23 november 2023, Wouter van den Eijkel
The choice of... Guido de Bruyn
In The choice of..., we give the floor to various art enthusiasts, from occasional buyers to art professionals, to share their experiences with art and their preferences: Where do they like to view art? Where do they buy art and, most importantly, whose art do they buy? For this edition, we interviewed Guido De Bruyn.
Guido De Bruyn is a lawyer in Aalst. He has an office at home where he is surrounded by the art he has collected over the past 50 years. His collection now consists of around 1,000 works. De Bruyn visits exhibitions every week and regularly buys art from galleries in Belgium and the Netherlands and at auctions. For example, he recently bought a photo of Pierre Molinier, whose work is similar to that of Nan Goldin, one of his favorite artists.
What does art mean to you?
It is my daily bread. From the moment I open my eyes until I close them, I am confronted with art at home. My office is also at home. When I sit behind my desk, I see around 50 works hanging on the walls and standing on the floor. Every day, I visit websites, participate in auctions, and maintain contact with artists. I started collecting in 1971 and have gathered around a thousand works in 50 years. Some of them are on loan to my brother, sister, nephews, and local restaurants.
Art at home was not taboo, but it didn't come in either, except for the furniture of Pieter de Bruyne (no relation). In the 60s, he was already a phenomenon, and his furniture still forms part of my collection. Perhaps it was all artistic and fun back then, but the realization that there was more than "beer and girls, football or cycling" came during the Rome trip for the final year of Humanities, the Rhetoric. Suddenly, all floodgates opened: you are overwhelmed, stunned, captivated by all that is beautiful. Suddenly, you notice that there is other music than The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, starting with Vivaldi in St. Mark's Square in Venice. The first time with Vivaldi was heavenly, and then Bach had yet to come. The impact of Michelangelo, Donatello's David, the bells of Rome.
The transformation must have been significant because in 1971, I bought my first piece at an auction in Aalst, where I also worked as a student. It was a lithograph by Pierre Alechinsky titled "Comme des Chiens" from 1962. After that, more followed quickly, lithographs and paintings, although in the beginning, I was occasionally disappointed, and my purchases turned out not to be the right ones...
Where do you prefer to view art? In a gallery, museum, fair, or online?
Everywhere there is art, and preferably at home :-) To give you an idea: last weekend, I was in Lille to visit the Anselm Kiefer exhibition and the Vanhaerents collection at LaM. After that, I visited a gallery.
Viviane with Joëlle Dubois
How often do you buy art per year? Do you prefer editioned works or unique pieces?
Several times a year. I usually buy unique works, but I also buy editioned works, such as photos. In recent weeks, I bought works at auction by Victor Bonato, Les deux garçons (pseudonym of Michel Vanderheijden van Tinteren and Roel Moonen), and Pierre Molinier. From the latter, I bought a photo from the 1960s, which is unique because there was no market for photography at that time. There were no editions, often just a single print of a photo. In the photo, Molinier is dressed as a woman. It aligns with my love for Nan Goldin and what I call LGBTQ.
Is it important that you and your partner always agree on a purchase?
We buy based on "liking" and artists close to our hearts, not as an investment. Purchases also happen within certain budgets. We discuss whether a work is to be bought or not, but if, for example, I am not interested in a work that Viv really likes, she buys it, and vice versa. She mainly buys Japanese or Japanese-inspired art, such as Yoshitomo Nara, Tadashi Kawamata, and Chiharu Shiota, especially works where eyes are important.
Viviane with Yoshitomo Nara
Is there a gallery you have a special connection with?
I get along well with everyone. Some are more familiar than others. I don't have a special connection with a particular gallery, maybe with Zeno X, but I also buy from young galleries, such as a work by Joost Pauwaert at Barbé Urbain or at Waldburger Wouters. In the Netherlands, I bought from C&H, Ron Mandos, Torch, Caroline O'Breen, and Josilda da Conceição.
Joost Pauwaert, Study For Apocalyptical Carousel, 2023, BARBÉ
If you had an unlimited budget, whose work would you purchase?
Viv would definitely want a work by Yoshitomo Nara from the '90s, a large one, as she already has a small one. I would like a large still life by Frans Snyders from the 16th century.
Who are your favorite artists (on Gallery Viewer), and why?
Patrick van Caeckenbergh (Zeno X) appeals to me the most. His work moves me. He, like me, comes from Aalst, but we never met here earlier. I discovered his work at the Bonnefantenmuseum in Maastricht and only started buying it too late, in 2002. Now that Zeno X is closing, he is going to Keteleer; they will be happy.
Patrick van Caeckenbergh, Maquette: Le monde à l'envers, 2020, Zeno X Gallery
Which exhibition stands out the most to you and why?
The last Nan Goldin, the one before that, the one before that... I'm a groupie :-), but I see various exhibitions every week, and Anselm Kiefer...
What advice do you have for novice art buyers?
Look a lot, read a lot, be patient, there will be different art tomorrow. And the day after too! Eventually, you have three collections:
• The collection you own
• The collection of works you could have bought but didn't
• The collection you can only dream of but couldn't or can't buy
Works by Patrick van Caeckenbergh, Chiharu Shiota, Loek Grootjans, furniture by Pieter De Bruyne
