Brussels' art scene is about to grow
In the next few years, as Paris welcomes new galleries and more international collectors, Brussels's contemporary art market will also expand.
Welcome to the inaugural edition!
The first few weeks will be all about seeing what works and what doesn’t, so please share your feedback freely and let me know what you think by replying to this email.
Barring any major complaints, we will be following a 3-part structure each week:
A short featurette, on an interesting topic (never more than 500 words, I know you’re busy)
One art piece by a living Belgian artist that we can all enjoy
Some particularly interesting events coming up
Let’s get on with it then.
Why Brussels is about to grow as an art hub
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes.
Brussels is one of Europe’s most important art cities.
It’s not as big as London, Paris and Berlin, but it attracts plenty of contemporary artists and has a high concentration of private galleries. Belgium overall has the highest recorded number of art collectors per capita, second only to Switzerland.
Since Brexit, Londons’s art market has been losing steam and big galleries, international collectors and emerging artists are all flocking to Paris.
As Paris grows, I expect Brussels’ contemporary art scene will grow along with it.
The city has all needed structures in place to welcome new buyers, as well as new artists. It’s perfectly placed just a short train ride away from Paris — and if you’re an American or Asian collector making the trip to Europe you won’t mind the extra ride for the potential to tap into a whole new, diverse market.
Plus:
It’s the perfect size for gallery hopping, as most galleries are concentrated into a few neighborhoods like Saint Gilles, Sablon and around the center. (For background info, a gallery sells new art and represents an artist the way an agent represents an actor)
Not only does Belgium boast a high number of collectors, they have a tendency to be knowledgeable, true art lovers gathering pieces for all the right reasons
Aside from native Belgians themselves, the country’s ever-rotating cast of international residents presents artists with an evolving audience. Natives and expats alike have been attending Brussels’ art fairs regularly in recent years.
So we have native collectors, expat collectors and now also international buyers looking for a new home? Get ready for Brussels to boom.
This is not to say London will be devoid of new art, its artists still have a role to play within the market — but big international players are certainly shifting their habits.
Since moving to Brussels my life has forcibly become sprinkled with British people, an experience through which I have come to understand the value of sugarcoating. So we can pretend, for now, that London is not losing out. There won’t be any denying it in a few years anyway.
By then, Brussels will have already grown.
And isn’t it so exciting to know we are so thoroughly surrounded by art in this town?
As American philosopher Macy Gray once said, “Shake your booty boys and girls — there is beauty in the world.”
Piece of the week
Proficiency aside, Belgian artists have their own flair.
This past summer at the Boverie Museum in Liege, I saw a series of pieces completed in 2018 by artist Jacques Charlier.
Quintessential Belgian humor at play here. My favorite was an advertisement for a saw and ax set captioned, “Perform your own autopsy. Easy method for everyone.”
Kindly refrain from yelling at me, I tried to find a better picture online and couldn’t — but you can find some of the other pieces here (like an ad for plastic fingers, to purchase should you ever need to count to more than 10.)
Happening soon
Bright and early on Sunday morning I’ll be heading to the Design Museum for a brunch (Christmas themed, presumably). It kicks off at 11am.
On Wednesday, December 13th, the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux will be having its Christmas bash. Heartbreakingly, I will be in Strasbourg then and unable to make this one — despite my love of Finnish culture.
Art Antwerp, a contemporary art fair and cousin of Art Brussels, takes place between the 14th and the 17th.
That’s it for now, thank you for reading! Next week we will be exploring one of the European Commission’s more artistic endeavors.
Speak soon,
Ana
