable
Young Earnest 1946; Tapies Grande Peinture and in 1974 in the Casino of Knokk-Heist. situation when the museums don't function as a
Grise; Klein Bleu, Or, Rose; Ensor Le Chou Everyone seemed satisfied with the results. source of information and thus favour the
Frisé. Relations between the galleries and the artists, reduction of the artistic world and of
Since the law grants tax relief for donations, with a few exceptions, are not based on information to the single local or national
artistic reality.
In such a situation two tendencies emerge,
one which on the basis of a personal effort
seeks general information and situates local or
national art in a wider context in which it judges
it, while giving it a special place in the artistic
life, in its collection or its gallery; and the other
which through lack of information cultivates
the self-satisfied, the misunderstood geniuses,
makes false judgements and feeds on
resentment and bitterness towards those who
do not participate in this hypertrophy of local
art. The galleries which want to survive must
take into account this reality, reflected in the
whole of Belgian artistic life. It is understandable
that the Belgian collector does not only buy
from Belgian galleries. The world of art is more
than ever international and the big fairs have
done everything to convince the customer that
the sales area is equally international. So it is
not exclusively the big collectors who look for
purchases in every corner of the art world. In
Belgium, as elsewhere, groups of buyers have
been formed, who hope in this way to buy more
cheaply, to sell more easily and who speculate
on a profit to make a collection at less expense.
The development of these groups into buying
co-operatives, motivated only by the appeal of
financial gain, rapidly occurs and leads to a
number of shady deals. But this is not what
concerns us.
In conclusion: a development, which will
doubtless cause quite a stir, is the Veranneman
Foundation at Kruishoutem. The Veranneman
(Top left) Gallery of the Bank of Paris and the gallery, formerly located in Brussels, has
Lowlands transferred its lease to a Paris gallery and is
(Bottom left) Installation shot of Dr R. Matthys's art building a private artistic centre, 2400 square
collection metres of built-up area, with nine exhibition
(Top right) Vaeranneman Foundation under rooms, the possibility of accommodating artists, a
construction
library, a bar etc, on a hill in the middle of the
(Bottom right) Ph. Dotremont (left) and Dr R. Matthys
country, in the heart of Flanders. It's a long
time since Dotremont and his associates dreamed
of creating a private museum of contemporary
art. Today, it's a gallery that's doing it, 66 km.
from Brussels. The opening is planned for
October/November this year. q
116