Art-A by Filip De Cock

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F o r e w o r d

Synergy in the Antwerp Art Trade B Y

D I C K

G R A A F F

â&#x17E;¤ From left to right; Secretary: Karl Stimm, Extern relations: Marcel Nies, Treasurer: Ann De Pauw, Chairman: Dick Graaff, Vice-chairman: Erik MĂźllendorff

Antwerp has a great many art dealers who offer ancient, modern or contemporary

In their artistic diversity the Antwerp art dealers see a

All the selected participants of the Antwerp art weekends

art, depending on their own specialities, with antiques and design at either end of the

relationship that they wish to emphasize. Under the logo

share the idea of passion for art. It is more than an economic

spectrum. In some galleries a visual biotope is created in which diverse disciplines,

ART-A, antiques galleries, contemporary art galleries and

fact. It requires knowledge, experience and expertise to

cultures and periods come together in unison. Old and new complement each other

design galleries have joined forces to organize the Antwerp

enjoy. As art dealers they have unique objects and works of

in beauty. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

art weekends. Though this is the first edition of ART-A, it is

art on temporary loan, as it were. To them it is a privilege.

successor to the tradition that was begun by the Antwerp

From their collections, new collections are composed by art

This vision is consistent with the attitude of the contemporary art lover, who is

antique dealers association thirty-three years ago with the

lovers. In essence, art dealers are conveyers of beauty and

eclectic in his choices, but also with the view of the contemporary artist who cannot

so-called Open Door Days.

artistic creativity.

create art without looking about him, without knowing the history of art. English is an international language, and for that reason it was chosen as the language of this publication.

Dick Graaff Chairman

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F o r e w o r d

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness...” H E Y L E N

Contemporary Art, they are taking a new step with the formation of ART-A. A collaboration between antiquarians Donald Woodrow

P H I L I P

Days for thirty-three years. Now, in tandem with Antwerp

B Y

The Antwerp Antiquarians have held their Open Door

and art galleries over two art weekends. ART-A combines the finest of old and new, of antique and contemporary art, of craftsmanship and creativity. ART-A embodies what Antwerp has been for centuries: a city where art and trade go hand-

For centuries Antwerp has been the setting for a flourishing art trade that stretches

ART-A shows the best of what the Antwerp art trade has

in-hand, where the art trade developed into an economic

far beyond the city walls. The Antwerp art trade is an international magnet for

to offer. A route guides the visitor through town by way of

activity and simultaneously a draw for tourists. This very first

artists, collectors and dealers as well as for lovers of art. And for many years, too, the

twenty-five galleries. In this relaxed and distinctly stylish

edition involves a close collaboration with MAS, the recently-

participating Antwerp antiquarians and gallerists have also been welcome guests at

setting the participating antiquarians receive art lovers

opened Museum aan de Stroom, a new and conspicuous

the foremost European art fairs. With the extraordinary quality, the knowledge built

from home and abroad. An ambitious event like this could

cultural beacon in the city.

up through generations and the wide diversity of what they offer there is always

hardly have a more fitting home than Antwerp, the city of

something to discover for every art lover. In future this will be possible during ART-A,

and for visual arts. This is already more than evident in the

The English Romantic poet John Keats would have delighted

a new cultural event that unites the best art dealers in both old and contemporary art.

brand new MAS and will be more visible still with the make-

in leafing through this catalogue before penning his famous

As true ambassadors of Antwerp, antiquarians and gallerists unite in this dynamic

over of the Middelheim Open Air Museum and the complete

words, “Beauty is a joy forever...” But they could just as well

cooperative venture.

restyling of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.

describe our city itself. I wish every visitor an enjoyable and interesting ART-A and a pleasant stay in our city of Antwerp.

Philip Heylen Alderman for Culture and Tourism

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“Once Upon a Time in Antwerp”

The MAS Museum Aan de Stroom

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C a r l

D e pau w

The need was urgent and acute. The buildings in which

The MAS is therefore in the most logical place, the old port

the public and the ethnological, ethnographic, maritime

area, on the bend of the Scheldt, a link between the city

and applied arts collections had previously been brought

and the port. More cogently still, it stands on the very spot

together were no longer adequate. In some cases they

once occupied by the Hanseatic House, a sixteenth-century

barely met modern requirements of conservation and

warehouse transformed into a modern tower of stacked

collection management and contemporary interaction with

stories. Meanwhile, that cultural injection has turned the

the public. The collections were constantly nursed along and

area – an urban space that seemed forgotten and lost – into

visitors were piloted through artificial spaces. As part of a

a hot spot. In that respect alone the investment in the MAS

master plan for the Antwerp museums it was determined

has already been more than recovered. To visit the MAS is to

that the collections would become part of a new story, one

experience a city and to acquire a sense of freedom, pride

which tells how Antwerp has always been linked to the world

and mental richness. As a rule such impulses of pleasure

through the river and the (international) port and how for

are not taken into economic account, but they contribute

centuries people, goods, ideas have streamed in as a result.

fundamentally to a better, gentler and more cohesive society.

How very diverse collections were assembled and left behind at that spot on the River Scheldt, and how nowadays over 160 different nationalities are settled here. A global city, pocket-size. The visitor to the MAS, be he an Antwerpenaar or a visitor to the city, stands a good chance of finding a piece of himself and discovering how his culture has found an anchorage in Antwerp. What began as a rational dream has, sixteen years on, become reality. On 17 May 2011 the Museum aan de Stroom – the MAS – in Antwerp opened its doors to the public. Now it has to prove itself – to prove it was necessary, was built in the right place, that its new architecture was logical, and that the bringing together of four separate collections in a newly devised concept delivers (much) more than the sum of these photo © Sarah Blee

parts. What was sometimes far from obvious on this long journey and often led to intense discussion, scepticism and disbelief, is now exchanged for an open-armed embracing of the new museum. The flood of visitors is exceeding all expectations.

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An international architecture competition finally led to the tower of Neutelings Riedijk Architects being chosen. Undoubtedly because it does more than house a few collections; it also stimulates an intensity of interaction. The MAS has become more than just a museum: it is breathtaking architecture in a fascinating environment, a place you have to go to, for any number of reasons. The collections of the MAS have had an even longer history. On 14 August 1864 the huge flood of people, testament to the interest this institution arouses in our fellow townsmen. Several citizens have made donations in order to increase the collections.

“It attracts a huge flood of people, testament to the interest this institution arouses in our fellow

photo © Sarah Blee

Museum of Antiquities opened in the Steen. A contemporary noted, “It attracts a

However incomplete they are as yet, they are none the less already remarkable as a whole.” At that time the Antwerp collection related mainly to Antwerp and

townsmen”

its surroundings. In addition to archaeology, applied arts occupied a prominent place, while acquisitions and gifts followed each other in quick succession. In 1874 the Administrative Commission bought the magnificent Averbode Altarpiece and immediately organized its restoration. Catalogues appeared, even one in

To make this new home and bring together the various

In Antwerp there was, above all, great enthusiasm, goesting

English. Excluding coins and medals the collection had 882 objects. In 1879 the

collections required a good deal of money, and above all

– an Antwerp expression that tells you that it made a lot

Administrative Commission received from the town council a large collection of

courage on behalf of the various authorities, and a great

of perfect sense. That goesting meant not only that many

Egyptological material, purchased from the Frenchman Eugène Allemant. The

commitment on the part of private partners.

people believed in it, but also that collections were created

Antwerp Collection was formed.

in order to embellish stories with objects and works of art. The Antwerp Antiquarians have certainly also played a part

More than 150 years later, after some rambling and rethinking about presentations

in the story of this MAS, having constantly helped to enrich

and sites, this is the core collection, the beating heart of the MAS. Art movers and

the collections. As indeed they still do, to the delight of the

museum staff have a given a new home to just under 470,000 collection pieces in the

visitors and with an eye on the future.

museum arrangement and the Visible Storage of the MAS or in the two new museum depots elsewhere in the city. Finally, more than 2,400 objects are displayed in the museum galleries, while another 3,600 can be seen in the Visible Storage and 160 in

Carl Depauw

a temporary exhibition.

Director, Museum aan de Stroom

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Chairman of our association for thirteen years and Honorary Chairman for three years, Grethe Zeberg

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M e m o r iam was always a driving force. She was committed to the

G r e th e

Z e b e r g

continuation of our Open Door Days, which we have now been successfully holding for thirty-two years. It was therefore with great sadness that last year, a week before our event, we had to say goodbye to Grethe. Only two weeks previously she had been an energetic presence at a committee meeting and was already aware of the changes we have made this year. For this reason I would like to dedicate these art weekends, now under the name of ART-A, to you, Grethe, for we will never forget what you have done for us.

On behalf of the Committee, the members and former members of the Antwerp Antiquarians.

Dick Graaff Chairman, Antwerp Antiquarians

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88-gallery Erik MĂźllendorff and Philippe Rapin

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Interior of the 88 Gallery in Antwerp

The gallery occupies a very particular niche â&#x20AC;&#x201C; modern Western design furniture and objects along with abstract art, especially kinetic art, from the post-war period

88-gallery Erik Müllendorff and Philippe Rapin 16 I ART-A

The gallery occupies a very particular niche – modern Western design furniture and objects along with abstract art, especially kinetic art, from the post-war period. ➤ Marc Cavell (UK 1911 - France 1989). Untitled. Signed and dated 1973 on reverse. Red-painted stainless steel and hardboard. Dimensions: 123.5 x 102.5 cm.

furniture and other objects made in new materials, even if they didn’t produce them

Asked to define the difference between the fine and decorative arts, Erik Müllendorff replies, “In both fields the name of the creative individual who produced the object is very important. As regards twentieth-century decorative art we have more information about post-war works than the earlier pieces. We’re no longer only concerned with whether an occasional table, say, is a handsome piece of furniture, but also with who designed it. The time of anonymous pieces is over. We’re much more interested in the artists behind the design. There’s a reason for that. The utensils or decorative objects made by artists are usually one-offs, unique examples. That makes the connection between art and decorative art much closer than it’s generally assumed to be.

with their own hands in their own workshop”

01 Leopoldstraat 4 - 2000 Antwerpen T +32 3 231 33 81 F +32 3 232 31 46 Mob +32 475 79 81 17 Opening hours: Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. till 6 p.m. Or by appointment. info@88-gallery.com www.88-gallery.com

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The creations of such artists are often made in unusual materials. Ado Chale’s furniture is made of bronze, aluminium, minerals and semi-precious stones, for example. The works of Pierre Giraudon and Jean Brand, who both use resin among their other materials, also have that experimental character. That experimentalism is expressed not only in their choice of materials but also in the shape. 88-Gallery also offers an extensive selection of glass art, mostly from Fontana Arte, with whom such famous names as architect and designer Gio Ponti and artistic director Max Ingrand are connected. The abstract art of the period between 1950 and 1980 which the gallery offers is represented by names such as Vassilakis Takis, Marc Cavell and Paulo Scheggi.

“The designers had their

88-Gallery

The gallery occupies a very particular niche – modern Western design furniture and objects along with abstract art, particularly kinetic art, from the post-war period. But such a generalized description is not really adequate, for the gallery’s specialization is more specific still. The design furniture and objects that 88-Gallery offers are without exception functional or artistic pieces that were made in limited editions. Design objects that have been mass produced in an industrial process will not be found here, not even the prototypes. 88-Gallery selects objects from the craft workshops of designers, sculptors and architects.

Antiquarian Erik Müllendorff (1965), whose name suggests a Prussian origin, trained as a commercial engineer. For eight years he was a consultant with an information technology company. After a year’s internship at Sotheby’s in London he started work in his father’s famous antique firm. Twelve years ago he took over the business. Since then the gallery’s focus has shifted significantly. In the meantime, Müllendorff has gone into partnership with the French antiquarian Philippe Rapin (1955), who is expert près des domaines. Their gallery is now called 88-Gallery, with a branch in Antwerp and, as of a short while ago, one in London as well.

“The designers had their furniture and other objects made in new materials, even if they didn’t produce them with their own hands in their own workshop,” continues Müllendorff. “They also gave a lot of thought to what could be both beautiful and functional at the same time. They were nothing if not creative. For instance, they used glass as a load-bearing structure, which was previously impossible.

➤ Marc Cavell (UK 1911 - France 1989). Stabile, stainless steel, steel and granite. Height 180 cm.

You might say that however rare a design product may be it’s still not unique in the way that a painting is, but that should be seen in perspective. Many painters repeated the same motif time and again in any number of works. And it’s not uncommon to find that an artist is concerned not only with beauty but also with exploring artistic expression – two of the very characteristics that also hallmark original artisanal design.” Asked who his customers are, Müllendorff replies, “Most of them are collectors of modern and contemporary art who also buy original design furniture and objects, because these are two expressions of the same taste and spirit and they dovetail perfectly. We’re seeing a rising demand from people from the BRIC countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China. And because these people also come to London, we need a presence there as well – hence the new gallery.”

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To roMe ANd BACK AGAIN Akanthos I 19

THe INTerIor oF AKANTHoS ANCIeNT ArT

STeP THroUGH THe door oF AKANTHoS, THe GALLerY oF ANCIeNT ArT AT NUMBer 7, oever, IN ANTwerP, ANd YoU’LL FINd YoUrSeLF IN THe roMAN eMPIre

To Rome and Back Again Akanthos 20 I ART-A

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“You can say there was a reciprocal influence,” Stimm continues. “The Romans owed their writing, culture and religion largely to the Etruscans. They also took many cultural elements from the Greeks. In sculpture, for example, copies of Greek statues were made in ancient Rome. The tutors employed by the better Roman families were often of Greek origins. And Rome was a magnet for merchants – they came from far and wide, bringing their culture along with their wares. On the other hand, Roman hegemony influenced the territories that became part of the Empire, so that there was a kind of acculturation there too. You can recognize this interaction in many archaeological artefacts, so that in a certain object you might find both Roman and Celtic stylistic traits, for example. To put it more broadly, Roman coinage was used as a means of payment over a wider area than the euro is now.”

➤ In Roman times glass was a symbol of beauty – but also of the fragility of life. This ribbed dish, unguentarium and drinking cup, respectively 5 cm, 23 cm and 7.5 cm high, are made of aquamarine transparent glass. The objects are said to have been found in Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, present-day Cologne in Germany, not long after the Second World War. They were once part of a private collection in Germany and the PB private collection in Vlijmen in the Netherlands.

Step through the door of Akanthos, the gallery of ancient art at number 7, Oever, in Antwerp, and you’ll find yourself in the Roman Empire. Or rather, in a whole archaeological world in which multifarious Romans rub shoulders with other ancient peoples – Greeks, Eygyptians, Celts, Germanic peoples and even medieval man. To visit the gallery is to come into direct physical contact with those ancient cultures through the objects and works of art they made and used. These are usually archeological finds, fragments of monumental columns, marble portrait sculptures, memorial stelæ, statues of gods and goddesses in bronze, votive figures in terracotta or ceramic, receptacles of every sort in every kind of material including glass, and antique jewellery such as rings, earrings, and fibulæ.

02 Akanthos

Oever 7 - 2000 Antwerpen T +32 3 248 18 55 Mob +32 486 28 23 54 Opening hours: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. till 6.30 p.m. Or by appointment. akanthos@telenet.be www.akanthos.be

The gallery’s owner, Karl Stimm (1949), is an art historian and archaeologist. An antiquarian of thirty years standing, he opened his gallery in Antwerp in 1988. “It was passion that drove me from the academic to the art trade,” he says. “There’s a culturehistorical reason why the archaeological objects I present are so diverse in origin and period. It’s precisely because Roman material culture forms the core of what I offer that other cultures are also involved. The Romans were pragmatists. Rome was a multicultural society with very wide cultural borders. The Pantheon in Rome not only included the Roman gods; there were images of the deities of conquered territories in the temple as well. There was even an empty niche for an unknown deity. In Rome, people were not ‘other’ just because they had other gods. Only the emperor had to be honoured by everyone.

To the suggestion that archaeology is in a certain sense the scrapheap of a civilization, Stimm replies, “Archaeology unearths a culture’s débris. Through archaeology we reconstruct the past. To the antiquarian and collector there’s a great fascination in discovering the identity of an archaeological object – its cultural background, its period, its purpose, even the social class in which it was used. With rare exceptions, the archaeological objects we have left from Roman civilization don’t represent elite art but plebeian art, folk art. The later Romanesque art evolved from the folk art of Rome. That’s why my collecting period ranges from classical antiquity to the Romanesque period, from 700 BCE to 1200 CE, let’s say.” According to Karl Stimm, collecting is essentially an immaterial pursuit. “It’s not the case that history repeats itself but rather that people repeat themselves. The feelings expressed in a skilfully-made object, the hope and despair, the joy and sorrow, are always the same. What differs is the way they’ve been given form. A work of art can’t give you anything you don’t already have; it doesn’t make you any wiser. What it can do is open a door into yourself. In that sense, every archaeological object is a meeting with yourself. By collecting, you get a better idea of who you are; you get a look into your own existence. It’s very noticeable that my customers come from every social group, from the docker to the professor. In my gallery social status simply becomes irrelevant. I don’t feel like a dealer. I can only guide the enthusiast with my own knowledge. Of course, when an object is sold the buyer gets a certificate of authenticity too.”

➤ This 10-centimetre-high ceramic cup decorated with a face was intended to avert the evil eye. This is why the portrait is asymmetrical. It dates from the period of the Roman Empire, more specifically from the first or second century AD, and comes from Germany or France. The cup was previously in the Legge Collection (author of The Romans in Britain), the collection of C. M. in London, and the JB collection in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands.

“It was passion that drove me from the academic to the art trade”

MAGIC IMAGeS FroM AFrICA Amma Tribal Art

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THe INTerIor oF AMMA TrIBAL ArT

eTHNIC ArT FroM AFrICA wAS LoNG reGArded AS AN exoTIC rArITY. IT’S BAreLY A CeNTUrY AGo THAT THe exTrAordINArY ArTISTIC vALUe oF THe rITUAL FIGUreS ANd MASKS FroM THAT SUPPoSedLY “dArK” CoNTINeNT wAS FIrST reCoGNIZed BY weSTerN ArTISTS LIKe ANdré derAIN, MAUrICe de vLAMINCK ANd PABLo PICASSo

Magic Images from Africa Amma Tribal Art 24 I ART-A

I 25 ➤ This anthropomorphic mask comes from the Wè-Guéré of Côte d’Ivoire. The mask is 33 cm high and dates from the early 20th century. The exaggerated facial features combined with animal elements such as the buffalo horns are typical characteristics of the Guéré style, and are used to express male strength and power of judgement. This mask once belonged to the collections of André Held in Geneva and L. Van De Velde in Antwerp.

Ethnic art from Africa was long regarded as an exotic rarity. It’s barely a century ago that the extraordinary artistic value of the ritual figures and masks from that supposedly “dark” continent was first recognized by western artists like André Derain, Maurice de Vlaminck and Pablo Picasso. Luc Huysveld (1963) and Ann De Pauw (1963) also experienced the impact of the beauty and power of those sculptural objects when they were both in their early twenties. Some two decades ago they made their first trip to Africa, in search of adventure and ethnic art. Mali was followed by several other regions. At that time, little authentic ethnic art was still to be found. With the increasing westernization of Africa, ancestor worship was being lost. ➤ This 60-cm-high sculpture, which has a grey, weathered patina, is from the Lobi of Burkina Faso. It dates from the 19th century or perhaps earlier still. Bateba, as these figures are locally known, are commissioned by priests and diviners. They are kept on altars as living individuals who see, communicate and mediate to safeguard the people from diseases and witchcraft. This figure comes from the collection of the artist Armando in the Netherlands.

Amma Tribal Art Wolstraat 16 - 2000 Antwerpen T +32 3 772 11 90 Mob +32 496 31 08 36 Opening hours: Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 2 p.m. till 6 p.m. Or by appointment. info@ammatribalart.com www.ammatribalart.com

Initially collectors, Huysveld and De Pauw started their own business, Amma Tribal Art, in 1989. When the communist regime in Benin (formerly Dahomey) collapsed in 1989 and the area became more accessible, Huysveld and De Pauw found a new country – one in which, surprisingly, much of the old African culture still survived. As it turned out, their fieldwork in Benin, among the Fon and related groups such as the Adja and Ewe, lasted ten years “The Fon are a people known chiefly for their mysterious, magic-laden power figures,” say Huysveld and De Pauw. “Their ‘fetish’ figures have a thick sacrificial patina that’s made up of organic and inorganic materials such as blood, alcohol, palm oil, small skulls, cowry shells and kaolin. The figures embody the whole philosophy of the Fon, the culture in general but also and specifically ancestor veneration and healing. In the local language, such a cult figure is called bocio, which literally means ‘powerladen corpse’. When someone dies, he or she is venerated as an ancestor and from that moment they belong to the supernatural. “African images are used to make contact with the supernatural. The ancestors can intervene in the social and physical life of the living. Ritual images allow the distance between the living and the ancestors to be bridged. People with problems are helped by diviners. A diviner prides himself on his power and that power is linked to the power figures he owns. During a ritual the diviner summons the supernatural forces. Then he goes into a trance. He utters words that are unitelligable to the ordinary, uninitiated spectator, a secret language. Some of the images used in a ritual have one particular purpose. They can help to solve problems of infertility, for instance, or find lost objects, relieve a mental affliction, or deliver judgement. Other images incorporate several powers and have multiple functions.”

Over the years, Amma Tribal Art has expanded its geographic range and Huysveld and De Pauw now offer objects from the whole of Africa. Most of these come from western private collections. The Africa Museum in Berg en Dal, near Nijmegen, is one of their customers, and the Antwerp Ethnographic Museum also bought a collection of Fon objects from them. And for the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Arizona, USA, they put together a collection of ethic musical instruments from West Africa. Huysveld and De Pauw conclude, “The appreciation of ethnic art is gradually growing. New ethnographic museums are regularly opening in Europe and the USA. And it’s significant that the Louvre in Paris has been showing ethnic art for several years. African art touches the very essence of existence. Life and death, hope and fear, and joy and suffering are all embodied in it. African artists are anonymous, so in judging a piece of ethnic African art, dealers and collectors can’t rely on a name, as they can with contemporary art. To arrive at a qualitative judgement all they can do is compare an object with related images or masks from the same area. The collector of ethnic art must do his own homework, visiting specialized galleries and museums, looking, comparing, reading, feeling. Making choices.”

“African artists are anonymous”

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From Old Masters to Les Vingt Arends & Tammes Fine Arts I 27

The interior of Arends & Tammes

The number of dealers in old-master paintings in Belgium can be counted on the fingers of one hand

From Old Masters to Les Vingt Arends & Tammes Fine Arts 28 I ART-A

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➤ This oil painting on canvas is by the Dutch genre and portrait painter Jan Olis (Gorinchem c.1610-1676 Heusden). It is 63.5 x 74 cm, and signed and dated at bottom left: J Olis fecit 1654. It represents “Het vertrek van soldaten” (“The Soldiers’ Departure”) and is a typical example of the genre known in Dutch as kortegaard, a corruption of corps de garde, which was extremely popular in the period between 1628 and 1664. The soldier who is still pulling on his boots while the others are ready was a favourite motif.

➤ This pastel by the French artist Louis Anquetin (1861-1932) represents “Two Women and a Man” and measure 53 x 49 cm. The work is signed and dated 1892. Ten years earlier Anquetin had settled in Paris, where he met Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Vincent van Gogh and Emile Bernard. Around 1887 Anquetin and Bernard developed a painting style that used flat areas of colour and thick black outlines, which the critic Edouard Dujardin dubbed Cloisonnisme.

The cost of a restoration depends on how many hours it takes, but the value of the work of art is a factor as well. Needless to say, as a restorer you’re extra careful with a very expensive painting. My motto is ‘don’t die for an ideal; live for it!’”

The number of dealers in old-master paintings in Belgium can be counted on the fingers of one hand. One of the few specialized galleries is Arends & Tammes Fine Arts, who moved to Antwerp from Amsterdam a few years ago. In addition to the old-master and modern paintings in the gallery Arends & Tammes also provide opinions or valuations (including the estimation on paintings), intermediary services in transactions of works of art between private individuals, and painting restoration. Over the last thirty-five years Robert Arends (1954) has built up a solid reputation as a restorer of and expert on old masters. Private collectors, dealers, auction houses and museums in Belgium and beyond have all become his clients. Major works by artists such as Jan van Goyen, Hendrick Avercamp, Ferdinand Bol, Jan Lievens and Ambrosius Bosschaert have come to him for restoration – and even two paintings by Rembrandt. He also restores modern works by painters such as Monet and Manet.

Arends & Tammes Fine Arts Mechelsesteenweg 214 - 2018 Antwerpen T +32 3 248 21 23 Mob +32 473 933 603 Preferably by appointment. arendstammes.finearts@skynet.be www.arendstammesfinearts.be

“The point is to retouch as little as possible,” Arends explains. “You must know what you’re doing with every brushstroke. You work in the spirit of the artist. When you sit in front of a seventeenth-century painting for three weeks, the notion of time vanishes, or rather, you imagine yourself in the seventeenth century. You gradually discover how the artist has conceived and composed his work; you feel him thinking as he paints. Generally speaking, in Italy less detailed restoration is done than in Belgium and the Netherlands. Italian restorers often fill losses with hatching – the technique’s known as trattegio. When you look from a slight distance at a painting restored in this way you don’t notice the hatching at all. In the Low Countries many collectors find missing details disturbing, which is why they have their paintings retouched.

Henriette Tammes (1963) also has many years of experience in the art trade. Her studies in art history and classical archaeology were followed by practical experience both in and outside Belgium, working for the general antiquarian Kunstzalen A. Vecht in Amsterdam, for instance, and in the department of nineteenth-century painting at the Fine Arte auction house in Milan. In 1991 she started as an independent art dealer, albeit in modern painting. Two years later, she and her husband Robert Arends opened their gallery in old and modern masters in Amsterdam’s Spiegelkwartier. Now in Antwerp, the gallery offers not only Dutch and Flemish old masters but also works by “Les Vingt”, a Belgian artists’ collective active from 1883 to 1893. “Our client base is international,” Tammes explains. “We have contacts with collectors from the Netherlands, Belgium, England, France, the United States and even Japan. Collectors tend to buy art that derives from their own cultural heritage. The Flemish are very interested in early Flemish culture. They’d rather buy a seventeenth-century Flemish painting than a Dutch work of the same period. It’s not an unusual attitude. In the art trade there’s a certain cultural chauvinism all over the globe. Certainly in the case old-master painting, though much less so for modern art. But things are changing. More and more people are buying art as an investment. It doesn’t matter anymore what they buy, as long as it has quality.

“Investing in art is a matter of having patience. If your work isn’t by a top name you have to wait a bit longer”

“Investing in art is a matter of having patience. If your work isn’t by a top name you have to wait a bit longer. If the big names have been skimmed off the art market, attention turns to less well-known masters from the same period, the same school, or from another country. The return on modern art can rise quite suddenly and dramatically, certainly if it’s work by an internationally famous name, but sometimes it can fall just as fast. With old masters there’s less speculation. Old-master art is much more stable; prices rise steadily every year, at any rate for high-quality work.”

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ANTIqUe FroM THe GoTHIC To THe BAroqUe Avonds Ludo I 31

THe INTerIor oF LUdo AvoNdS’S GALLerY

LUdo AvoNdS (1957) IS A THIrd-GeNerATIoN ANTwerP ANTIqUArIAN, oFFerING FUrNITUre ANd worKS oF ArT FroM THe SIxTeeNTH To THe eIGHTeeNTH CeNTUrY

Antique from the Gothic to the Baroque Avonds Ludo 32 I ART-A

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Ludo Avonds (1957) is a third-generation Antwerp antiquarian, offering furniture and works of art from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. But he is not a dealer only, for he also restores antique furniture. Behind his gallery he has a workshop stocked with rare woods. ➤ In Flanders the use of alabaster as a material from which works of art were made reached its peak in 1588-1620. Even so, alabaster was used only for a short time. This relief dates from the second half of the 16th century and comes from Mechelen or Antwerp.

“Religious art is not bought for devotional purposes now; its sculptural quality has become the main consideration”

Avonds Ludo Mechelsesteenweg 78 2018 Antwerpen T +32 3 238 51 86 Opening hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m. ludo.avonds@gmail.com

The Antwerp Avonds family has been in the antique trade for a century, the business passing down from grandfather to grandson. When Ludo Avonds left school in 1978 he started work in his parents’ gallery, where he learned the skills of an antiquarian and restorer. At that time there was no formal training in antiquarianism. In 1983 he took over his parents’ business. “In the old tradition I’ve remained a general antiquarian, a generalist,” he says. “With the tables, chairs, cabinets, tapestries and other skilfully-made objects I offer in my gallery you could furnish a whole interior in sixteenth-, seventeenth- or eighteenthcentury style.

“Those three centuries saw a realignment of our world view, with the secular and the sacred having equal weight. And that was also expressed in the applied arts,” continues Avonds. “Religious art is not bought for devotional purposes now; its sculptural quality has become the main consideration. Some objects have maintained their status for centuries. Even in a modern interior certain objects simply radiate class. Through the centuries, from the Gothic period through the Renaissance to the Baroque, changes in style were always introduced first in new buildings and only later were they reflected in furniture. Medieval carpenters always left the functional parts, like the hinges and the lock, in plain sight. A piece of Gothic furniture can be visually deconstructed. During the Baroque period, the time of Rubens, the functional elements were concealed; furniture even acquired an architectonic character. Take the cabinet known as a kussenkast, produced during the second half of the seventeenth century, for example. With a structure consisting of several levels an imposing cabinet like this puts you in mind of Antwerp Town Hall – at the bottom the basement; in the middle the “piano nobile” or principal storey, and at the top the attic storey. The relationship between these three layers obeys the rules of the golden section, something you also find in the Town Hall. The Baroque was hallmarked by love of luxury. The ornamentation on a piece of furniture from that period may derive from the Bible or classical mythology or nature.” If the furniture he offers in his gallery requires restoration, Ludo Avonds does it himself. Private owners can also bring their furniture to be restored. “Sometimes old pieces of furniture have been damaged. The rules of the profession dictate that in a restoration no more than twenty percent of a piece of furniture can be replaced if the item is still to be regarded as authentic. In restoring a piece of antique furniture no challenge is too great. Popular objects, generally referred to as folk art, are very difficult to restore, as this type of art tends to be fairly rough. We’ve become too perfectionist to imitate that spontaneous creativity. One of the major difficulties in restoration is not the technique but the materials, finding the right sort of wood. Try looking for a wide strip of rosewood! Where can you still find that dark ebony of yesteryear?”

➤ This 17th-century tapestry from a Brussels workshop is woven in silk and wool and measures 237 x 333 cm. The image depicted on it can be read as an allegory of youth. It shows a Renaissance garden with children playing around a fountain under the ladies’ watchful eye. Exotic creatures – like a little monkey in one of the two original borders – and mythological beings allude to the playful character of the scene. But the parrot high in the tree symbolizes the family’s wealth.

Avonds prides himself on his proficiency in the French polishing technique, which gives a deep smooth gloss to mahogany furniture. “It takes repeated applications of shellac, a viscous solution of resin and spirit. If you spend too much time on one spot you get a burn mark that’s impossible to remove. The result also depends on the ambient temperature and humidity. French polishing is very a labour-intensive process. The cost of restoring a piece of antique furniture depends not so much on the value of the piece as the number of working hours involved.” In Ludo Avonds’s view the combination of antiquarian and restorer is the best job there is. “The freedom you have is reminiscent of an artist’s life. And dealing in objects and furniture you love yourself, finding a buyer who’s pleased with the purchase of something which, strictly speaking, he doesn’t need, gives both professional and personal satisfaction.”

THe CLoAK oF A NASCA KING daroun

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THe INTerIor oF THe dAroUN GALLerY

THe oNLY BeLGIAN ArT GALLerY To SPeCIALIZe IN THe TexTILeS oF eArLY CULTUreS ANd eTHNIC PeoPLeS IS THe dAroUN GALLerY IN ANTwerP

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the cloak of a Nasca King Daroun 36 I ART-A

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➤ This carving is a wall panel made by the Naga and comes from north-eastern India. It dates from the 18th or 19th century. It is made from teak and measures 290 x 78 x 24 cm. Only members of the highest social class would possess such a panel. The Naga, who are still extant, are head-hunters. This can also be seen on the panel. The human head at the top represents a severed head. Below it is the head of a deer, indicating that the panel’s owner also possessed hunting grounds.

“Pre-Columbian textiles always come from tombs and are at least 500 years old”

The only Belgian art gallery to specialize in the textiles of early cultures and ethnic peoples is the Daroun Gallery in Antwerp. Textiles is an area of collecting in which there is growing interest, and textile objects can still be acquired at an affordable price. All over the world, hand-made textiles have always been the pre-eminent female means of artistic expression. Some centuries-old pieces are reminiscent of contemporary art. Liban Pollet (1955), the owner of the Daroun Gallery, trained as a technical textile engineer. He didn’t start his career as an art dealer right away, however. For twenty years he taught at the fashion department of the Royal Academy of Fine Art in Ghent and in the meantime travelled the world in search of or early weaves and ethnic textiles. At a certain point it became impossible to go on combining these expeditions with his teaching responsibilities, and eventually he left education. In 1986 Pollet opened a specialized gallery in Antwerp, the Daroun Gallery, now in existence for twenty-five years.

06 Daroun

Minderbroedersrui 41 - 2000 Antwerpen Boekkouter 30 - 9660 Brakel T +32 3 226 74 72 F +32 55 42 71 54 Mob +32 475 27 13 81 Opening hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 1 p.m. till 6 p.m. galerijdaroun@hotmail.com www.daroungallery.com

“I sold my first pieces to the Antwerp Ethnographic Museum and the KBC Bank and Insurance,” Pollet recalls. “The latter has one of the best textile collections in Europe. Later on, the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam and the Wereldmuseum in Rotterdam became customers as well. I now have some thirty Belgian and foreign textile collectors among my regular customers.” Forming the basis of the Daroun Gallery’s collection are primitive or ethnic textiles, the fabrics made by rather small and usually rural communities in various parts of the world, especially Asia. Pollet also has magnificent pieces from South America. “Though the Pre-Columbian textiles of South America can hardly be called ethnic,” says Pollet. “From north to south the Inca empire stretched for more than 5,000 kilometres. Its territory included a significant number of present-day South American states. All those regions produced woven textiles. Even so, the only textiles that have survived are from Peru, thanks to the favourable climatic conditions there.

“Pre-Columbian textiles always come from tombs and are at least 500 years old. The dead were interred in desertlike areas, in dry infertile ground or in cliff-face burial sites. To the Incas, dress was an expression of social worth. The fabrics reflected their wearer’s social status. To the extent that anyone who was arrested was not physically confined but instead had his clothes taken away, and thus he no longer existed as a member of society. Red was the preserve of men; women dressed in yellow. Pregnant women also wore brown, which to the Incas was the colour of asexuality and unknowing, concepts related to the unborn child. Blue was a symbol of sexuality.”

➤ This textile, which measures 186 x 136 cm, is an archaeological tomb find from the Nasca of Peru. It is woven from alpaca wool and is dated between the second and the sixth century AD. That the colours and the fabric are so perfectly preserved is due to the very dry climate in the Nasca area. The textile, which is known as an unku was used as a marriage garment by the elite. Men would wear the unku with the red field at the front, women would have the yellow field at the front. The stepped patterns in the borders symbolize fertility.

Inca textiles were woven from cotton, a native plant, or from yarns spun from the wool of cameloid animals – the llama, alpaca and vicuña. The large rectangular pieces of cloth were worn like a kind of cloak. In part the Incas adopted the textile art of cultures that preceded them. The most refined and sought-after fabrics are those of the Huari culture, which flourished from the sixth to the eighth century. Pollet: “The Incas had no a writing system. They expressed their world view in their textiles, using abstract fields and bands of intense colours. They had an impressive knowledge of dyes. Centuries after they were woven, some of their textiles have become a source of inspiration for abstract artists, such as Mark Rothko.”

According to Pollet, ethnic textiles and the fabrics of early cultures are becoming increasingly expensive. The reason is twofold. Obviously, the textiles of long vanished cultures are finite in quantity, while on the world market the demand for them is growing. Ethnic textiles are also becoming rarer, because even peoples who live in remote areas are starting to wear Western clothes. Pollet not only deals in textiles, he also restores them. Lovers of textiles can always approach him for free advice, though for a detailed opinion a fee is asked.

THe AvANT-GArde oF CoNTeMPorArY ArT Galerie Marion de Cannière

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INSIde THe MArIoN de CANNIère GALLerY THe MArIoN de CANNIère GALLerY IS IN THe oLd HArBoUr qUArTer KNowN AS THe eILANdje or “LITTLe ISLANd”, IN THe NorTH oF ANTwerP

The Avant-garde of Contemporary Art Galerie Marion de Cannière 40 I ART-A

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➤ Johan Gelper - In situ installation galerie Marion de Cannière 2010.

➤ Cristian Bors & Marius Ritiu “No Borders Equals Tolerance” Installation.

The Marion de Cannière Gallery is in the old harbour quarter known as the Eilandje or “little island”, in the north of Antwerp.

“To me, art is matter of good feeling”

Galerie Marion de Cannière Nassaustraat 34 - 2000 Antwerpen Alice Nahonlei 19 - 2900 Schoten Mob +32 474 57 88 46 Opening hours: Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 2 p.m. till 6 p.m. marion.de.canniere@telenet.be gallery@mariondecanniere.com www.mariondecanniere.com

The Marion de Cannière Gallery is in the old harbour quarter known as the Eilandje or “little island”, in the north of Antwerp. It’s a rather desolate district with streets that are much too wide and docks that evoke a vanished industrial activity – and is regarded as the most important area of urban renewal in Antwerp. With the opening in 2011 of the city’s new flagship museum, the Museum aan de Stroom, familiarly known as the MAS, the Eilandje is well on its way to a new and vibrant lease of life. The art deco building that houses the Marion de Cannière Gallery at Nassaustraat 34 attests both to the quarter’s industrial past and to its transformation. At one time the building was a warehouse for sailcloths, as can still be read on the front. Marion de Cannière bought the ground floor and the basement, which gave her an immediate 190 square meters of exhibition space. With its high white walls, grey concrete ceiling and heavy industrial beams, the gallery interior looks austere. The extent of the space and the large wall surfaces make it extremely suitable for contemporary art. To Marion de Cannière (1954), running an art gallery has always been a specific form of self-realization. Too modest in her dealings she endeavours to link her gallery to the development of contemporary art. Her frequent visits to other galleries, museums and art exhibitions at home and abroad keep her fully abreast of what’s happening in the art world. In Belgium her art centres of choice are Wiels, the Centre for Contemporary Art in Brussels and the Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens in Deurle; and in Holland, De Pont in Tilburg. She also has great admiration for Geert Verbeke who set up the Verbeke Foundation in Kemzeke.

“To me, art is matter of good feeling,” says Marion de Cannière. “A weighty theoretical explanation of art is thrown away on me. First I want to see an artist’s work, and only afterwards do I want to talk to him or her about it. I visit studios quite a lot. If a particular artistic expression grips me I’ll have long talks with the artist afterwards, and detailed discussions about the concept of an exhibition. With most of my gallery artists I have a confidential association that goes way beyond a business relationship. Though I say it myself, I’m very committed to my artists. I don’t really see my gallery as a commercial undertaking. To me it’s not about money, it’s a matter of passion.’ One of the gallery’s well-known artists is Kris Fierens. His paintings and especially his drawings are extremely elusive. They emerge from a combination of the emotional and the subconscious. Yet in his minimalistic work a thought process is visualized whose essence is often captured in a single tranquil movement. Christian Bors and Marius Ritiu are also Marion de Cannière Gallery artists. These two young Romanians work as a duo along the same lines as street art or guerrilla art, as it’s also called. In this art form a public space is occupied unexpectedly, temporarily and without official permission by a creation, an intervention, texts or a happening. This was how they invited themselves to the New Monuments group exhibition organized in 2010 by Antwerp’s Middelheim sculpture park. Their project was called Behind the Fence and involved two bicycles ridden by casts of Bors and Ritiu themselves, which they installed on the street in front of one of the park’s side entrances. There they stood, so to speak, waiting till they too were admitted as artists.

Another of the gallery’s great artistic talents is the sculptor Caroline Coolen, whose works bring together the most improbable forms and motifs. They’re unorthodox, also in the use of materials, and might be called bastard works. Coloured animals, characters that catch fire, landscapes that have gone astray, even metamorphosed objects, stare at the viewer in all their baroque nakedness. The gallery also gives space to the Scottish installation artists Zoë Walker & Neil Bromwich, the French video artist Bertrand Gadenne, and the Flemish sculptor Johan Gelper. It is clear that all the artists of the Marion de Cannière Gallery belong to the commercially risky avant-garde of contemporary art.

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Archaeology from China, Ethnic Art from Africa Esprit de l’Art I 43

The interior of Esprit de l’Art

During the last ten years many contemporary art galleries have been established in Antwerp’s South Quarter. Lut Decleer (1961) and Bruno Laurent (1963) discovered this part of the city long before that

Archaeology from China, Ethnic Art from Africa Esprit de l’Art 44 I ART-A

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➤ This fine stylized figure represents a Yorouba deity. It was made in the first half of the 20th century. It is carved from wood and is 42.9 cm high. The figure has a patina resulting from use and bears traces of red and indigo pigment. The Yorouba live in south-western Nigeria and a small part of Benin. In their cult sculptures are used to keep the cosmic forces under control.

➤ These 27.8 cm-high terracotta figures from China represent refined court ladies. Their long silken gowns, extraordinarily elaborate coiffures and serene expressions exude great wealth. The figures are from the early Tang dynasty: thermoluminescence dating indicates 618 AD. These are perfectly preserved white terracottas with original orange, red and black polychromy.

“In the last five years many private museums Despite the fact that it was a rather neglected area, they fell in love with ‘het Zuid’ and bought a beautiful townhouse right in front of the Museum of Fine Arts. In 1992 they established Gallery Esprit de l’Art, specializing in ancient art from China and Africa.

have been established in China”

Decleer and Laurent made frequent trips to Africa and Asia. They also visited many of the specialized museums, including those in London, Paris and New York, which helped them to refine their knowledge of non-European art. Most of the African art that Decleer and Laurent offer in the gallery comes from West Africa, Congo and Madagascar. For instance, the typical bird figures produced by the Sakalava of Madagascar. These wooden sculptures are connected with fertility and ancestor worship and they stand outdoors. The resulting weather-eroded grooves tangibly enhance their sculptural power. The gallery also shows the wooden tomb sculptures of the Mahafaly culture. These funerary figures are known as aloalo, in allusion to their communicatory role as intermediaries between the living and the ancestors.

Esprit de l’Art Leopold de Waelplaats 4 - 2000 Antwerpen T +32 3 216 14 44 Mob +32 475 75 08 66 esprit.art@telenet.be

In addition to African ethnic art, Esprit de l’Art also offers archaeological objects from China. Decleer and Laurent: “China’s cultural history is one of the oldest in the world. The production of its refined art objects has always been associated with the various dynasties that either co-existed or succeeded one another. We used to go to China five times a year in search of objects. Now we’re there twice a year. Gradually we’ve built up a network of contacts, people with an excellent knowledge of archaeology themselves. They’ve become trusted advisers. Dealing in Chinese archaeology takes insight and experience. If you’ve got an early terracotta sculpture that’s been in the ground for centuries, for example, you have to look for authentic ‘root formation’, as it’s called. This is a vegetal deposit on the clay that gives it a certain whimsical, sinuous pigmentation. Mineral deposits are also very important and the patina differs depending on the period.”

China’s ancient cultural history spans an incredibly long period, from thousands of years before our own era to the last imperial dynasty, the Qing (1644-1911). In between are the great dynastic periods such as the Han (206 BC – 220 AD), the Tang (618-907) and the Ming (1368-1644). These are well known, but, Decleer and Laurent continue, “You also need to appreciate the less known dynasties. We offer Chinese archaeological objects, mostly terracotta sculptures from the neolithic period to the seventeenth century. Over the years the availability of Chinese cultural objects has changed somewhat. Objects in bronze and wood are becoming increasingly hard to find. During the Qin dynasty, in the third century BC, magnificent sculptures were made in wood. Some of these survived because they were submerged in oxygen-free water. Nowadays, such objects are hard to find. The superb bronzes, cast during the early Shang dynasty (1766-1122 BC), have also become extremely rare on the art market. China’s cultural production was enormous. You have to recall that under the Han dynasty, China already had a population of 50 million people.

“Meanwhile, China has discovered its own cultural heritage,” say Decleer and Laurent. “In the last five years many private museums have been established in China. The pieces in our gallery come directly from China or from Western collections. To guarantee our objects’ authenticity we have various laboratory tests carried out on them, including thermoluminescence tests on the terracotta sculptures and C-14 tests on the pieces in wood.”

THe eYe BeHINd THe CAMerA Fifty one Fine Art Photography

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INTerIor vIew oF FIFTY oNe FINe ArT PHoToGrAPHY

FIFTY oNe FINe ArT PHoToGrAPHY, LoCATed oN ZIrKSTrAAT IN ANTwerP, IS THe oNLY INTerNATIoNALLY reNowNed SPeCIALIZed PHoToGrAPHY GALLerY IN BeLGIUM

The Eye behind the Camera Fifty One Fine Art Photography

➤ This untitled black-and-white photo, 50 x 60 cm, is by Seydou Keïta (1921-2001). It dates from 1959. Keïta is one of the most important African photographers. He made only portraits. In Bamako in Mali he had his own studio, where the pictures were taken. The first major exhibition of his work, at the Fondation Cartier in Paris in 1994, brought him international recognition. A number of leading museums in the USA have subsequently exhibited and acquired his work.

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Fifty One Fine Art Photography, located on Zirkstraat in Antwerp, is the only internationally renowned specialized photography gallery in Belgium.

“A good eye has nothing to do with the year the photo is made in”

Moreover, in the USA the gallery is regarded as one of the ten best photography galleries in the world. The exhibitions held there are covered not only by the Belgian press but also foreign media like Le Monde and The New York Times, which regularly devote articles to it. The gallery was founded in 2000 by Roger Szmulewicz (1972), who was only twentyeight at the time. He had a college art training and worked as a photographer himself for some time, specializing in artists’ portraits amongst other things. Later he came into contact with internationally-known photographers like William Klein, Saul Leiter and Arnold Newman, who became mentors of a kind. Gradually, via a spontaneous and informal process, he became a photography consultant. Meanwhile, in his gallery he has organized seventy individual or thematic exhibitions whose subjects range from fashion, architecture and interior design to Africa and New York. At Fifty One Fine Art Photography the fan of the photo can find vintage, classic and contemporary photography. Szmulewicz works with both well-known and up-and-coming photographers in his gallery. For instance, he represents Alvin Booth, Elinor Carucci, Simon Chaput, Jean Depara, Masahisa Fukase, Peter Granser, Seydou Keïta, Adama Kouyaté, Jacques Henri Lartigue, Ray Metzker, Daido Moriyama, Emile Savitry, Kate Schermerhorn, Jan C. Schlegel, Malick Sidibé, Kerry Skarbakka, Jacques Sonck, Deanna Templeton, Ike Ude, Friederike von Rauch, Michael Wolf, Masao Yamamoto and Jan Yoors.

Fifty One Fine Art Photography Zirkstraat 20 - 2000 Antwerpen T +32 3 289 84 58 F +32 3 289 84 59 Opening hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 1 p.m. till 6 p.m. Or by appointment. info@gallery51.com www.gallery51.com

Roger Szmulewicz is regularly invited to curate of photographic exhibitions in museums, such as Antwerp’s Fotomuseum. In his own gallery, to mark his first ten years, he organized an exhibition of photographs and documents relating to Serge Gainsbourg. The exhibition was so successful that it was taken over by Sotheby’s in Paris and FIAF in New York. Szmulewicz’s gallery is represented at renowned art fairs like Paris Photo, Art Brussels and Photo London and he has permanent representation in New York to meet the demand of his American clients. His customers, both in Belgium and abroad, are not only private collectors; Szmulewicz also collaborates with a number of wellknown museums – the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach (Florida), the Fotomuseum in Antwerp, the Smithsonian Museums in Washington and the Hermès Foundation in Paris are all his customers, whether as buyers or borrowers.

➤ This colour photograph from 1960, entitled “Snow”, is by Saul Leiter (1923). It measures 40 x 50 cm. Leiter, who belonged to the New York School, was one of the first to work with colour photography. In fact, he is a painter as well as a photographer. Reflections are a typical component of his work, as can be seen in this photo. Leiter was already exhibiting in the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1953. His work is included in various museum collections around the world.

“A good eye has nothing to do with the year the photo is made in,” says Szmulewicz when asked whether there’s a difference in artistic value between old and new photographs. “A good photographer will always be relevant. There is a difference between artistic value and market value, mind you. Some photographers work best by the print of their photos in a book. The market value of a photo is not only determined by its artistic quality, but also by the date of the print, the condition it’s in, the number of prints, the fame of the photographer and the provenance. For commercial reasons editions were made for the first time in the late 1970s. Obviously the number of copies of those is known. But in the case of many art photos from the first part of the twentieth century, such as Man Ray’s, we also know fairly exactly how many prints were made of a particular subject. If there’s any doubt we consult the photographer’s heirs or the foundation dedicated to him or her. In any case, every photo must be signed on the front or the back by the artist.”

Despite the applause for his exhibitions in the media Szmulewicz finds that photography still does not get the appreciation it deserves as an artistic medium. “Photography is still compartmentalized; on various levels it’s isolated from the other forms of artistic expression. There are separate fairs for photography, separate sales, separate galleries. I want to change that. My own interest goes beyond photography. From now on I want to show the relation between photography and other works on paper on a regular basis in my gallery. That idea struck me when I realized that many great photographers, including Cartier-Bresson and Man Ray, Klein, Leiter and Yamamoto, actually trained as painters. There has always been a reciprocal influence between painters and photographers. I want to show that the line between a photo and a drawing, say, is extremely thin.”

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A woNder-FULL CHAMBer oF ArT, SKILL ANd LeArNING Honourable Silver objects - Cabinet of Curiosities I 51

INSIde THe HoNoUrABLe SILver oBjeCTS GALLerY IN TIMeS GoNe BY, KINGS, NoBLeS, ANd weALTHY MerCHANTS CoLLeCTed THe MoST exqUISITe oBjeCTS ANd worKS oF ArT wHICH THeY KePT IN A KUNSTKAMMer or CHAMBer oF ArT

A Wonder-full Chamber of Art, Skill and Learning Honourable Silver Objects - Cabinet of Curiosities 52 I ART-A

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➤ A tazza is a saucer-shaped cup mounted on a foot. Tazzas were used predominantly during the Renaissance by nobles and wealthy merchants. Though wine could be drunk from the tazza it was more often used for serving dainty tidbits. The tazza itself was often a showpiece, made of costly materials. This pair of Queen Anne tazzas is in silver and was made in London in 1713 by goldsmith William Tress.

➤ These three rare engine-turned cusped ivory boxes, one with a double box on the lid, were made in the 17th century in Augsburg in southern Germany. From left to right their heights and diameters are 5.5 x 8.5 cm, 4.5 x 3.3 cm and 6.5 x 6.5 cm. They are typical showpieces that would have been included in the collection of a cabinet of curiosities. The elegant design and the precious and hard-towork material from which they are made are characteristic of objects destined for such a collection.

In times gone by, kings, nobles, and wealthy merchants collected the most exquisite objects and works of art which they kept in a Kunstkammer or chamber of art.

“Another extraordinary item we have is a ‘mill beaker’, produced in Antwerp in

Such a chamber would be filled from floor to ceiling with paintings, sculptures and folders of prints. It would also contain a ‘cabinet of curiosity’ – a sort of intricate Baroque showcase – which here in the Low Countries was often made in ebony, tortoiseshell and ivory. Inside it had numerous little doors and drawers, and mirrors and miniscule colonettes, like a marvellous miniature palace. Jewels, antique coins, small paintings and all manner of precious items were kept in it.

1624”

Honourable Silver Objects Cabinet of Curiosities Leopoldstraat 29 - 2000 Antwerpen T +32 3 232 88 26 Mob +32 475 26 76 85 Opening hours: Saturday from 11 a.m. till 6 p.m. Or by appointment. info@silverobjects.be www.silverobjects.be

A Kunstkammer might evolve into a Wunderkammer or chamber of wonders, in which exotic natural history specimens (naturalia), ingenious man-made objects (artificialia) and scientific instruments (scientifica) were assembled. Among the naturalia might be found a branch of coral from distant tropical seas, for example. The artificialia included antiques and skilfully made objects. And the scientifica would be incomplete without a globe or compass. A broad intellectual curiosity was undoubtedly one of the reasons for putting together this kind of encyclopaedic collection. But the collector’s vanity was also a contributing factor, for this was a way of demonstrating his taste, learning and wealth. Lovers of such collections sought each other out and corresponded about the wonderful things they’d seen or acquired. Of course, the collector also took a sensory pleasure in his acquisitions; he enjoyed them. Moreover, they were a sound and stable investment. Individual Kunstkammer objects could easily be sold. The fashion for building this kind of encyclopaedic collection lasted from 1550 to 1750. Later, collections became more specialized. Because the objects in a chamber of art or wonder were so marvellous, ingenious and expensive they were lavished with care and owners kept catalogues of the pieces they possessed. Most of these collections have been dispersed over the centuries. The objects are now the costly merchandize of specialized antiquarians.

This sense of wonder can be felt in the Antwerp antique gallery called Honourable Silver Objects - Cabinet of Curiosities, which specializes in objects from the Kunstkammer. Founded in 1989, the gallery is run by Dick Graaff (1962), who was originally a goldsmith, and his colleague the silversmith Theun van Beers (1966). The gallery is the only one of its kind in Belgium – indeed, there are no more than six in the whole of Europe – and a visit evokes every bit as much amazement and delight as the sight of a cabinet of curiosities in a castle or manor would have done four centuries ago. “The passion for this subject is the bringing together of extraordinary things,” says Dick Graaff. “We search for them throughout Europe, on the art market, at sales, among fellow antiquarians and private collectors. In this way we create a selective and constantly evolving collection from which the customer can choose in turn. Many Kunstkammer objects were made in southern Germany and Italy, but there are objects that come from France and the Northern and Southern Netherlands as well. Like the collectors of old, modern connoisseurs admire the technique with which these objects are created. Take the ivories, for example. We have a little engine-turned ivory tower. On top is what’s called a ‘contre sphere’, a hollowed-out openwork sphere. Inside that sphere are three more spheres, with a many-pointed star in the middle. The whole object is worked from a single piece of ivory, turned on a lathe in the seventeenth century. An object’s exclusivity is only partly linked to the degree of difficulty involved in making it, however. Rarity is first and foremost a question of the number of comparable pieces that survive and whether or not they’re available on the art market, though the artist and the rarity of the material are also important factors.

“Another extraordinary item we have is a ‘mill beaker’, produced in Antwerp in 1624,” Dick Graaff continues. “The top part is made in silver and shaped like a windmill; the bottom part is a bell-shaped glass. When you turn it the other way up it becomes a drinking glass. It would be used in a drinking game during drinking parties in the seventeenth century. Because the glass can’t stand up, you had to empty it in one go. The Antwerp Silver Museum has one or two of these mill beakers. In the gallery we alternate exclusive rarities with contemporary art, because every private collection must be animate. It shouldn’t become a museum. We’re living now. We combine contemporary textiles with our rare furniture and objects for the same reason. From a contemporary view of life we create a pleasing environment in which these splendid and delightful objects can be enjoyed to the full.”

Art in the Spirit of the Sixties Galerie Jamar

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The interior of the Jamar Gallery

Outside the Jamar Gallery ships sail by. The gallery is on the Cockerillkaai, one of the quays along the River Scheldt in Antwerp, close to the MuHKa, the Museum of Contemporary Art

ArT IN THe SPIrIT oF THe SIxTIeS Galerie jamar 56 I ART-A

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Jamar organized various exhibitions of pop-art by artists such as Jim Dine and Andy Warhol in his gallery. “At that time I had no more than fifty visitors to each of these exhibitions,” Jamar recalls. “In 1990 the time wasn’t ripe for it here in Belgium. For the first five or even ten years it was difficult to survive. I was then in the habit – still am, in fact – of buying all the works in an exhibition in my gallery. Not much sold in those first years, so I built up a stock. The works of art piled up.”

oUTSIde THe jAMAr GALLerY SHIPS SAIL BY. THe GALLerY IS oN THe CoCKerILLKAAI, oNe oF THe qUAYS ALoNG THe rIver SCHeLdT IN ANTwerP, CLoSe To THe MUHKA, THe MUSeUM oF CoNTeMPorArY ArT. ➤ Since 1970 the Belgian artist Panamarenko (1940) has made scale models of imaginary vehicles, aircraft or helicopters in surprising shapes. This 2001sculpture, measuring 53.3 x 157.5 x 91.4 cm, is called “Japanese Flying Pack 3”. The work is signed on the back of the engine. It is a poetic assemblage composed of various elements and materials: engine, leather belts, metal tubing, plastic propellers, metal wire and hardware, rubber bands and elastic thread.

Galerie Jamar Cockerillkaai 16 - 2000 Antwerpen T +32 3 238 68 75 F +32 14 85 14 71 Mob +32 477 33 74 61 Opening hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 2 p.m. till 6 p.m. jos.jamar@telenet.be www.galeriejamar.be

Outside the Jamar Gallery ships sail by. The gallery is on the Cockerillkaai, one of the quays along the River Scheldt in Antwerp, close to the MuHKa, the Museum of Contemporary Art. When Jos Jamar (1948) left university, where he studied economics, he first set up in business as a wholesaler of ironware and garden tools. But by the time he was twenty-five, collecting contemporary art had already become an absorbing hobby. He visited galleries and museums, and started to read about art. That he was quickly into what was then regarded as difficult avant-garde art was due to his friendship with the Belgian artist Jef Geys, who pointed out to him the importance of the work of two other Belgian artists who have since become famous – Marcel Broodthaers and Panamarenko. Jamar was also fascinated by Joseph Beuys and the pop artists. He still thinks that the nineteen-sixties and the free spirit that permeated that period were enormously important to the evolution of contemporary art. “That liberating, subversive way of thinking produced super-art,” says Jamar. Once Jamar had sold his wholesale business he turned his hobby into his profession. In 1989 he opened a gallery, first in Duinbergen, a borough of Knokke, and later in Antwerp. Meanwhile, he had collected all the graphic works and publications of Marcel Broodthaers, and it was with his own private collection that he mounted his first exhibition in Duinbergen. He immediately published the catalogue raisonné of the graphic works and books by Broodthaers. At that same time he also began to collect Panamarenko’s multiples, and would later publish a three-part catalogue raisonné of these as well.

It goes to show how much Jamar believed in his artists, as indeed he still does. To this day he will defend Jef Geys, Marcel Broodthaers and Panamarenko. Gradually, other contemporary artists like Pierre Alechinsky, Jan Fabre, Guillaume Bijl and Laurent Cruyt joined the ranks. At the same time the Jamar Gallery also presents modern art by artists such as Léon Spilliaert, René Magritte and James Ensor. Four or five individual exhibitions are organized in the gallery each year. And every year the gallery also takes part in the Art Brussels and Brafa art fairs.

➤ This 1960 painting of “Les Ovipares” by the celebrated Belgian artist Pierre Alechinsky (1927) is executed in oil on Japan paper. The work is signed and measures 263 x 287 cm. Alechinsky’s knowledge of Chinese and Japanese painting often leads him to use calligraphic shapes in his work. Compositions with a centre and a border, like this one, are also typical of his oeuvre.

Asked about his clientele Jos Jamar says, “In Flanders and also in Brussels there’s a tradition of collecting modern and contemporary art. You see that at the Basel international art fair – how strongly Belgian art is represented there, how many Flemings there are about. It’s a completely different situation in the Netherlands, for instance. There are not nearly so many private collectors there; the buyers are mostly companies and institutions. In my gallery I don’t impose anything on anyone. If required I’ll explain to the interested browser what an artist means in art history, where his originality and force are. As it happens, many of my clients have become friends.”

“It’s my experience that compared to the oeuvre

Jamar continues, “I have don’t have an exclusive contract with the artists who exhibit with me. That some of them also work with other galleries is not a negative thing to me; on the contrary, it enhances their profile. I certainly don’t regard my fellow gallerists as competitors. Unfortunately, many contemporary artists have become managers. They want to move on too quickly, also with the help of their marketing. The real evolution of an artistic career is a ladder, from a small gallery to a large one, from a Belgian museum to one abroad. In that way you’ve built up something stable. As a gallerist you move upwards along with your artists.

“It’s my experience that compared to the oeuvre of very successful artists, the oeuvre of the most uncommerciallyminded artists includes fewer works of inferior quality,” concludes Jamar. “The latter are also more critical of their work and more selective in it. Good artists are intelligent people. I think that twenty-five years ago I was right in my choice of the then fairly unknown artists. That gives me a professional kick.”

of very successful artists, the oeuvre of the most uncommercially-minded artists includes fewer works of inferior quality”

An Aristocratic Walking Stick C. Moermans Antiques 58 I ART-A

12 Inside the gallery of Cedric Moermans â&#x20AC;&#x153;By the time I was ten, I already wanted to be an antiquarianâ&#x20AC;?

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An Aristocratic Walking Stick C. Moermans Antiques 60 I ART-A

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“By the time I was ten,” says Cedric Moermans (1980), “I already wanted to be an antiquarian.”

“To the aristocratic lady or gentleman of the Belle Époque – the period between 1890 and 1914 – an exceptional walking stick or cane was de rigueur”

C. Moermans Antiques Leopoldstraat 27a - 2000 Antwerpen T +32 3 475 21 01 Mob +32 497 42 00 86 Opening hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 1 p.m. till 6 p.m. Saturday from 11 a.m. till 6 p.m. cedricmoermans@hotmail.com

Not surprisingly, perhaps, for his parents were also antiquarians and the profession was in his genes. First, however, Moermans studied art sciences at Ghent University. In 2002 he started his own business, combining eighteenth- and nineteenth-century English furniture with special objects. “Even if you’re extremely knowledgeable you can’t carry out the profession of antiquarian if you don’t have a passion for it,” he goes on. “You have to have daily contact with the objects you study and deal in; otherwise you become an unworldly academic.” Although Moermans has globes, chess boards, model ships and caskets in his gallery, usually made of precious materials, his great passion is for walking sticks. In this niche he’s the largest specialist in Belgium. Moermans can talk for hours about them. “To the aristocratic lady or gentleman of the Belle Époque – the period between 1890 and 1914 – an exceptional walking stick or cane was de rigueur. Such an accessory was an extremely costly item. In London, for example, sticks were sold by such renowned firms as Brigg and Howell. They were also made to order. The price depended not only on the shaft but on the handle as well. Often the handle would be a small sculpture representing a historical figure such as a writer or poet. But it could also be the head of a native or exotic animal. Or it might be a reminder of the transience of life, a memento mori, or perhaps a phrenological skull. All these types have their enthusiasts and specialized collectors.” Moermans has the all the facts about antique walking sticks at his finger tips. He talks about the types of wood and ivory that were used, their origin and rarity, their hardness and hue, about flames and stripes. “The handles are often made from ivory. Ivory from the tusk of the African elephant has a coarser structure and richer colour contrast than the ivory of the Asian elephant. Walrus, hippopotamus, narwhal and whale ivory was used – even hornbill ivory. All these types vary in tint from white to yellowish brown, which is the result of external factors such as how much exposure to light they’ve had over the years. When you look more closely you can see that ivory sometimes has straight or slightly curving lines, and sometimes a pattern of concentric circles. This is achieved by carving the ivory in a particular way. Ivory is not only used for the handle; sometimes the shaft is ivory too.

➤ This 97 cm-long walking stick comes from an Antwerp private collection. The shaft is bamboo, the sculptural handle, in the form of a skull, is ivory. Integrated into the shaft is a mechanical system that causes the eyes and jaw to move. The stick was made around 1890 after a design produced by Ernest Bolle in 1883. The design has the patent number 23871.

“Usually, though, the shaft is made from a tropical wood, particularly ebony, palisander, malacca or snakewood,” Moermans continues. “Snakewood is one of the most expensive types of wood; snakewood walking sticks are very exclusive. The tree it comes from grows in places like Suriname, and the wood takes its name from its snakeskin-like patterning. Only twenty-five percent of the tree’s wood has this typical speckled design. The depth of the pattern also determines the price. Even in 1906, 450 dollars was paid for a single, 88-centimetre-long snakewood stick.”

Moermans is equally fascinating on the topics of ebony and Cedric Moermans is currently engaged on a scientificallymalacca. “The slender stems of the malacca, a species of based book about walking sticks. In his gallery he has over a rattan palm from Sumatra, are not perfectly round. They hundred of them within arm’s reach. have a ridge or spine called a ‘teardrop’ running along the whole length. To the collector, the more pronounced the ridge, the more desirable the stick. And hard ebony is not always deep black; it can also be deep red.”

➤ The handle and collar of this English walking stick are made of walnut, gold and ivory. Incorporated in it in is a mechanism for payments with coins. The shaft is Surinam letterwood. The collar bears various hallmarks. In addition to an 18 carat stamp there are the marks of the famous London firm Brigg and the firm’s top designer Charles Cooke. The stick comes from an Antwerp private collection.

BeAUTY ANd MYSTerY IN orIeNTAL ArT Marcel Nies oriental Art

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INSIde THe MArCeL NIeS GALLerY vISIT MArCeL NIeS’S GALLerY oN ANTwerP’S LANGe GASTHUISSTrAAT ANd YoU CoULd weLL IMAGINe YoUrSeLF IN A TeMPLe wHere BUddHISM ANd HINdUISM MeeT

Beauty and Mystery in Oriental Art Marcel Nies Oriental Art 64 I ART-A

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➤ This elegant dancing figure, 70 cm high, comes from Nepal and dates from the 15th century. It is a magnificent example of art of the Malla kingdom. The wooden figure shows clear traces of the original polychromy. It once belonged to the collection of Mr and Mrs A. Tchekhoff, in France. (Art Loss Register: ref. S00045986)

“If you want to build a really good collection,” says Nies, “you shouldn’t be ruled by your environment. You create a coherent collection by following your own taste, knowledge, experience and especially your intuition. A selection that’s based on someone else’s advice invariably tends to the average, because it’s a compromise, an amalgam of multiple opinions. A collection is a reflection of the collector’s personality. “When you look at Asian art it’s not enough just to consider its aesthetic qualities,” Nies goes on. “Beauty is important, certainly; but to the artist who made the image it was not a priority. Nor were the works made to impress per se. They were intended for devotional purposes, and the main thing was their emotional intensity. Asian paintings and sculpture are often intended to be aids to meditation. The artist’s aim was to make a sacred image that raised the meditational experience to a higher level; the quality of an Asian work of art therefore depends first and foremost on the inner spirituality it emanates. A good piece creates its own aura, in which beauty, spirituality and sensuality are all combined, so it seems to lead a life of its own. It evokes an inner bliss, a mood of enlightenment.”

“When you look at Asian art it’s not enough just to consider its aesthetic qualities” Visit Marcel Nies’s gallery on Antwerp’s Lange Gasthuisstraat and you could well imagine yourself in a temple where Buddhism and Hinduism meet.

Marcel Nies Oriental Art Lange Gasthuisstraat 28 - 2018 Antwerpen T +32 3 226 74 55 F +32 3 226 64 84 Mob +32 475 65 10 85 Opening hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. till 12.30 a.m. and 2 p.m. till 6 p.m. Saturday from 2 p.m. till 6 p.m. marcelnies@skynet.be www.asianart.com/nies

Figures of buddhas, bodhisattvas and lamas stand side by side with the devis and devas of the Hindu pantheon. The gallery is filled with a warm smile that greets the visitor on every side. A smile of inner peace. Oriental art and culture are attracting increasing interest in the West and there is a growing demand for Asian art. Nevertheless, the number of experts in this sector of the art market is limited, certainly in Belgium and even in Europe. Marcel Nies is one of the few. Born in the Netherlands, Nies (1956) has lived in Antwerp since 1991. He first came into contact with Asian art as a young man, when his urge for travel took him to destinations like South-East Asia. In London he made frequent visits to the British Museum and the V&A, where he was deeply struck by one particular aspect of the Asian art on display. It was art with an introvert character, invested with a certain mystery. In 1975 Nies began to deal in Asian art. His wife, the Belgian art historian Annick Cerulus, is a great stimulus in his constant pursuit of improvement.

Displayed in Marcel Nies’s gallery are sculptures and ritual objects in bronze, stone and terracotta from Cambodia, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Tibet, Thailand and Vietnam. Most of the sculptures come from Western collections. “The provenance, the origin of a piece is extremely important,” says Nies. “The Western art trade is helping in more ways than one to safeguard and conserve Asian art. Its international diffusion is a form of protection. What’s new, though, is that thanks to Asia’s economic development many very good pieces are returning to their countries of origin. Asia’s awareness of its own culture is growing. A major new museum has just been built in Angkor (Siem Reap) in Cambodia.” According to Nies, most Asian art is undervalued both artistically and financially compared to that of other ancient cultures. Even so, he does not advise the purchase of Buddhist or Hindu art only as a speculation. “Experience has shown that those who buy Asian art merely as an investment often make the wrong choice. You should collect for reasons of passion and buy the best quality your budget allows.”

➤ This 105 cm-high standing figure, carved in schist, represents Buddha Sakyamuni. It dates from the second to fourth century AD and originally came from Pakistan, more specifically from the old kingdom of Gandhara. The figure exemplifies the Gandharan sculptural style, in which Buddhism and Hellenism are fused. It was once part of a private collection in the Netherlands. (Art Loss Register: ref. S00048773)

Marcel Nies has published numerous articles in specialist journals and museum catalogues. His gallery also coordinates a large archive relating to the cultures of SouthEast Asia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. As an internationally respected expert he is invited to sit on art fair vetting committees around the world. His reputation as a dealer is also international. For the last twenty-five years he has taken part in the prestigious European Fine Arts Fair (TEFAF) in Maastricht. And he recalls with some pride that the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the British Museum in London and the Rietberg Museum in Zurich have all bought sculptures from him.

From Baroque to Vintage Design

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Axel Pairon I 67

Portrait of Axel Pairon

From early childhood, Axel Pairon (1972) grew up with antiques. When he was twelve he bought his first antique piece of furniture

From early childhood, Axel Pairon (1972) grew up with antiques. When he was twelve he bought his first antique piece of furniture.

From Baroque to Vintage Design Axel Pairon

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In his teens he would hurry from school on Friday evenings to one antiquarian or another in Antwerp, full of curiosity about what were to him unknown antique pieces. Clearly, Axel Pairon was destined to become an antiquarian.

“In the Scandinavian countries houses are small, so they’re easier to keep

But first there was a solid education. Pairon completed his university art history course in Leuven with a thesis on the late-sixteenth- and early-seventeenth-century furniture design of Hans and Paul Vredeman de Vries. Having gained his degree he spent six months in London at Christie’s main saleroom in King Street. During his internship he concentrated on silverwork.

warm in the hard winters” Since 1996 Axel Pairon has had his own art and antique business, specializing in antique Scandinavian furniture and vintage design. In 2007 he opened a gallery on Leopoldstraat in Antwerp. As an antiquarian he takes part each year in the Eurantica art fair in Brussels and Antica in Namur. “Scandinavian antique furniture is practically always painted,” says Pairon. “For me the original paint layer still has to be there as an old patina, even if it’s become timeworn or reduced to a few traces. That’s essential, also for the authenticity of the piece. Antique Scandinavian furniture evolved through three stylistic periods. During the Baroque, from 1700 to 1760, furniture was fairly robust. In the short period that followed, the Rococo, which lasted from 1760 to 1780, it became lighter, even a little playful. The Gustavian period, from 1780 to 1820, saw furniture becoming stricter and straighter, based as it was on the Louis XVI style prevailing in France at that time.

➤ This photograph is by Paris photographer Denis Rouvre (1967) and belongs to his series Laamb, which gained Rouvre second prize in the World Press Photo sports feature stories category in 2010. In Wolof, the language of a good part of Senegal, laamb is the name given to the traditional wrestling, which is not only a physical but also a spiritual sport. The wrestlers shown here might almost be taken for bronze sculptures, but the perceptiveness of their gaze leaves no doubt they are very much alive.

14 Axel Pairon

Leopoldstraat 35 - 2000 Antwerpen Mob +32 498 102 815 Opening hours: Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 12 a.m. till 6 p.m. info@axelpairon.com www.axelpairon.com

➤ This Bureau T90, which measures 84 x 180 x 76 cm, is made in palisander and lacquered steel to a design by the Italian architect and designer Osvaldo Borsani (Milan 1911-1985). It is an early edition of around 1955, produced by Tecno. Osvaldo Borsani had a passion for new technology and materials. In 1953 he and his brother Fulgenzio took over the Tecno company, founded by their father Gaetano Borsani in Milan in 1927.

“In the Scandinavian countries houses are small, so they’re easier to keep warm in the hard winters,” Pairon continues. “And so furniture also has to be small and functional. Tables are very often folding, for instance. The practicality, the severe line and the retrained and fairly limited ornamentation mean that antique Scandinavian furniture is appreciated by people who also buy design, for instance. Its attraction is also increased by the natural feeling for harmonious proportions that was inherent to the craftsman who made it. That’s why Scandinavian furniture can be combined extremely well with vintage design from the 1950s and 1960s. It satisfies a contemporary eclectic taste.” In Axel Pairon’s gallery this mix and match, which is also combined with contemporary art, including photography, looks perfectly natural, and people are encouraged to try it at home as well. Pairon will come and give his advice if so desired.

Axel Pairon also has a passion for contemporary photo graphy, and his gallery organizes regularly changing exhibitions. Pairon represents the Italian photographer Massimo Listri, for instance, renowned for his architectural photos. Listri was represented at the last Venice Biennale. Axel Pairon also shows Paris photographer Denis Rouvre’s Lamb, a series of images of Senegalese wrestlers that gained Rouvre second prize in the World Press Photo sports feature stories category in 2010. In Axel Pairon’s gallery you’ll encounter an eclectic assemblage of furniture, objects and art that has been collected with passion by him and brought together to enrich the interior in a very special and distinctive way.

THe THreSHoLd CoULdN’T Be Lower Pocketroom

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THe INTerIor oF PoCKeTrooM wITH A worK BY PeTer de CUPere IN THe ForeGroUNd

PoCKeTrooM, oN HoFSTrAAT IN ANTwerP, IS ProBABLY THe SMALLeST GALLerY For CoNTeMPorArY ArT IN BeLGIUM

The Threshold couldn’t be Lower Pocketroom 72 I ART-A

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➤ This work from 2010 in acrylic and oil on paper, entitled “Saint Kevin and the Blackbird,” is by the young Belgian artist Kevin Welslau (1980). Its dimensions are 40 x 50 cm. Welslau creates a whole world of his own in which everything is animate, full of spirituality. His detailed figurative imagery shows recognizable elements from reality such as plants, rocks and animals, but they are placed in a strange setting, so that they are extracted from observable reality.

➤ This acrylic on canvas painting from 2009 is by the Belgian artist Werner Mannaers (1954). Entitled “Nadia Rêvant”, it measures 100 x 120 cm. In 2008-2009 the SMAK – the Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art in Ghent – held a retrospective of Mannaers’s work. Mannaers is a post-modernist painter who combines different influences from his predecessors in the form of fragments, often in a confrontational, subversive way. In this sense he is a conceptual artist who paints ideas.

“If an art lover were to buy a single work from a PocketRoom exhibition on a regular basis he’d eventually have a very distinctive and current collection – no doubt about that”

Pocketroom Hofstraat 2 - 2000 Antwerpen T +32 3 232 35 11 Opening hours: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. till 6 p.m. info@pocketroom.be www.pocketroom.be

PocketRoom, on Hofstraat in Antwerp, is probably the smallest gallery for contemporary art in Belgium. This ground-floor gallery occupies no more than thirty square meters. Everything that’s shown there can be seen though the window from the street. In fact PocketRoom is rather a platform for artists than a real business, with a different guest artist five times a year. When an exhibition opens, the gallery can’t hold all the visitors at once: openings tend to take place mainly on the pavement. Remarkably, most of those who come to an opening are artists – an indication that this is an artist-artist gallery. If you want to meet an artist, a PocketRoom opening is the time to do it. Another special thing about PocketRoom is the fact that the show-window is illuminated at night, to the great delight of the neighbourhood. PocketRoom was started by Wim Waumans (1960) and his wife Hilde Vets (1965). Waumans, an economist by training, is a businessman. Hilde Vets is an architect. For twenty years they’ve collected contemporary art, mostly by Belgian artists. In 2007 they set up PocketRoom with the joint aim of sharing their passion with others while giving certain artists an exceptional opportunity to show their work. “Collecting is in a Fleming’s genes,” says Waumans. “For me the gallery is also a folly. I make up any shortfall in the accounts myself. In that sense the gallery is a form of patronage. I know most of the artists who exhibit in PocketRoom personally. They let me into their studio; I get a sniff of the techniques they use in producing their art. This lets me see why they’re working on a particular theme, so I often know what lies behind the creation of certain works. In short, the gallery allows me to build and maintain a privileged relationship with the artists.

“Even many good artists can find it hard to get their work shown. They don’t have a gallery to defend them. Because PocketRoom’s space is so small it’s a challenge for the invited artists to do something here. They have complete freedom. The gallery’s inside wall can turn, which allows some play with the limited space. The artists are not associated exclusively with the gallery and they’ll often show their less commercial work here. We make a short film about every artist who exhibits, and show it on the website. In it we try and capture the artist’s personality and the atmosphere in the studio as well as possible.” Asked which artists he likes best, Waumans replies, “The artists who exhibit in the gallery are not necessarily the same as those represented in the private collection my wife and I have built up. Although there are some correspondences, of course. At home we have many paintings by Walter Swennen for instance. In fact we have so many works by various artists that part of our collection is housed with friends and family. I believe it’s important to show what’s happening artistically in my country. My own preference is for material works. I’m less keen on photos and videos. For both the private collection and the gallery I go for contemporary Belgian artists.

In the first place there are those I call “les monstres sacrés”, well-known names like Philip Aguirre, Guillaume Bijl, Joris Ghekiere, Werner Mannaers, Guy Rombouts and Philippe Vandenberg. And then there are young artists like Peter De Cupere, Francis Denys, Johan De Wilde, Wouter Feyaerts, Tinka Pittoors, Rinus Vandevelde, Robin Vermeersch, or Kevin Welslau. By visiting the graduation projects of the art colleges and HISK (Higher Institute for Fine Arts) I can keep my finger on the pulse of each new generation of artists. Every year there’s new talent on the scene.” Wim Waumans concludes, “The work shown in the gallery is also for sale. If you want to collect art you must know what’s going on. You have to look and sniff, but you must also be sure to close your ears and not be influenced by gossip and rumour. If an art lover were to buy a single work from a PocketRoom exhibition on a regular basis he’d eventually have a very distinctive and current collection – no doubt about that.”

eCLeCTIC GrANdeUr Herwig Simons Antiquair 74 I ART-A

vIew oF THe CABINeT oF CUrIoSITIeS IN THe HerwIG SIMoNS GALLerY

THe MoNUMeNTAL edIFICe THAT HAS HoUSed HerwIG SIMoNS’S GALLerY SINCe 2010 wAS oNCe THe HeAdqUArTerS oF THe CMB, THe CoMPAGNIe MArITIMe BeLGe

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Eclectic Grandeur Herwig Simons Antiquair 76 I ART-A

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The monumental edifice that has housed Herwig Simons’s gallery since 2010 was once the headquarters of the CMB, the Compagnie Maritime Belge.

“The best pieces go from

It has all the impressiveness of a town mansion; it exudes grandeur. The visitor is expected to ring the bell. To reach the gallery he must first traverse a grand entrance hall and then a wide and lofty corridor. The tone of stately dignity is already set.

hand to hand, they pass through a sort of trade pyramid. I get tips from dealers and antiquarians here in Belgium and abroad”

Herwig Simons Antiquair Sint-Katelijnevest 61 - 2000 Antwerpen T +32 3 227 11 57 F +32 3 227 11 57 Mob +32 475 46 75 46 Opening hours: Thursday till Saturday from 11 a.m. till 6 p.m. Or by appointment. info@herwigsimons.be www.herwigsimons.be

Simons (1960) began his career as an antiquarian in 1996. In his previous gallery in Antwerp’s Leopoldstraat he dealt mainly in naturalia from various parts of the world. There is not much to see of that now, apart from the fact that the objects he offers still have a global character both in terms of their place of origin and their period. Beneath his present gallery’s six-meter high ceiling Simons has brought together exclusively antique objects: bronze busts, sculptural animal figures, columns, marble tables, consoles... It’s an eclectic ensemble. Some objects date from Roman Antiquity or the Egypt of the pharaohs; others are much more recent, from the eighteenth or even nineteenth century. Here and there a formal portrait, a taut contemporary painting, and a number of ethnic objects punctuate the arrangement, coming as moments of surprise and enhancing the aristocratic character of the whole. The visitor feels that every object has been meticulously chosen with love for the profession. In the large gallery area Simons can give each object the room it needs to fully reveal its power. In an adjoining room smaller objects are assembled, such as a small Roman torso and wooden architectural models. They’re arrayed on the shelves of tall library cupboards, together creating a cabinet of curiosities. “Antiques are my life,” says Simons. “I make choices for the modern collector who is well-travelled, interested in everything, has access to diverse cultures, someone who wants to surround himself with very different objects. My own aim is consistently to improve the quality of what I offer. Call it upgrading. The objects must express a classic excellence. I try to develop a certain recognizable style. I’m very strict with myself. For instance, I recently decided against buying a lovely sculpture of a female figure because I found it too romantic. I want to be constantly surprising my clients by variety, diversity, by not always showing the same thing. By placing certain pieces in a different context they also acquire a new dimension. I sell emotion.”

➤ Owl cups were presented as trophies to the best archers. This owl cup, 22 cm high, was made in Flanders in the 16th century. To date it is the only known owl cup to be made in ebony, which makes it a very rare showpiece indeed. The eyes, the beak and the band bearing the inscription are in silver. The inscription reads “Hvyssen Al Sydy Van Plvymen Slecht Nogtans Veel V Begeren Als Gy Staet Recht”.

➤ This is a marble bust for the head of an emperor in white Parian marble, polished to an alabaster-like finish. A paludamentum with a most effectively carved fringed edge is worn over an elaborate cuirass. From this it can be taken as certain that the bust supported the portrait of an emperor, probably one who reigned in the later second century AD. Similar busts are found with portraits of Antonius Pius (emperor 138-161 AD) and Marcus Aurelius (emperor 161-180 AD). The bust is 65 cm high.

Simons continues, “The objects should meet certain criteria. They should have a monumental character and at the same time a certain severity. I don’t like baroque design. I find an object with a restrained design more powerful. It should be made from a noble material such a marble or bronze. I select figurative images with an individual character, because the customer should be able to fit the pieces smoothly into their environment. The object itself is more important than the maker. Often the workshop it comes from is completely unknown.”

Simons spends much of his time travelling throughout Europe to find remarkable objects. He’s constantly in search of the unknown. He says, “The best pieces go from hand to hand, they pass through a sort of trade pyramid. I get tips from dealers and antiquarians here in Belgium and abroad. It’s a challenge. Naturally, there’s a risk attached, in the first place to myself as an antiquarian. To live with the constant uncertainly you have to recognize the object as part of yourself. Discovering something rare, something precious, something spectacular is what drives me. It’s as if I’m fulfilling a dream. When I have doubts about an object’s age or authenticity I have the piece tested by a scientific laboratory. On behalf of the customer, who gets a certificate when he buys.”

A PASSIoN For PAINTINGS Galerie raf van Severen

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INSIde THe rAF vAN SevereN GALLerY wITH A PorTrAIT oF rAF vAN SevereN

IF YoU’re LooKING For PAINTINGS FroM THe PerIod BeTweeN 1870 ANd 1950 YoU’LL FINd THeM AT THe rAF vAN SevereN GALLerY – NoT oNLY LANdSCAPeS, SeASCAPeS, INTerIorS, PorTrAITS oF LAdIeS, FLorAL CoMPoSITIoNS ANd GeNre PAINTINGS BUT exoTIC SCeNeS FroM THe orIeNT ANd AFrICA Too

A Passion for Paintings Galerie Raf Van Severen 80 I ART-A

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➤ This 146 x 166 cm oil painting on canvas of “Fishermen at Sea” is signed by the famous French painter Frédéric Montenard (Paris 1849-1926 Besse-sur-Issole). Montenard is particularly renowned for his seascapes. From 1882 he worked mostly in the south of France. This painting shows the typical Provençal luminosity that is characteristic of the artist. It seems as if the viewer is on board the boat himself, threatened with a heavy drenching from the flying spray. Montenard’s work is held in several French museums.

➤ This work in mixed media on paper is by Frans Van Leemputten (Werchter 1850-1914 Antwerp). It measures 95 x 65 cm and is signed and dated 1901. It represents the “Visit to the City of Antwerp by King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth after their Marriage”. The king and queen are depicted in the background, standing on the balcony of Antwerp Town Hall. But most of the attention is on the advancing riders, particularly the horses. Van Leemputten is renowned as a superb animal painter.

“The art produced in Belgium has a greater range, qualitatively speaking, than the art produced in the Netherlands or Germany, for

If you’re looking for paintings from the period between 1870 and 1950 you’ll find them at the Galerie Raf Van Severen. Art dealer Raf Van Severen (1969) is a specialist in this field. Impressionism and Fauvism he finds particularly fascinating because of the colour and light these styles used. He also has a keenly appreciative eye for surprising and sometimes humorous scenes, when they have something unusual about them.

instance”

Galerie Raf Van Severen Leopoldstraat 19 - 2000 Antwerpen (vitrine: Minderbroedersrui 61) T +32 3 231 02 33 F +32 3 231 02 24 Mob +32 495 54 14 11 Opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 2 p.m. till 6 p.m. rafvanseveren@base.be

Van Severen, who springs from an art-loving background, bought his first painting when he was nine. His training was very practical. For three years while he was still at secondary school he worked the weekends in an antique shop on the Grote Zavel (Grand Sablon) in Brussels. From the time he was eighteen he worked on the wellknown antique market in Tongeren. In 1991 he set up his own business. “By intuition,” is his reply, when asked how he tells a good painting from a bad one. “I don’t go by the name but by the quality of the work. I ask myself whether I’d want that work on my own wall. In the first place a high-quality work is technically well painted. The picture should be correct, in the sense that nothing should lack coherence. The work should also have power. I learned my trade by buying and selling, by experience, by using my eyes. To use a figure of speech, you need an encyclopaedia in your eyes. In my field, knowledge is a sort of quality-recognition. Once a painting’s gone through your hands, you never forget it. I remember not only the image but also the technique, the material and the way it was made, which invariably turns out to be particular to a certain artist or to a certain period in his oeuvre.

I follow the sales, of course, and study the sales catalogues. To keep my eye in and my vision sharp I visit museums and international fairs like the European Fine Arts Fair (TEFAF) in Maastricht. My own collection is also a criterion. More than once I’ve happened to learn something from a visitor to my gallery. If I’ve got a work by a certain artist hanging there and a visitor also has a work by the same master a conversation ensues; sometimes I get to hear extraordinary information and personal interpretations. “The art produced in Belgium has a greater range, qualitatively speaking, than the art produced in the Netherlands or Germany, for instance,” continues Van Severen. “By which I mean that the Dutch and the Germans also have top painters, but the work just below that level doesn’t have the same quality as Belgian painting of the same period. Belgium has a centuries-old painting tradition. That’s probably why a good romantic or impressionist painting by a Belgian master is still not expensive. In fact compared to a lot of contemporary art, such a work is a bargain. Anyway, something beautiful doesn’t have to be dear. A top work, whoever it’s by, even a less well-known master, never disillusions the buyer. “It’s passion that drives me. I get up and go to sleep with painting. Over the years the quality of the work I offer has steadily increased. And one of the reasons is this – if I’ve got hold of a fine painting I want to keep it for a while. If I sell it I want to buy an even finer painting. The fact that customers come back to the gallery is an indication that you’re doing well as an art dealer. In all these years I’ve not had one complaint.”

Raf Van Severen concludes, “Mostly I buy from private collectors. And what I buy I know through and through, just like you recognize a letter your mother wrote to you. Fifty years ago in Antwerp there were far more antiquarians who dealt in romantic painting. Now I’m the only specialized dealer left. Compared to London and Paris, there’s only a small market in Antwerp for this genre. My clients tend to be foreign art dealers and specific collectors of a certain artist. Each year I take part in two art fairs, Antica in Namur and Eurantica in Brussels. Sometimes I hear that in twenty years in the art trade I haven’t changed as a person. That’s a pleasing thought.”

ArT & deSIGN IN oNe valerie Traan Gallery

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IN NoveMBer 2010, AT reYNderSSTrAAT 12 THe INTerIor oF THe vALerIe TrAAN GALLerY

IN THe HeArT oF ANTwerP, veerLe weNeS (1956) oPeNed A reMArKABLe GALLerY wHICH SHe CALLed “vALerIe TrAAN” wITH THe AddITIoN “oBjeCTS & SUBjeCTS”

Art & Design in One Valerie Traan Gallery 84 I ART-A

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➤ This assembly of desktop accessories is a 2010 work by the Belgian designer Bram Boo (1971) entitled “Still Life”. Made in burnished copper, it is a limited edition. In 2010 Bram Boo was named designer of the year. He makes ambiguous furniture and objects in which he disrupts the accepted rules. Their wayward beauty evokes admiration and gives visual pleasure.

“When Marcel Broodthaers devised his famous Mussel

In November 2010, at Reyndersstraat 12 in the heart of Antwerp, Veerle Wenes (1956) opened a remarkable gallery which she called “valerie traan” with the addition “objects & subjects”.

Pot he used the ordinary shells of already-eaten mussels”

Valerie Traan Gallery Objects & Subjects Reyndersstraat 12 - 2000 Antwerpen Mob +32 475 75 94 59 Opening hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 2 p.m. till 7 p.m. gallery@valerietraan.be www.valerietraan.be

In November 2010, at Reyndersstraat 12 in the heart of Antwerp, Veerle Wenes (1956) opened a remarkable gallery which she called “valerie traan” with the addition “objects & subjects”. The fine old building in which the gallery is housed was completely renovated. At the rear the largest space, which has a glass facade and is flooded with light, now looks out onto a quiet inner courtyard. The only neighbour is a classified building, a chapel. In the gallery the visitor feels the past steal into the present as the future hovers, eager with anticipation. Wenes and her partner Bob Christiaens also live in the building, their home and gallery quite literally melded. “In that respect this place could be a symbol of the town, which is also a mixed biotope of life and work,” she says. The name of Veerle Wenes’s gallery is a play on her own name; the appended “objects & subjects” indicates that every object presented in her gallery has a very personal creative energy. “Subjects” refers both to people and themes. Wenes has been active for many years as an international trend-watcher in the design sector. Private individuals, entrepreneurs, publicity agencies and design fairs came to her to find out what the future had in visual store, what the creative trends in design would be. Already twenty-five years ago Wenes started a communication and advice office as a professional response to the question of how to think and what to develop. She derives her ability to look into the future from artists and designers, as she says herself. “I trained as an architect. But architecture was too slow for me then. It’s artists and designers who are the first to feel and shape the future. That’s changed now.”

➤ This “Bureau” is a work from 2011 by Muller Van Severen, a name which combines those of the Ghent artists Fien Muller (1979) and Hannes Van Severen (1979). There is also a set of their coloured cutting boards. Their departure point is not the form but the material that is used: brass or sheet steel for the supporting structure of the furniture; various kinds of marble or coloured sheets of polyethylene for the tops. The designs surprise by the combination of simple shapes and colourful materials, and by their disarming banality.

Her years of experience on the cusp of art and design were amply demonstrated in her curatorship of the exhibition “Le Fabuleux Destin du Quotidien”, held in the spring of 2010 in the Walloon museum site known as Grand-Hornu. With creations by a variety of artists and designers Wenes showed that the traditional opposition between art and design can be bridged: an ordinary object can segue into art and vice versa. That is precisely what she now presents in her gallery in Antwerp, objects that embody the fusion of the functional and the artistic. Wenes’s gallery shows usable objects that are sometimes transformed and sublimated into art. But the reverse may also operate: art that uses the language of the every-day utensil. In many cases a surprising form of humour appears, defined in an unusual design in unusual materials. The quotidian is questioned with an almost surrealistic smile.

This is exemplified by the wonderful mosaic made by Goele De Bruyn with pieces of soap, whose forms, colours and particularly fragrances evoke equally many memories. Wenes says, “When Marcel Broodthaers devised his famous Mussel Pot he used the ordinary shells of already-eaten mussels. Hannes Van Severen and Fien Muller, who work together, have created transformative furniture – a table turns into a rack, a cantilever lamp emerges from a table-leg. The familiarity of functional furniture is amalgamated with the wonder evoked by art. The surprise is in the combination of colours, materials, functions and most of all in the playful and even disarming banality. The architects De Vylder, Vinck and Tallieu designed tables that look like they’ve been pilfered from memory, from grandmother’s day. But the legs can be unscrewed, like those of a piano. And the knots in the wood are replaced by the real twigs they might have become. I find the copper desktop accessories by Bram Boo equally ambiguous and surprising, because they’re a parody. “These are always unique pieces, or objects made in a very limited or numbered edition,” Wenes continues. “They’ll never be mass produced. I often work with young artists and designers. The people who appreciate such objects, who see the novelty, the added value of them, are also relatively young. They often fall passionately in love with them. It’s very striking that the mix of design and art makes people happy. Most customers are people who are in a creative profession themselves. But some pieces are bought by museums, like the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and Grand-Hornu Images.”

The Magic between Objects Axel Vervoordt Company

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Interior view of Axel Vervoordt Company

“I never buy what’s obvious”, says Axel Vervoordt. “Things must have a universal key. I assess a work of art or a piece of furniture in an emotional way

The Magic between Objects Axel Vervoordt Company 88 I ART-A

➤ This draped female figure, 140 cm high and carved from basalt, is Roman, and dates from the second century AD. From 1980 the sculpture belonged to the Ayad Khabbazeh collection (Lebanon). It was exhibited in the Chapelle de l’Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 2008.

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In Wijnegem (near Antwerp) he became the owner of what is called “Kanaal”, a vacant industrial complex with towering silos, workshops and halls, formerly a distillery. The triangular site on the banks of the Albert Canal covers around two hectares. In the old machine halls Vervoordt arranged a number of spaces as exhibition galleries. Taking furniture, sculpture, paintings and objects from every period and culture he constantly creates unique combinations. Vervoordt is a pastmaster at this. Clearly, to him it’s not just about costly objects but a matter of interaction, connection, of magic between very different artefacts. In his hands, archaeology, antiques, everyday objects and contemporary art come together in perfect symbiosis, creating timeless, magical living spaces through a sober design.

➤ This oil painting on canvas represents an “Architectural Capriccio with Artists Painting”. It was produced in Naples around 1630 by François de Nomé, nicknamed Monsù Desiderio (Metz c.1593-1644 Naples). Measuring 116.5 x 206.5 cm, the work comes from the estate of Dino Franzin. It was published in M. R. Nappi, François De Nomé e Didier Barra, Milan 1991. The work was exhibited in the Palazzo Fortuny in Venice in 2007 and in the Chapelle de l’Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 2008.

Axel Vervoordt Company Kanaal Stokerijstraat 19 - 2110 Wijnegem T +32 3 355 33 00 F +32 3 355 33 01 Opening hours: Thursday and Friday from 2 p.m. till 6 p.m. Or by appointment. info@axel-vervoordt.com www.axel-vervoordt.com

“I never buy what’s obvious”, says Axel Vervoordt. “Things must have a universal key. I assess a work of art or a piece of furniture in an emotional way. Only after I’ve bought the artwork do I start thinking about it, studying it. I very much like objects that have been made by monks or shepherds, for instance. Those are pure, minimalistic things that last for centuries. For an interior I bring artworks together according to a polar process of yin and yang. The contrast has an intensifying effect, causing something to hover between the works, something that creates emotion. I like to recuperate old things and make something new of them. When I’m choosing works of art it doesn’t really matter whether they’re centuries old or recent. Real things are timeless, because of the mentality they were made with, because of the force that emanates from them. For me objects must have an organic power, so that you can feel their energy. Humble utensil or baroque artwork – both can have that authentic strength. I place them in a visual contrast that can sometimes be shocking. To me beauty has nothing to do with aesthetics; it’s a search for a harmony in things. That harmony must link people with a feeling of eternity.” Over forty years ago, in 1968, Axel Vervoordt started his first antique shop in the little alley known as the Vlaeykensgang in the heart of Antwerp. Vervoordt restored the decaying buildings and in doing so saved a part of the sixteenth-century city. Gradually the space there became too small, and in 1984 Vervoordt bought the Castle in ‘s Gravenwezel, where he had both his home and his antique business. In 1998 Vervoordt expanded yet again.

In the course of those forty-odd years, Vervoordt’s business, now called Axel Vervoordt Company, has grown into an enterprise with some hundred staff, including designers, interior architects, art historians, restorers and a variety of specialized craftsmen. They work as a team to create the complete interior. There is also the “Home Collection”, Vervoordt’s own line of comfortable, well-made and proportionally correct furniture and objects. The concepts of harmony, beauty and serenity are inherent to Vervoordt’s characteristic style. They give expression to an inner being, visualize the mind and the soul, the spiritual. Axel Vervoordt and his wife May are still active in the business as mentors and éminences grises, but management is increasingly in the hands of their son Boris Vervoordt. The Kanaal site is now also destined to become a small residential quarter, where living and working go hand in hand. Some ninety apartments and other residences are planned. Boris’s brother, Dick Vervoordt, runs the company’s real estate development section. In 2008 Axel and May Vervoordt set up the Vervoordt Foundation. Its aim is not only to preserve and expand its own art collection but also to organize educational activities and exhibitions. Meanwhile, either independently or in collaboration with other cultural institutions, the foundation has mounted much-discussed exhibitions such as “TRA. Edge of Becoming”, held in the summer of 2011 in the Palazzo Fortuny in Venice.

“To me beauty has nothing to do with aesthetics; it’s a search for a harmony in things. That harmony must link people with a feeling of eternity”

Vervoordt has clients and commissioners not only in Belgium but in practically every part of Europe and the USA, as well as Russia, Asia and the Middle East. Among them are museums like the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire in Geneva, the Sterckshof Silver Museum just outside Antwerp and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. In short, Axel Vervoordt has an international reputation. For many years Vervoordt has also taken part in international art and antiques fairs such as The European Fine Arts Fair (TEFAF) in Maastricht, the Brussels Antiques and Fine Arts Fair (BRAFA), the Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris and the International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show in New York.

A PLATForM For THe BIrTH oF ArT Axel vervoordt Gallery

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THe INTerIor oF THe AxeL vervoordT GALLerY

IN jANUArY 2011, IN THe verY HeArT oF ANTwerP, AxeL vervoordT oPeNed A GALLerY For CoNTeMPorArY ArT

A Platform for the Birth of Art Axel Vervoordt Gallery 92 I ART-A

➤ This work from 2000, called “om1a-016h”, is made by the Korean photographer Bae Bien-U (Yeosu, 1950). It is a C-print mounted on plexiglass, edition 5/5. The dimensions are 135 x 260 cm. Bae Bien-U’s images bring to mind a perhaps romanticized but quintessentially Zen perspective on our surroundings. Looking at his photos can be experienced like a visually and spiritually dewy pilgrimage. Rather than saying that he tries to photograph nature, one may say that nature sent Bae Bien-U to the world of mortals.

Axel Vervoordt Gallery Vlaeykensgang - 2000 Antwerpen (Oude Koornmarkt 16) Mob +32 477 88 80 60 Opening hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 2 p.m. till 6 p.m. Or by appointment. info@axelvervoordtgallery.com www.axelvervoordtgallery.com

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In January 2011, in the very heart of Antwerp, Axel Vervoordt opened a gallery for contemporary art. The gallery is in the narrow wynd known as the Vlaeykensgang, a historic remainder of sixteenth-century Antwerp. Though tucked into a scant 90 square meters the gallery’s high white walls and monumental chimney-piece exude a sense of space. Perfect quiet reigns there. Axel Vervoordt, world renowned as an art dealer and curator of international exhibitions, already has huge exhibition spaces in his industrial site “Kanaal” in Wijnegem (a municipality just outside Antwerp) and the Castle in ‘s Gravenwezel. There, art lovers and guests can see an eclectic combination of all manner of works of art and utensils from practically every continent, culture and period. Vervoordt joins these objects in a unique relationship. The new gallery is managed by Axel Vervoordt’s son Boris. Having studied economy, Boris Vervoordt (1974) completed his training at Christie’s international auction house and elsewhere. Asked about the need for a gallery of contemporary art he replies, “In Wijnegem and ‘s Gravenwezel we generally combine archaeology, antiques and contemporary art. We present a whole; our contribution is the combination. There’s a special reason for choosing the Vlaeykensgang as the location of the new gallery. Some forty years ago my father started his first antique shop here. You can regard the place quite literally as the foundation of the Axel Vervoordt Company.

“In the space in the Vlaeykensgang we aim to focus purely on contemporary art,” Boris Vervoordt explains. “It’s not our voice you hear there but the voice of the artist. We see the gallery as a platform, a temple for artists, where their work can be ‘born’ for the public. Without that orientating context we create through our view. The added magic weighs too much on new-born work. Though we do choose art which shows that within a nutshell you can encompass infinite space. We plan seven exhibitions a year in the gallery. Through contemporary art such as that of the Zero movement and the Japanese avant-garde group Gutai, we’ll explore the connection between man and nature. It’s a quest for a harmony, which is also embodied in the philosophy of the Vervoordt Foundation. “I can’t live without art,” Boris Vervoordt continues. “I grew up with art and artists. Art is the reason why I get up in the morning. I believe in the power of the creative process. We search for art that sends out a message of peace, art that has a respect for everything that is genuine. It’s therefore the gallery’s intention to support those artists whose work takes an investigative path to a universal meaning. “In my view a work of this kind respects a certain harmony in its proportions, not only in a tangible or graphic sense but also cosmically – art that creates a harmony between past, present and emergent future. This presupposes a timeless dialogue that pursues truth. Spirituality is an inherent part of that. Because we’re in constant search of harmony ourselves it’s natural that we pass on that aim to the visitors to the gallery, to the art lovers, to the customers, through our choice of contemporary art: to build a bridge, in short. It is a matter of respect. The gallery offers this privileged relationship. You could sum up our attitude as gallerists by the expression, ‘find happiness by creating happiness’. That’s in accord with a humanistic view of life.”

➤ This is an untitled work from 2011 by Anish Kapoor (Bombay, 1954). It has a diameter of 125 cm. The convex side of this stainless steel and gold plate dish changes through the day and night and is an example of what Kapoor describes as a “non-object”, a sculpture that, despite its monumentality, suggests a window or void and often seems to vanish into its surroundings. Kapoor is focused on the active or transformative properties of the materials he uses.

“find happiness by creating happiness”

THe CULTUre oF THe CArPeT N. vrouyr

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INSIde THe N. vroUYr GALLerY

vroUYr, eSTABLISHed SINCe 1920 oN THe KoMedIePLAATS IN ANTwerP, CLoSe To THe BoUrLA THeATre, IS oNe oF BeLGIUM’S BeST-KNowN ANTIqUe orIeNTAL CArPeTS deALerS

The Culture of the Carpet N. Vrouyr I 97

“A carpet must have a story to tell about the people who made it”

➤ The Art Deco collection includes an important series of hand knotted rugs, manufactured in the workshops of Elisabeth De Saedeleer in Etikhove and Brussels. Important architects and artists like Albert Van Huffel, Gustave Van de Woestijne, Valerius De Saedeleer, Paul Hasaerts, Michel Seuphor and many others realized many designs of those works that were considered to be the major expression of Belgian art in national and international exhibitions during the interbellum period. Carpets from the Netherlands from the Amsterdamse School, a Finnish rug, designed by Dora Jung and dated 1963, a few Scandinavian pieces and even a rug made in Buenos Aires are part of the collection.

21 N. Vrouyr

Komedieplaats 4-6-8 - 2000 Antwerpen T +32 3 232 36 87 F +32 3 226 39 75 Mob +32 475 66 89 62 Opening hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9.30 a.m. till 12.30 a.m. and 2 p.m. till 6 p.m. Saturday from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m. Or by appointment. info@vrouyr.com - www.vrouyr.com

Vrouyr, established since 1920 on the Komedieplaats in Antwerp, close to the Bourla Theatre, is one of Belgium’s best-known antique oriental carpets dealers. The business was founded by great-grandfather Norayr Vrouyr, whose roots were in Armenia. In fact, Norayr was more a philologist than a carpet dealer – a comparative study of the grammar of the Armenian language is among his writings. The business is now run by Christian Vrouyr (1950), with the help of his daughter Naïry. Generation after generation Vrouyr has built up a stock of antique carpets, many of them with a surface in excess of twenty square meters. But in addition to the classic antique carpets, textiles and rugs from the nineteenth century, modern carpets can be found there as well, like the strictly geometrically patterned rugs created by the celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), for example. On Vrouyr’s muchvisited website you can browse through a selection of 1,700 available carpets. That huge range is an important asset. Vrouyr is also known internationally. In 2010 the business was distinguished with the ‘Carpet Cup’, a European prize for the best retailer of carpets in Europe, awarded by the specialist German quarterly, Carpet XL Magazine. Vrouyr has also taken part in the art and antique fairs Pan Amsterdam and Brafa in Brussels. The artistic spirit of the firm’s founder is still very much alive at Vrouyr. Carpet creations commissioned from contemporary artists are regularly shown. Some twenty years ago, in 1990, seven students from Antwerp’s Academy of Fine Arts were each asked to design a rug, and the cartoons were produced in a limited edition.

In 1996 forty gouache designs by the Belgian artist Albert Szukalski (1945-2000) resulted in the creation of the same number of carpets. And to mark the firm’s eightyfifth anniversary in 2005, six artists – Philip Aguirre, Carla Arocha, Tina Gillen, Ives Maes, Narcisse Tordoir and Ysbrant – were asked to produce designs for a carpet. The resulting rugs were knotted in Nepal. Vrouyr funded the project, but the proceeds went to RugMark, a society that works hard to combat child labour and encourages educational programmes there. Vrouyr also works with the French designer Viviane Tahan on a regular basis. “A carpet must have a story to tell about the people who made it,” says Christian Vrouyr. “Today we look at the authenticity, the ethnographic content, much more than at the number of knots per surface unit. A lot can be suggested with simple means. Family workshops tell a popular story of their own. Unfortunately, most of the nomadic peoples who knot carpets have disappeared. Political revolutions have been immensely destructive. In Russia and China, for instance, family workshops were merged into large centralized workshops and production was forced up. This did nothing for the rugs’ expressivity. The East had an oral culture. The rural population, living in small villages, were unable to write. The common past, the collective memory was and still is recorded in the carpets. Every region has its own typical pattern, but something is always left out or added. A carpet is a family product with a character of its own, as was indeed already the case in the nineteenth century. Each family tried to use the best wool and pigments they could afford.

➤ This art deco rug comes from the studios of Elisabeth De Saedeleer (SintMartens-Latem 1902-1972 Brussels). It was designed by architect Albert Van Huffel (Ghent 1877-1935 Tervuren) for the Memlinc Palace hotel in KnokkeHet Zoute in 1926, when he was asked to redecorate the establishment. The wool-knotted rug measures 280 x 296 cm. Elisabeth De Saedeleer was the daughter of the renowned Flemish painter Valerius De Saedeleer, and she had an international reputation herself.

People also have an emotional tie with their carpets there. I’ve seen cases where in a particular family the parents wanted to sell a carpet but the daughter couldn’t bear to see it go; she wanted to live with it a bit longer. In very poor areas knotting carpets forms the basis of the income. In slighter richer areas, where there’s farming as well, knotting a carpet is seen as an extra luxury.” A few years ago Vrouyr made its extensive library, specialized in carpets, textiles and art, accessible to the public – a social gesture that’s unique in Belgium. At Vrouyr you can browse scientific and commercial publications on Persian, Caucasian, Turkish, Chinese, Tibetan, Indian, South Asian, European, and North and South American carpets and textiles. The library contains several hundred books, catalogues, journals and documents. There’s a computer search programme to help find the subject you’re looking for.

Neoclassical Dignity Victor Werner 98 I ART-A

The interior of the Victor Werner Gallery 99

In 1986 Victor Werner (1956), who studied economic sciences, started a small shop in Antwerp selling mainly early-nineteenth-century furniture

I 99

Neoclassical Dignity Victor Werner 100 I ART-A

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In 1986 Victor Werner (1956), who studied economic sciences, started a small shop in Antwerp selling mainly early-nineteenth-century furniture.

“Neoclassical building and furniture both emit a

Even in those early days the things he presented were largely inspired by neoclassicism. Since then, sculpture, decorative objects and paintings have been added to the gallery in Antwerp’s Schuttershofstraat. A conversation with this antiquarian does not stop at antique furniture but invariably ranges over architecture as well. And with reason, for in both cases spatial design is paramount. And both furniture and architecture must respond to spirit of the time in which they were created, for which Werner uses the term d’époque.

sense of dignity and wealth. You feel the rationality and substance”

Victor Werner Arenbergstraat 15 - 2000 Antwerpen Schuttershofstraat 21 - 2000 Antwerpen Mob +32 486 67 79 68 Opening hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. till 6 p.m. Or by appointment. info@victorwerner.be www.victorwerner.be

“Even when I was at secondary school I was fascinated by classical antiquity,” says Werner, as he explains his preference for neo-classical styles. “I love symmetry. Curves don’t appeal to me at all. The balanced proportions of a piece of furniture or a building are what attract me. In the neoclassical period, which roughly speaking runs from 1740 to 1860, reason and understanding began to predominate, loosening religion’s grip. There was a great desire for the classical beauty of Greek and Roman architecture. Neoclassicism didn’t develop in the same way everywhere. Its origins were in Italy but in many countries, particularly France, the style developed in individual ways.” Asked about the typical stylistic characteristics that fascinate him, Werner replies, “Neoclassical building and furniture both emit a sense of dignity and wealth. You feel the rationality and substance. Sphinxes, griffins, fauns, urns and laurel wreaths were all among the ornamental motifs used in neoclassical architecture, but the decoration never dominates the general form. Many of those motifs occur in neoclassical furniture too, including the Empire and Neo-Egyptian styles. In France the Jacob family of ebonists were among the leading masters of neoclassicism in furniture design. In Belgium, Chambon and Franck would later work in the same vein. In the inter-war years Art Deco adopted neoclassicism’s balanced and dignified structure. To be successful, even a modern piece of furniture must be harmonious in its construction. Whatever the case, it’s the logic of a piece of furniture that fascinates me. If something is well designed it’s automatically acknowledged as beautiful. Furniture is architecture. You have to know something about it, of course; it requires some effort. I only buy pieces that speak for themselves. As far as furniture’s concerned I’ve increased the range of the objects I offer to include the period from 1800 to 1960, provided the piece possesses those qualities I’ve just described.

➤ This “Anatomical Model” is by Jules Talrich (1826-1904). It measures 105 x 55 x 29 cm. Talrich was one of the foremost makers of anatomical models, often using wax and plaster. This model is made from plaster and wood. There is a copper nameplate to the right of the head and another on the sliding panel, both bearing the text: “Jules Talrich, Modelleur d’Anatomie de la Faculté de Médicine de Paris 97, Boulevard St Germain, 97 Dépôt légal”. ➤ This oil painting on panel, a “Still Life with Hare”, is signed M Delmotte at bottom right and dated 1959. Its dimensions are 124 x 92.5 cm. The Belgian artist Marcel Delmotte (1901-1984) was a visionary autodidact. He achieved great mastery of the painter’s craft and was particularly skilful at rendering the texture of materials. Delmotte is seen as a precursor of Surrealism, and his work is held in many museums.

“As to the materials used in furniture-making,” Werner continues, “my own preference is for burl wood. It can come from several types of tree, such as ash, elm, yew and oak. Burl wood was used for a short period in the early nineteenth century. Actually, it’s even rarer than mahogany. Used in combination with old types of marble for things like consoles, for example, it’s superb. Some of those old types of marble don’t exist anymore, especially the green ones. The quarries are exhausted or no longer worked. Here we see yet another aspect of classical antiquity. The ancient Greeks, the Romans, and even the Egyptians before them used the noblest types of stone for their buildings and works of art – think of porphyry, for instance.

“My love of classical antiquity and my liking for doing business led me to the antiquarian profession,” Werner concludes, musingly. “Gradually I have myself become a collector of the things I sell. When I started as an antiquarian you could find much more on the market in my particular niche. The idea that fashion changes because taste changes is not entirely accurate. Fashions follow the availability and visibility of certain objects. What was once reviled will sooner or later become desirable again. I let myself be guided by the quality and rarity of the objects, not by demand and fashion. If I visit a town abroad it’s not only as a tourist, I’m also there as an antiquarian, a dealer. I look for the reference museums like the Carnavalet and Malmaison in Paris, the Victoria and Albert in London, the Metropolitan in New York, the Capodimonte in Naples. When I started in this field, I never imagined that it would also become a way of life!”

A HArMoNY oF PerIodS ANd STYLeS j. M. Zeberg - Fine Art

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deTAIL oF THe j. M. ZeBerG CoLLeCTIoN

IN THe ANTIqUeS worLd THe NAMe ZeBerG IS INTerNATIoNALLY reNowNed

A Harmony of Periods and Styles J. M. Zeberg - Fine Art 104 I ART-A

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In the antiques world the name Zeberg is inter nationally renowned. This is partly due to several decades’ participation in the Brussels Antiques and Fine Arts Fair (BRAFA) and The European Fine Arts Fair (TEFAF) in Maastricht. Jenny Zeberg (1914-2001) began the business in 1946, or rather took over an existing general antiquarian firm in which she worked. Her two daughters, Grethe and Jelva Zeberg, followed her into the business, turning it into a success story. Grethe Zeberg (1951) passed away in 2010. The business is now split into two independent companies, one run by Grethe’s eldest son, the other by Jelva Zeberg (1952). Jelva Zeberg now has a new gallery called J. M. Zeberg. By using the initials of her first names (Jelva Maria) and the family surname as the name of her company, she aims to point very specifically to the tradition she represents. Jelva Zeberg not only grew up in the antiques world, she has also worked in it for thirty-six years. Her new gallery occupies beautifully restored premises dating from the late seventeenth to early eighteenth century at Vleminckstraat 3 in Antwerp, just around the corner from Zeberg’s previous address.

➤ In the 17th century, the meuble de parade et d’apparat was largely based on architectural lines. From around 1640 tortoiseshell was employed as a veneer, with a backing of red pigment and gold foil. This cabinet in ebony and ebonized wood, 71.5 x 64.5 x 30.3 cm, has tortoiseshell veneer and ivory inlay. Inside the doors there is a central theatre faced with marble columns and gilt statuettes. It originated in Italy (Florence), and dates from the second half of the 17th century.

J.M. Zeberg - Fine Art Vleminckstraat 3 - 2000 Antwerpen T +32 3 345 40 37 F +32 70 40 78 22 Opening hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. till 12 a.m. and from 2 p.m. till 6 p.m. info@zebergbvba.be www.zebergbvba.be

“Zeberg has been in the heart of Antwerp for decades,” says Jelva Zeberg, “almost literally in the shadow of the cathedral.” Picking a building on Vleminckstraat means keeping that atmospheric location, an area whose streets are full of historic houses and monuments. And I still offer furniture, decorative objects and tapestries from the end of the fifteenth to the end of the eighteenth century. In the old Zeberg tradition their quality and authenticity are guaranteed. It is the case that I’ve now moved more towards smaller pieces of French and Italian furniture of the haute époque – small commodes and table-top cabinets, for instance. Coffers and mirrors too. To create an ensemble there’s also a choice of objects in precious materials, such as refined types of marble. “In all those years I’ve acquired a good deal of experience in the presentation of objects and the tasteful furnishing of an interior,” Jelva Zeberg continues. ‘It’s given me a particular feel for harmony between diverse objects, styles and periods. A real interior has its own unique animation, a distinct, inner and often subtle cohesion. Creating something like that in an antique gallery or on a stand at an antiques fair can offer an example of what might be done at home. Meanwhile, I’ve expanded the range of objects that can be used to create that cohesion to include modern and contemporary art. The younger generation of art and antiques lovers are becoming increasingly eclectic in the way they collect; they’re combining old and new. A fine antique object such as a seventeenth-century cabinet can combine splendidly with a modern drawing or painting. I want to incorporate both figurative and abstract painting from 1900 to the present amongst antique objects. And why not a modern bronze sculpture as an eye-catcher? Our objective in the new gallery is to satisfy the aesthetic desires of the new generation of art lovers.” At J. M. Zeberg the visitor can be sure of a warm welcome.

➤ This 17th-century mirror, 49 x 54 cm, was made in an Antwerp workshop. The frame is veneered with tortoiseshell and embellished with gilt bronze ornaments with mask motifs. On the corners are chased silver medallions set in a cartouche of stylized birds.

“Zeberg has been in the heart of Antwerp for decades, almost literally in the shadow of the cathedral”

A THIrd-GeNerATIoN GeNerAL ANTIqUArIAN j. Zeberg / roald van reusel 106 I ART-A

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IN THe j. ZeBerG GALLerY

j. ZeBerG IS oNe oF THe oLdeST ANTIqUe GALLerIeS IN BeLGIUM, THoUGH THe NAMe IS INTerNATIoNALLY reNowNed AS weLL

A Third-Generation General Antiquarian J. Zeberg / Roald Van Reusel 108 I ART-A

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“Over the years our business has built up a stock of rare woods, along with tortoiseshell, ivory, old locks and hinges and so on”

➤ This textile, an English embroidered “petit point”, dates from around 1600 and is extremely well preserved. It is a fine piece of work, 198 cm wide, 42 cm high. The figurative scenes depicted on it are very detailed and include courtly episodes, typical characters from the English landed nobility with their ladies, wild animals and hunting scenes. It was most probably used as a bed hanging.

J. Zeberg is one of the oldest antique galleries in Belgium, though the name is internationally renowned as well. The business was begun in 1946, when Jenny Zeberg (1914-2001) took over the general antiquarian firm, in existence since 1886, in which she worked. Her two daughters, Grethe and Jelva Zeberg, followed her into the business, turning it into a flourishing concern. Grethe Zeberg (1951) passed away in 2010. The business is now divided into two separate but cooperating companies, one run by Roald Van Reusel, Grethe’s eldest son, the other by Jelva Zeberg (1952). Both offer furniture, sculpture, decorative objects and tapestries from the late fifteenth century to the end of the eighteenth century. Roald Van Reusel (1977) has a technical background. He studied the conservation and restoration of furniture and wooden objects at the University College of Antwerp and followed that with a year’s internship at Sotheby’s in London. “That was when I discovered that you can only become an antiquarian by practicing the profession every day,” he says of his time at Sotheby’s. “However much you may know in theory there are always exceptions and variations in every type of furniture or decorative object or sculpture, of every period. Remembering that and appreciating it is a skill.

J. Zeberg / Roald Van Reusel By appointment only. T +32 3 233 82 30 Mob +32 475 70 44 78 info@zeberg-antiques.com www.zeberg-antiques.com

“I represent the third generation of the company and I’m carrying on a decadesold tradition,” he continues. “The name Zeberg has an international reputation for quality, authenticity and guarantee. A general rule when buying antiques is to aim for the very best pieces – in any case, for quality. We’ve seen that during the recent financial crisis top-quality pieces have kept their value. The merely average has dropped. For more than four decades Zeberg has taken part every year in the Brussels Antiques and Fine Arts Fair (BRAFA) and has had a stand at The European Fine Arts Fair (TEFAF) in Maastricht for twenty-three years. In our business, art and antiques fairs and other public events are gradually taking precedence over a permanently open gallery.

“Of course, the client’s taste and attitude have evolved over the years. There isn’t the same demand for pewter and copper, for instance. Our customers’ children are now customers themselves, and their requirements are not those of their parents. Clients have also become eclectic. It used to be that if you wanted a handsome and valuable interior you bought antiques. Now there’s a wider choice in the art market. You can buy handsome and valuable design, for example. According to Van Reusel, among today’s antique lovers there’s a special kind – the collector. “Their choice is not so much for a piece of furniture but for an art object. Although I’m still a general antiquarian I try to give extra emphasis to small objects and sculpture – especially to sixteenth-century polychromed sculpture. Zeberg already has a reputation for the statuettes known as “Mechelse popjes” or “Mechelen dolls” – devotional figures in polychromed wood representing the Virgin or other female saints that were made in the early sixteenth century. They were produced in Mechelen workshops and should carry two maker’s marks, which were intended to guarantee their origin and quality. When you’ve had dozens of these charming little figures in your hands you can see the difference in quality.”

➤ This cupboard, known as a cabinet a retraite, is made from walnut and partly ebonized. The term retraite indicates that the upper part of the cupboard is smaller than the lower part. Such a piece of furniture was used for storing household goods. The stylistic characteristics of this one indicate that it comes from Charentes in France. The cupboard was made in the first half of the 17th century. Its measurements are 190 x 155 x 64 cm.

Asked about his work as a furniture restorer, Roald Van Reusel replies, “Over the years our business has built up a stock of rare woods, along with tortoiseshell, ivory, old locks and hinges and so on. The ethics of restoration have become much stricter in recent years. If an object is intended for a museum it’s advisable to do little or nothing to it. It’s often enough just to restore its visual appearance. Every intervention should also be reversible. Of course, if a private collector buys an object, such as a cupboard, with a broken leg he wants that leg replaced. In that case we refer to usage restoration. But if a piece of furniture is to correspond to the concept of quality it can only have the minimum of restoration. If something is over-restored it loses part of its authenticity and value. With a work of art you have to be even more careful; the ethical regulations are stricter still.”

Multiform Freedom in Contemporary Art Galerie De Zwarte Panter 110 I ART-A

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Interior of De Zwarte Panter

In 2011 the Antwerp gallery known as De Zwarte Panter (The Black Panther) will have been in existence for forty-two years, making it the oldest contemporary art gallery in Flanders

112 I ART-A

In 2011 the Antwerp gallery known as De Zwarte Panter (The Black Panther) will have been in existence for forty-two years, making it the oldest contemporary art gallery in Flanders. The driving force behind the gallery is Adriaan Raemdonck (1945). Raemdonck studied set design at the St Luke Institute in Brussels before moving on to painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp.

➤ This work by the famous Belgian artist Fred Bervoets (1942) is titled “Het Atelier 2011” (“The Studio 2011”). Its dimensions are 200 x 370 cm. It’s an etching on paper and there are only two different copies of it. The artist worked further on the image with acrylic paint. Bervoets’s studio is where everything is spawned, simultaneously the centre of the city in which he lives, Antwerp, and an intimate refuge. He has made himself the protagonist in this work by incorporating several self-portraits.

In 1968 Raemdonck opened a gallery in what used to be the ‘Zwarte Panter’ brothel. Two years later he was forced to leave, as the premises were to be demolished. In 1970 the gallery moved to the empty St Julian’s Hospital (one of Antwerp’s oldest charitable hospices) on Hoogstraat, a historic complex owned by the OCMW (the body responsible for social welfare). In his forty-two years as a gallerist Raemdonck has mounted over 500 individual exhibitions in De Zwarte Panter and has also published many portfolios. The gallery has evolved into a meeting place not only for countless art lovers and collectors but also for writers, musicians and people in the theatre. There are thousands of visitors every year.

Galerie De Zwarte Panter Hoogstraat 70/74 - 2000 Antwerpen T +32 3 233 13 45 F +32 3 231 38 12 Mob +32 474 54 54 72 Opening hours: Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1.30 p.m. till 6 p.m. Or by appointment. galerie@dezwartepanter.be www.dezwartepanter.com

“If you run a gallery,” says Raemdonck, “you must be able to put up with a lot of uncertainties. Being an art dealer is more than following a profession, it’s a way of life. A gallerist is supposed to be a connoisseur, a diplomat and a businessman all rolled into one. The artist is your first consideration – he or she is the main thing, after all. A good artist has a unique stamp and leaves a unique mark that can only be his or hers. But keeping the entourage in view is just as important. Like publishers, gallerists are people who build the cultural heritage of tomorrow.”

Multiform Freedom in Contemporary Art Galerie De Zwarte Panter I 113 ➤ This painting, “2011 Vuurbloemen” (“2011 Fireflowers”), is by the Belgian artist Frieda van Dun (1951). The work is painted in acrylics on canvas and is 140 x 140 cm. Here, as in many of her works Van Dun has found inspiration in music, flowers and plants. The image is not abstract but abstracting. The result is a symphony of colour and movement.

Responding to the comment that throughout all these years most of the art shown at De Zwarte Panter has been figurative, Raemdonck says, “If you want to support someone you must have contact with him. The artists who were friends from the start worked figuratively. A rebellious artist like Fred Bervoets made me think of James Ensor – he still does. But both Bervoets and Ensor have always respected the laws that are intrinsic to visual art. At a certain moment I also had the good fortune to meet the painter Jan Cox. His way of thinking was manifestly imbued with intellectual and artistic daring. At the same time he was someone who often doubted the value of his paintings. He painted man’s eternal destiny and fate, the war that to him had something existentialist about it.” Raemdonck continues, “To be successful an artist’s work has to fit into a particular set of expectations. I’ve never bothered much with fashions. The search for what freedom means has always been the most important motivation for me as a gallerist. I’ve seen the appreciation of some artists evolve. Dr Hugo Heyrman for instance – he’s an avant-gardist who’s experimented with many different media; he was one of the first in this country to use video as an artistic medium. Michel Buylen’s painting is also fascinating, I find: despite the perfection of his work, where he’s going to is still an enigma. Another of the gallery’s top artists is the painter and graphic artist Jan Vanriet, who also has a foot in the literary world –he’s a poet in his own right, in fact. De Zwarte Panter exhibits a huge array of creative talent – the list is too long to mention every name but it includes major artists like Nick Andrews, Guy Leclercq, Frank Maieu, Pjeroo Roobjee, Ysbrant and others. It’s precisely because I look for the most diverse artists that they represent an enormous range. I’ve always kept my private life and my gallery separate. Now, after all these years, I’m presenting an exhibition of my partner Frieda Van Dun, who’s developed a unique style and a very fresh palette.”

“To be successful an artist’s work has to fit into a particular set of expectations”

The combination of enthusiasm and professional seriousness with which he talks about art and art dealing is characteristic of Raemdonck. It’s an attitude that commands respect among his fellow gallerists in Belgium and abroad. Since 1997 Raemdonck has been the president of BUP, Belgium’s union of modern and contemporary art galleries, and since 2007 he’s been president of FEAGA, the Federation of European Art Gallery Associations. In 2011 Raemdonck was awarded the Province of Antwerp’s biennial Culture Prize in recognition of his work as a gallerist.

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Kunst- en Antiekveilingen Schattingen en verdelingen Ventes aux enchères d’art et d’antiquités Estimations et partages Geïllustreerde catalogus Catalogue illustré Terninckstraat 6-8-10 2000 Antwerpen Tel: +32 (0)3/ 226 99 69 www.amberes.be amberes.veilingen@pandora.be

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de Gulden Bock Schuttershofstraat 11 2000 Antwerpen

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WWW.GINOTTI.COM OFFICIAL AGENT FOR AUDEMARS PIGUET THE WATCH STORE TEL. +32-3-231.56.92 - FAX +32-3-232.75.50 E-mail:info@ginotti.com

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Meer dan 30 jaar hebben Michel en Mireille Bascourt als stichtend lid actief deelgenomen aan de Opendeurdagen van Antiquairs Antwerpen. artexpert - deskundige Met ingang van dit jaar willen zij zich beperken tot de EXPERTISE en het SCHATTEN van antiquiteiten en hun handel in exclusief CHINEES PORSELEIN en DELFTS AARDEWERK.

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M. & M. BASCOURT

Meer dan 30 kunt jaar hebben Michel en doen Mireille Bascourt alservaring stichtend aan devoor Opendeurdagen van Na afspraak u blijvend beroep op veertig jaar dielidzijactief graagdeelgenomen ten dienste stellen het schatten van Antiquairsvoor Antwerpen. inboedels verzekeringen of verdelingen en regelingen van schadegevallen. artexpert - deskundige Met ingang van dit jaar willen zij zich beperken tot de EXPERTISE en het SCHATTEN van antiquiteiten en hun handel in exclusief CHINEES PORSELEIN en DELFTS AARDEWERK. Voor contactname raadpleegt u onze website www.bascourt.be of via e-mail info@bascourt.be Na afspraak kunt u blijvend beroep doen op veertig jaar Meer dan 30 jaar hebben Michel en Mireille Bascourt als Meer dan actief 30 kunt jaardeelgenomen hebben Michel en doen Mireille Bascourt alservaring stichtend actief deelgenomen aanstellen devoor Opendeurdagen van van ervaring die zij graag ten dienste voor het schatten stichtend lid aan de Opendeurdagen Na afspraak u blijvend beroep op veertig jaar dielidzij graag ten dienste stellen het schatten van Antiquairs Antwerpen. inboedels voor verzekeringen of verdelingen en regelingen van Antiquairs Antwerpen. Met ingang van dit jaar willen inboedels voor verzekeringen of verdelingen en regelingen van schadegevallen. Metbeperken ingang van willen zij zich tot de EXPERTISE en het SCHATTEN antiquiteitenraadpleegt en hun handel van schadegevallen. Voorvan contactname u onze zij zich totditdejaar EXPERTISE enbeperken het SCHATTEN website of via e-mail info@bascourt.be van Voor antiquiteiten en hun handelu onze in exclusief CHINEES in exclusief CHINEES PORSELEIN en DELFTS AARDEWERK. contactname raadpleegt website www.bascourt.be of via www.bascourt.be e-mail info@bascourt.be PORSELEIN en DELFTS AARDEWERK. Na afspraak kunt u blijvend beroep doen op veertig jaar ervaring die zij graag ten dienste stellen voor het schatten van inboedels voor verzekeringen of verdelingen en regelingen van schadegevallen. Voor contactname raadpleegt u onze website www.bascourt.be of via e-mail info@bascourt.be

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Michel et Mireille Bascourt ont pris la dĂŠcision de ne plus participer aux â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Portes-Ouvertesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; des â&#x20AC;&#x153;Antiquaires-Anversoisâ&#x20AC;? malgrĂŠ le fait quâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ils en fassent partie depuis plus de 30 ans comme membres fondateurs. A partir de cette annĂŠe, ils ont dĂŠcidĂŠ de se consacrer exclusivement Ă lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;EXPERTISE et lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ESTIMATION dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;AntiquitĂŠs et au commerce spĂŠcialisĂŠ de PORCELAINES de CHINE et FAĂ?ENCES de DELFT. Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;hĂŠsitez pas Ă faire appel Ă leurs connaissances rĂŠsultant Michel et Mireille Bascourt ont pris la dĂŠcision de ne plus de 40 ansaux dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;expĂŠrience en la des matiĂ¨re. Ils restent Ă votre participer auxetâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Portes-Ouvertesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; des â&#x20AC;&#x153;Antiquaires-Anversoisâ&#x20AC;? Michel Mireille Bascourt ont pris la dĂŠcision de ne plus participer â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Portes-Ouvertesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;hĂŠsitez pas Ă faire appel Ă leurs connaissances rĂŠsultant de 40 ans dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;expĂŠrience en la matiĂ¨re. Ilsâ&#x20AC;&#x153;Antiquaires-Anverrestent Ă votre disdisposition, uniquement sur rendez-vous, pour lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;estimation malgrĂŠ le fait quâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ils en fassent partie depuis plus de 30 ans soisâ&#x20AC;? malgrĂŠ le fait quâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ils en fassent partie depuis plus de 30 ans comme membres fondateurs. position, uniquement sur rendez-vous, pour lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;estimation de vos biens en vue dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;assurance ou partage ainsi que pour le de vos biens en vue dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;assurance ou partage ainsi que pour le comme membres fondateurs. partir de cette ils ont A partir dede cette annĂŠe, ilsAont dĂŠcidĂŠ de seannĂŠe, consacrer exclusivement Ă lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;EXPERTISE et lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ESTIMATION dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;AntiquitĂŠs rĂ¨glement dommages. dededommages. dĂŠcidĂŠ de commerce se consacrer exclusivement Ă lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;EXPERTISE et etrĂ¨glement et au spĂŠcialisĂŠ de PORCELAINES de CHINE FAĂ?ENCES DELFT. Consultez: www.bascourt.be ou contactez nous: info@bascourt.be lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ESTIMATION dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;AntiquitĂŠs et au commerce spĂŠcialisĂŠ de Consultez : www.bascourt.be ou contactez nous : info@bascourt.be PORCELAINES deĂ CHINE et FAĂ?ENCES DELFT. Michel et pas Mireille ont pris lade dĂŠcision de ne plus aux â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Portes-Ouvertesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; desIlsâ&#x20AC;&#x153;Antiquaires-AnverNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;hĂŠsitez faireBascourt appel Ă leurs connaissances rĂŠsultant departiciper 40 ans dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;expĂŠrience en la matiĂ¨re. restent Ă votre dissoisâ&#x20AC;? malgrĂŠ le fait quâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ils en fassent partie plus dede 30vos ansbiens comme fondateurs. position, uniquement sur rendez-vous, pourdepuis lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;estimation en membres vue dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;assurance ou partage ainsi que pour le A partir dede cette annĂŠe, ils ont dĂŠcidĂŠ de se consacrer exclusivement Ă lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;EXPERTISE et lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ESTIMATION dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;AntiquitĂŠs MECHELSESTEENWEG 17 - B-2018 ANTWERPEN rĂ¨glement dommages. et au commerce spĂŠcialisĂŠ de PORCELAINES de CHINE et FAĂ?ENCES de DELFT. www.bascourt.be - Tel. 03 233 71 20 - info@bascourt.be Consultez : www.bascourt.be ou contactez nous : info@bascourt.be Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;hĂŠsitez pas Ă faire appel Ă leurs connaissances rĂŠsultant de 40 ans dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;expĂŠrience en la matiĂ¨re. Ils restent Ă votre disposition, uniquement sur rendez-vous, pour lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;estimation de vos biens en vue dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;assurance ou partage ainsi que pour le MECHELSESTEENWEG 17 - B-2018 ANTWERPEN rĂ¨glement de dommages.

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