COLLECT (2025)

06/10/2025

For the past sixteen years, car enthusiasts have flocked to Knokke-Heist at the beginning of October for the Zoute Grand Prix. Alongside the classic rally and events, as well as the well-established BonhamsICars auction, this year will see the first auction by American company Broad Arrow Auctions. “The car market is a relatively young market. It was not until the 1970s that the first brand clubs were established and people started to see collector's vehicles as a recreational activity,” explains Leo Van Hoorick, curator at Autoworld in Brussels. Since 2005 in particular, cars have functioned as an investment. One difficulty in collecting cars is restoration. "Just like in the art market, the car must be in perfect condition. However, the cost of a full restoration can sometimes exceed the value of the car itself," says Alex Verstraete of BonhamsICars. Unlike art, cars are strongly linked to a particular generation. Many collectors are guided by childhood nostalgia when making purchases. A relatively new market segment is hypercars. These cars cannot be ordered; they are usually only available to purchase after a whole series of other cars of the same brand have been purchased. Over the past ten years, the Zoute Grand Prix has grown to become one of the most important events in the European car market.

article in our Belgian
'Driven by sentiment' by Elien Haentjens

from 08 till 12-10 at Knokke-Heist

InterClassics Brussels from 14 till 16-11
German Tuners from the '80s and the '90s until 14-12

📷1: Abarth ‘Boano 207A’, no. 8, 1955, estimation: € 250.000-350.000. © Broad Arrow Auctions.
📷2: BMW ‘2002 Turbo’, 1974, estimation: € 80.000-130.000, no reserve. © Broad Arrow Auctions.
📷3: Range Rover ‘3.5’, 1975, from the collection of Alain Delon and Bernard Fornas, auctioned in Knokke-Heist. Estimation: € 100.000-130.000. © Bonhams Cars.

03/10/2025

Francisco de Goya's career as an artist is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable of all time. His talent for drawing became apparent at an early age, but he spent a long time training and did not devote himself entirely to painting until he was around forty. From the mocking smiles of the pert young ladies in his early works, to the sombre self-portrait at the end of his life; from the cold rigidity of an aristocrat, to the unfathomable misery of the impoverished: throughout his career, Goya continued to paint faces, exploring the ever-changing nature of the human soul. In this sense, he was one of the greatest masters of all time, as well as a precursor of Romanticism, Expressionism and Modernism. The painter ventured into unprecedented poses, his touch remaining subtle for a long time but becoming sharper with age. He became increasingly tormented by the violence humans are capable of, even outside of external conflicts. The direct impact of Goya's engravings stems not only from the horror of their subject matter, but also from the power of the artistic techniques used to create them. All eyes are on Goya at the major exhibition at Bozar, which is part of the 40th edition of Europalia which puts the rich culture of Spain in the spotlight.

article in our
'All eyes on Goya' by Anne Hustache

'Luz y sombra. Goya and Spanish Realism'
from 08-10 till 12-01
from 08-10 till 01-02

📷 1: Francisco de Goya, fragment of 'The Parasol', 1777, oil on canvas, 104 x 152 cm. Madrid, Museo del Prado, Inv. P000773.
📷 2: Francisco de Goya, fragment of 'Still Life with Ribs and a Lamb's Head', 1808-1812, oil on canvas, 45 x 62 cm. Paris, Musée du Louvre, Inv. RF 1937-120.
📷 3: Francisco de Goya, 'The Dog', 1819-1823, oil on plaster transferred to canvas, 131,5 x 79,3 cm. Madrid, Museo del Prado, inv. Gassier-Wilson 1621.

01/10/2025

When we think of art and artificial intelligence (AI), we tend to think of artists who use it in their work. However, there is another, more subtle application of AI that is becoming increasingly important and could significantly impact the art market in the long term. Thanks to its phenomenal computing power, AI can synthesise vast amounts of data, helping us to understand collective behaviour, interpret market developments and sentiments, and detect new correlations related to an increase in market value. At art fairs, many visitors now use an app on their smartphone to estimate the price of the artworks they see. At TEFAF, AI plays a subtle yet essential role in the 'vetting' process. Art Recognition is an innovative, AI-based technology that can identify an artist's “visual DNA” based on photographs of authenticated works. AI is also making its way into other sectors of the art world, such as curatorship. For instance, ChatGPT acted as curator for the exhibition 'Art & Language: Entretien avec un humoriste obéissant', displayed last summer at the Château de Montsoreau in France. While AI and fairs will undoubtedly make the art market more transparent, faster and more global, they will also make it more dependent on algorithmic logic. While this will undoubtedly lead to significant efficiency gains, it also raises the crucial question: will art remain a realm of unpredictability and emotion, or will it evolve into a streamlined market akin to the financial world?

article in our
'AI, artistic intelligence? by Gilles Bechet

📷1: Louise Bourgeois, 'Sans Titre', 1945, ink on paper, recto/verso, 270 x 210 mm. Sold for CHF 28.000, November 2024, at Germann Auctions, Zurich. Authenticated with Art Recognition.
📷2: Vetting during Tefaf 2025. Photo: Jitske Nap.

29/09/2025

In his work, Hadrien Bruaux (°1991, Namen) explores the boundaries between the present and the past, questioning what the future may hold. “History is mainly written by winners,” he says. “That’s one of the reasons why I like to highlight everyday objects that no one pays attention to.” The act of collecting plays a central role in his work. He finds discarded objects on the street or at the end of the flea market on Vossenplein. In his series 'Les règnes invisibles' (2021–2025), Bruaux translates his philosophy into sculptures, some of which were on display at ISELP in Brussels. The series consists of newly composed artefacts encased in a glass display case. “Inspired by a museum context, the display case raises questions about the preciousness of the object and its preservation over time. In this way, I explore what we preserve and what we do not, and the image this will give of our time in the future,” says Bruaux. In recent years, he has delved deeply into the philosophy surrounding images, our relationship with them, and our desired relationship with them. “Based on the idea of 'seeing is believing', images play an incredibly important role. With my work, I therefore want to encourage viewers to look actively. I provide elements or words, but never explain exactly what they are seeing. They have to create their own story from the pieces of the puzzle, rather than simply passively consuming an image.”

Hadrien Bruaux is of our
interview by Elien Haentjens

📷1: Portrait by
📷2: Hadrien Bruaux, 'Les règnes invisibles', 2021, Edition 3, sculpture, mixed media. © the artist.
📷3: Hadrien Bruaux, 'Couronne 2', inkjet print, 50 x 60 cm, 2023. © the artist.

23/09/2025

A major exhibition of Mark Manders' work is currently on display at Museum Voorlinden in Wassenaar. COLLECT took a tour of the building and gardens with Suzanne Swarts, speaking to the director about collecting and sharing art along the way. Swarts once aspired to be an artist herself. She attended art school in Arnhem and then started working as a graphic designer. She then studied art marketing at the University of Groningen to learn how to promote her own work. “There I learned how much fun it is to develop business skills in a creative environment and provide a platform for artists,” she says. "We already have about fifteen works by Manders in our collection. We used a few of these for the exhibition, and most of what is on display has never been exhibited before." Manders has created an immersive experience specially for the museum: an exhibition exploring the boundaries of sculpture, time, language and identity. At the same time the expo 'The Life of Things', features work by internationally renowned artists and emerging talent alike, and will run until 2 November.

article in our Dutch
'A walk with Suzanne Swarts' by Koos de Wilt
.manders

'The life of things' until 02-11
'Mark Manders' until 18-01

📷1: Suzanne Swarts at 'Famished Road' by Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama. It is one of the artworks in the exhibition The Life of Things.
📷2: Mark Manders, 'Mind Study', 2018, papier-mâché, offset print on paper, acrylic paint on paper, wood, 204 x 154 cm. © the artist. Collection Museum Voorlinden. Photo: Peter Cox.
📷3: Mark Manders, 'Unfired Clay Head', 2011-2015, bronze, iron, acrylic paint, alkyd paint, 195 × 72 × 89 cm. © the artist. Collection Museum Voorlinden. Photo: Antoine van Kaam.

22/09/2025

The new exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum is not about the last queen of France, but about a visionary woman with great taste. Marie Antoinette was a pioneer of “soft power” through art and fashion. The exhibition immerses visitors in a unique world whose modernity continues to captivate the imagination. Marie Antoinette (1755–1793) was the only queen to shape the court of Versailles according to her own tastes. Her aesthetic choices were inspired by rural simplicity and antique elements. “Yes, we can definitely speak of the style of Marie Antoinette,” confirms Sarah Grant, curator of the exhibition. This style combined elements of rococo, neoclassicism and English influences, emphasising refinement and femininity. Her lifestyle was inspired by her relationship with nature, her desire for intimacy, and her gentle form of rebellion. Today, she is often seen as a rebellious woman who reflects our times, when independence, individuality and freedom are highly valued. The London exhibition offers a historical and contemporary view of a lifestyle that is constantly reinventing itself and remains very much in vogue. Regardless of personal taste, the legend of Marie Antoinette continues to captivate audiences.

article in our
'Marie Antoinette. Style is an attitude to life' by Christophe Dosogne

'Marie Antoinette Style' in London until 22-03-2026

📷1: Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené, chair that belonged to Queen Marie Antoinette (from a set), 1788, partially gilded walnut. London, The Victoria and Albert Museum, inv. W.6-1956.
📷2: Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun, 'Portrait of Marie Antoinette with a Rose', 1783, oil on canvas, 131 × 87 cm. © Palace of Versailles, Dist. Grand Palais RMN. Photo: Christophe Fouin.
📷3: Wedding dress of Duchess Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte (1759-1818), future Queen of Sweden. Stockholm, Livrustkammaren, inv. SHM (CC BY 4.0). Photo: Göran Schmidt.

18/09/2025

The H’ART Museum is presenting the largest exhibition of Constantin Brancusi's work since 1970. Exhibitions about this Romanian-French artist are rare, as are auctions of his work. However, when something does come up for auction, it is truly exceptional. COLLECT spoke to curators Ariane Coulondre (Centre Pompidou) and Birgit Boelens (H’ART Museum), as well as art dealer Erik Bijzet. “Constantin Brancusi can be called the founder of modern sculpture,” says Boelens. Coulondre adds, "It was the beginning of a new path in modern sculpture." Brancusi's version of 'The Kiss' could be considered a declaration of independence. While Rodin's sculpture of the same name depicts lovers, Brancusi focused on its essence." After 1945, until the end of his life, the artist stopped making sculptures and focused solely on their arrangement within his studio. "Brancusi's studio was a kind of temple, a museum where his sculptures were carefully preserved and rearranged," Coulondre says. Brancusi's work was valuable in his lifetime, and it certainly is now. Art dealer Erik Bijzet knows the market well. "I find Brancusi magical. You can look at his best work for hours, despite — or perhaps because of — the simple forms he endlessly polished and perfected," says Bijzet.

article in our Dutch
'The universal visual language of Brancusi' by Koos de Wilt
.museum .sculpture

'Brancusi, The Birth of Modern Sculpture' .museum in Amsterdam
from 20-09 t/m 18-01

📷1: Constantin Brancusi, 'Sleeping Muse', 1910. Acquired in 1947. © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Philippe Migeat/Dist. GrandPalaisRmn.
📷2: Constantin Brancusi, 'The Kiss', (1907–1908), ca.1910. Bequest of Constantin Brancusi in 1957. © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Dist. GrandPalaisRm.
📷3: Self-portrait in his studio, 1934. © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Dist. GrandPalaisRmn.

🇳🇱

17/09/2025

All who saw her work agreed that Coba Ritsema (1876–1961) was a talented painter. Yet, following her death, her art swiftly disappeared from view. Thanks to the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, however, we can now rediscover it. The exhibition, 'Coba Ritsema: An Eye for Colour', which is the first in 68 years, presents rarely seen works from the museum's own collection, as well as pieces from a number of other Dutch museums and private collections. Ritsema painted portraits, still lifes, and depictions of elegant ladies in their rooms. She won prizes, including for the painting 'Atelier (Sitting Girl)' at the 1910 World Exhibition in Brussels. Ritsema exhibited frequently, both at home and abroad. Critics praised her use of colour and her ability to express texture. One of Ritsema's masterpieces is 'The Green Skirt'. In this still life, she captured the skirt and surrounding objects with broad, lively brushstrokes, creating an explosion of colour on the canvas. Greater attention to women's art provides new insights and alters our perception. Seventy years later, we can now look at Coba Ritsema's paintings in a new way.

article in our Dutch
'The comeback of Coba' by Bernadette Van der Goes

'Coba Ritsema. Oog voor kleur' from 19-09 until 01-03-2026

📷1: Coba Ritsema, 'Atelier (Seated Girl)', ca. 1900, oil on canvas, 74 x 50 cm. The Hague, Kunstmuseum.
📷2: Coba Ritsema, 'The Green Skirt', ca. 1900-1910, oil on canvas, 70,5 x 57,8 cm. Haarlem, Frans Hals Museum.
📷3: Lizzy Ansingh, 'Portrait of Coba Ritsema', 1905, oil on canvas, 49,5 x 41 cm. Haarlem, Teylers Museum.

16/09/2025

Tentoonstelling: ‘Thuis bij Ter Borch’ is een tentoonstelling als een goed gelukt groepsportret. De familie Ter Borch wordt als een hecht gezin gepresenteerd, maar je hebt toch ook het idee dat je iedereen afzonderlijk leert kennen.

16/09/2025

Grand Tour: Jonge Britse graven en baronnen maakten in de 17de en 18de eeuw vaak een ‘grand tour’ door Europa. De kunstwerken die ze uit Italië meenamen, zijn nu te zien in het Mauritshuis. „Wat de Italianen niet uit de grond konden halen, gingen ze produceren.”

15/09/2025

The Grand Tour was a European cultural journey undertaken by wealthy young men, primarily from Britain, in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The driving forces behind it were wanderlust and the urge to collect. Broadly speaking, the Grand Tour was a lengthy study trip through Europe, with Italy as its main destination. "In order to prepare for their future roles in society, these young men first had to familiarise themselves with the world, cultivate good manners and refine their taste," explains Ariane van Suchtelen, curator at the Mauritshuis in The Hague, which is presenting 'The Grand Tour – Destination Italy' this autumn. Paris was a popular stopover where the young aristocrats learned French, as well as dancing, fencing and horseback riding. Then they headed to Geneva or Lausanne and the Alps. The hunt for souvenirs was an integral part of the Grand Tour. "They were obsessed with collecting and practically bought everything. That's how all those collections in country houses came about," says Van Suchtelen. The Mauritshuis is showcasing a selection of collections from three of these country houses: Burghley House, Holkham Hall and Woburn Abbey. Van Suchtelen says, "They've been beautifully preserved; they're like time capsules." This cultural tourism, avant la lettre, gave rise to an economic and artistic model. Many artists built their careers on the Grand Tour.

article in our
'The Grand Tour. Traveling for the status update' by Ben Herremans

expo 'The Grand Tour - Bestemming Italië' in The Hague from 18-09 until 04-01

📷1: Joseph Nollekens, 'Head of Medusa', to the Medusa Rondanini.
© Burghley House.
📷2: Claude Gellée (Claude Lorrain), 'Gezicht op een zeehaven en amfitheater', ca.1652. © Holkham Hall. © The Earl of Leicester en Holkham Estate.

11/09/2025

John Baldessari (1931–2020) was a defiantly uncategorisable artist. He traversed the second half of the 20th century with ease, seriousness and humour, but above all with an unshakeable belief in art. His work will soon be on display again in Belgium at the first solo exhibition in Europe since his death. Baldessari was a giant in the art world. Not only because he was over two metres tall, but also figuratively. He was known as the godfather of conceptual art, a master of appropriation, and a surrealist of the digital age. He created paintings, photographs, posters, videos, films, sculptures and digital art. His work combined texts and images of various origins and natures, drawing on the montage and collage techniques of the surrealists as well as advertising, which was rapidly emerging in the 1970s. “I hate categories. Why not paint on a photograph? You get a hybrid that is neither painting nor photograph. But it remains art,” he once said in an interview. His market value is fairly stable. His death in 2020 had little impact on prices. "The most sought-after and hardest to find works are those from the late 1960s,"says Peter van der Graaf, an expert at Christie's.

article in our
'Baldessari was deadly serious' by Gilles Bechet

'John Baldessari. Parables, Fables and Other Tall Tales' from 19-09 until 01-02

📷1: John Baldessari, 'Font', acrylic on gelatin print, 1987, 183,5 cm x 121,3 cm. 15 November 2006 at Christie's New York, 15-11-2006. (c) Christie's Images Ltd.
$ 800.000
📷2: John Baldessari, 'Painting for Kubler', acrylic on canvas, 1966-1968, 172,4 cm x 143,5 cm. Christie's New York, 13-05-2009. (c) Christie's Images Ltd.
$ 1.874.500
📷3: John Baldessari, 'Arms and Legs (Specif., Elbows & Knees), Etc., Part (One): Arm and Leg (With Column)'. © John Baldessari, 2007. With permission from Estate of John Baldessari, 2025. John Baldessari Family Foundation, Sprüth Magers, Würth Collection, Germany.

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