At the heart of a major collection: cross perspectives from the Vanhaerents family
Initiated by Belgian Entrepreneur Walter in the mid-1970s, the Vanhaerents Art Collection will celebrate twenty years of being open to the public in 2027. His children, Els and Joost Vanhaerents, reflect on the evolution of this family-driven project and share how they envision, together, the future of this private contemporary art collection, now recognised as one of the most significant in the world.
Interview conducted by Laurent Issaurat, Head of Art Banking at Société Générale Private Banking.
How did your collection begin?
Joost: Our father took over the family construction business in Flanders at a very young age, becoming its head at just 18 and dedicating himself exclusively to work for decades. In the 1970s, seeking to step back, he suddenly developed an interest in art, taking us, as young children, to museums and galleries. In the early 1980s, he travelled to Germany, where he discovered the Abteiberg Museum in Mönchengladbach, redesigned by architect Hans Hollein — a revelation for him. He was fascinated by the works exhibited in these then-emerging institutions, particularly those of Joseph Beuys and Gerhard Richter.
Upon returning to Belgium, he made a radical decision: to sell around forty works by local artists that he had acquired up to that point in order to “start from scratch.” This newfound passion then took shape around major artists such as Andy Warhol, as well as “post-Warholian” figures including Cindy Sherman, Richard Prince, Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger and Matt Mullican.
The collection is now a family affair…
Els: Indeed, our father passed on his passion to us by encouraging us, from a very young age, to form our own opinions, always asking which works we preferred in exhibitions and why. Since then, we have expanded the collection together, without external input, always deciding unanimously—or at least by majority—on the acquisition of a new piece.
Joost: Making decisions as a trio allows us to have a broader perspective on the art world. One person’s viewpoint can, for instance, lead to the discovery of an artist the other two might not have noticed.
What are your selection criteria?
Els: Above all, we choose with the heart and the eye. We collect all types of media (painting, sculpture, installation, photography, etc.) and select artists from around the world. However, we now tend to favour emerging artists. In recent years, we have been among the first to acquire Chinese and Japanese works, as well as to select artists connected to the Black Lives Matter movement (Titus Kaphar, Amoako Boafo, Emmanuel Taku, Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe, Dominic Chambers…).
How do you share your collection with the public?
Joost: We have always believed that works of art should be shared. In 2007, we took a major step by opening a 3,500 sqm space in Brussels to store, manage, and exhibit the collection. During the first decade, our father organised three exhibitions there.
In 2017, the decision to bring all the works together at this site led us to rethink the space and prompted Els and me to become more involved in the collection. To address space constraints, we adopted the concept of a “viewing depot,” a hybrid between storage and exhibition, where aesthetics and functionality come together, offering visitors a unique behind-the-scenes immersion into the collection. This decade has also been marked by greater openness, with off-site exhibitions such as at the Venice Biennale (2015, 2019 and 2024) and at Tripostal in Lille with the exhibition “Au bout de mes rêves” in collaboration with lille3000 (2023).
What are your plans for the future?
Els: We are now looking ahead to the next decade and aim to transform the building to present our collection in dialogue with other collections, both public and private. This could allow collections without exhibition spaces to reach new audiences, with the support and perspective of guest curators… particularly exciting prospects!
Pictures: ©Joost Vanhaerents, courtesy of Vanhaerents Art Collection
(above) One Minute You’re Here, Friedrich Kunath, 2020–2021, oil on canvas, 244 × 594,5 cm / (middle) Life vest snake, AI Weiwai, 2019 / (right) Modified Social Benche(s), Hein Jeppe, 2008-2026, powder coated aluminium, varying dimensions
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