BRAFA ART Talks

By Hubert d’Ursel, Director Benelux, The Fine Art Group and Gregory Rubinstein, Head of Old Masters & Early British Drawings, worldwide at Sotheby’s in London

It is a rare occurrence for new attributions to be made to great masters, or for works to be rediscovered. The last Johannes Vermeer, Young Woman Seated at a Virginal, n° 37 of his recognised works, was found 30 years ago in Belgium. The painting, which had been attributed to Vermeer before the Second World War, had not been shown in public since 1907, and had been neglected and ignored by specialists for more than 60 years. In 1993, the owner entrusted it to Sotheby’s, which embarked on a 10-year research programme before definitively confirming it as a Vermeer and presenting it on the international market in 2004. This is something that hardly ever happens, worthy of a novel. These exceptional events took place in Belgium, and Hubert d’Ursel and Gregory Rubinstein experienced them firsthand.

Language of the talk: English
Join us at 4pm at the stand King Baudouin Foundation n°135

Copyrights: Johannes Vermeer (Delft, 1632-1675), Young Woman Seated at a Virginal, circa 1672-1675, oil on canvas, 25.5 x 20.1 cm, The Leiden collection
Hubert d’Ursel © Martin Pilette

By Leonore van Sloten, Senior Curator, Museum Rembrandthuis, Amsterdam

Many of Rembrandt’s pupils shared the unfortunate fate of remaining in his shadow. Samuel van Hoogstraten (1627-1678) is one of them. The book he wrote about painting, which gives an insight into Rembrandt’s way of thinking about art, brought him some renown, but the same cannot be said about his paintings and drawings. Museum Rembrandthuis in Amsterdam, in collaboration with the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, has therefore decided to take on this challenge. With two consecutive exhibitions at both museums, the life and work of this remarkable artist from Dordrecht are finally getting the recognition they deserve.

In collaboration with CODART

Language of the talk: English
Join us at 4pm at the stand King Baudouin Foundation n°135

Copyright: Samuel van Hoogstraten, Old Man at the Window, 1653, oil on canvas, 111 x 86.5 cm, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie, inv. n° 378

By Prof. Dr. Werner Adriaenssens, Professor of Decorative Arts at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)

In 1925, Paris hosted the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, which gave rise to the term 'Art Deco'. Belgium, one of the twenty participating countries, played a key role, with prestigious contributions from pioneers of Belgian Art Nouveau such as Victor Horta and Philippe Wolfers. There is a fascinating backstory to this participation: Belgium, which was still in the process of reconstruction after the First World War, overcame formidable obstacles in order to attend the Exhibition. Thanks to archival research, Werner Adriaenssens will reveal the captivating story of the Belgian participation and its surprising consequences.

Language of the talk: French
Join us at 4pm at the stand King Baudouin Foundation n°135

Copyright: Victor Horta, Pavillon belge at l’Exposition internationale des Arts décoratifs et industriels modernes de Paris, 1925 © Royal Museums of Art and History (KMKG-MRAH)
 

By Brigitte Bloksma, Director and Conservator of the Beelden aan Zee museum

Joan Miró broke artistic boundaries by combining painting and poetry, amongst other things. His Surrealist artworks abound in mysterious signs and symbols. Until March 2nd, 2025, the Beelden aan Zee Museum in The Hague will be presenting Joan Miró – Sculptures, a unique retrospective organised in collaboration with the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona. The exhibition features 55 works, including plaster studies, ceramics, assemblages and monument commissions from six renowned museums and private collections. At the conference, Brigitte Bloksma will discuss the creation of the exhibition, Miró’s sources of inspiration and his constant search for new ideas, materials and techniques.

Language of the talk: Dutch
Join us at 4pm at the stand King Baudouin Foundation n°135

Copyrights: Joan Miró - Sculptures in Beelden aan Zee Museum. All works by Joan Miró © Successió Miró c/o Pictoright Amsterdam 2024. Studio Gerrit Schreurs

By Cathelijne Blok, art historian and journalist, founder of art platform The TittyMag, which invites dialogue and reflection through art and author of a second book ‘Maar is het Kunst?’ . She will be in conversation with Sofie Van de Velde, Gallery owner and BRAFA participant, Andrea Davina, Director of Niemeijer Fonds Foundation, an advisor in the financial and art world and an art collector with a focus on women artists and Femke Hameetman, Director of the Dordrechts Museum, Huis Van Gijn, Regionaal Archief Dordrecht and the Hof van Nederland

What is the place of women artists at art fairs and museums? What do gallery owners and curators make of this? Are women art collectors turning the tables of the art market?

Language of the talk: Dutch
Join us at 4pm at the stand King Baudouin Foundation n°135

Copyright: Sofie Van de Velde © Philippe Matthys
 

By Annick Schramme, Professor in cultural management at the University of Antwerp; Liliana Turoiu, PhD in Visual Art & Aesthetics; Anne-Sophie V. Radermecker, Associate Professor (Université libre de Bruxelles, Department of History, Arts, Cultural Management) and Adriano Picinati di Torcello, Global Art & Finance coordinator for the Deloitte group Luxembourg. The speakers will be presented by GiannaLia Cogliandro Beyens, Secretary General of ENCATC, the European network on cultural management and policy.

The art market has undergone a digital revolution, driven by the rise of blockchain technologies, crypto-currencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Five years after the media frenzy caused by the pandemic, what effects have these cutting-edge technologies had on the art market, and on the cultural and creative industries more generally?

In partnership with ENCATC

Language of the talk: English
Join us at 4pm at the stand King Baudouin Foundation n°135
 

By Marc Hemeleers, Partner at Eeckman, Sabine Taevernier, Art Advisor; François Derème, Lawyer at the Brussels Bar, Graduate in Notary and Taxation; and Eléonore de Sadeleer, Director of Fondation CAB
Moderator: Eric Hemeleers, CEO at Eeckman

How to protect, enhance and transmit an art collection in 2025? This round table discussion will bring together experts around issues relating to the transfer, management and protection of works of art. Through their discussions and analyses, they will address current issues and offer perspectives on the strategies to adopt in order to preserve and perpetuate one’s artistic heritage.

In partnership with Eeckman

Language of the talk: French
Join us at 4pm at the stand King Baudouin Foundation n°135

By Filippe De Potter, independent researcher and co-author of the publication Ernest Gambart (1814-1902), een leven in de kunsthandel (2023)

Ernest Gambart, born in Courtrai, was one of the leading art dealers of the nineteenth century. He set up a successful art gallery in London, the French Gallery. He helped launch the careers of artists such as Lawrence Alma-Tadema (Dronrijp 1836-1912 Wiesbaden), Rosa Bonheur (Bordeaux 1822-1899 Thomery) and Sarah Bernhardt (Paris, 1844-1923). This lecture will examine the dealer’s life and work, his importance in the art trade and his personal art collection in his villa ‘Les Palmiers’ in Nice.

Language of the talk: Dutch
Join us at 4pm at the stand King Baudouin Foundation n°135

Copyright: Lawrence Alma-Tadema, The Picture Gallery, 1874, Towneley Hall Art Gallery and Museum, Burnley