Touring collections like the Vanhaerents are a huge part of why I travel. There’s something really special about visiting an art collection that may have taken someone years to assemble. People are quick to write off art collectors as people with lots of money to blow, but for me, it’s wonderful to see collections like these which have been carefully curated and essentially given back to the public.

Because of my arrival to Brussels on a Saturday morning, the Vanhaerents Collection was my very first top in the Belgian capital. A black gate lined the front entrance, preceding a modern black building with colored balconies. Inside, two exhibitions were on display: the group show “Man in the Mirror” and Tomás Saraceno’s “Many Suns and Worlds.”

Spanning three floors plus an additional mezzanine, the collection reminds me a bit of my visit to the Boros Collection in Berlin, and there is even a Danh Vo similar to the one at the Boros! The building was a former industrial site, so it’s quite rustic with concrete floors and walls, and wooden railings. The space is so sparse that the eye doesn’t have anywhere else to go but the art.

First Floor

Vanhaerents Art Collection, Brussels
Man in the Mirror at the Vanhaerents Art Collection
Haegue Yang, Drilling Tree House with orange, 2012
Haegue Yang, Drilling Tree House with orange, 2012
Sterling Ruby and Franz Ackermann
Sterling Ruby and Franz Ackermann
James Lee Byars, The Death of James Lee Byars, 1994
James Lee Byars, The Death of James Lee Byars, 1994
Sterling Ruby, Bad Moon Rising, 2011
Sterling Ruby, Bad Moon Rising, 2011
Rashid Johnson and James Lee Byars
Rashid Johnson and James Lee Byars
Rashid Johnson
Rashid Johnson
Danh Vo, We the People, 2011-13
Danh Vo, We the People, 2011-13
Michelangelo Pistoletto
Michelangelo Pistoletto
David Altmejd, Figure with black arms and strawberry, 2013
David Altmejd, Figure with black arms and strawberry, 2013
Joseph Kosuth, Four Colors Four Words, 1966
Joseph Kosuth, Four Colors Four Words, 1966

Second Floor

Second Floor, Vanhaerents Collection
Haroon Mirza, Digital Switchover, 2012
Haroon Mirza, Digital Switchover, 2012
Haroon Mirza, Digital Switchover, 2012
Haroon Mirza, Digital Switchover, 2012
Haroon Mirza, Digital Switchover, 2012
Haroon Mirza, Digital Switchover, 2012
Teresita Fernandez, Wisteria, 2006
Teresita Fernandez, Wisteria, 2006
Teresita Fernandez, Wisteria, 2006
Teresita Fernandez, Wisteria, 2006
Ivan Navarro, Twin Towers, 2011
Ivan Navarro, Twin Towers, 2011

“Many Suns and Worlds” by Tomás Saraceno

The highlight of my visit was definitely experiencing Tomás Saraceno’s immersive installation, “Many Suns and Worlds.” The exhibition features an sprawling bright white room where Saraceno strung many wires throughout the space, mostly holding up his cloud-like black and white sculptures that he is known for. Visitors are allowed to walk inside the installation but they must take their shoes off (presumably to keep footprints off the pristine white floors) before entering. There are no windows in the room, thus transporting the visitor to another world created by Saraceno.

Tomas Saraceno

This work is so mesmerizing!

Third Floor and Mezzanine

Third Floor, Vanhaerents Collection
Third Floor, Vanhaerents Collection
Third Floor, Vanhaerents Collection
Mark Handforth, NO, 2006
Mark Handforth, NO, 2006
Alex Hubbard
Alex Hubbard
Alex Hubbard, Hot Dogs & Indians, 2012, Central Avenue, 2012, Return of the Weave Shop, 2013
Alex Hubbard, Hot Dogs & Indians, 2012, Central Avenue, 2012, and Return of the Weave Shop, 2013
Elmgreen & Dragset, Social Mobility Fig. 2, 2005
Elmgreen & Dragset, Social Mobility Fig. 2, 2005
Ryan Sullivan, 2012
Ryan Sullivan, 2012
Peter Halley, Black Cell, 1989, Terminator 2, 1990
Peter Halley, Black Cell, 1989, and Terminator 2, 1990
Sterling Ruby, SP147, 2010
Sterling Ruby, SP147, 2010
Jorge Pardo, Untitled, 2001 and Isaac Julien, Glass House, Prism, 2010
Jorge Pardo, Untitled, 2001 and Isaac Julien, Glass House, Prism, 2010
Entrance to the Vanhaerents Collection

Vanhaerents Collection
Rue Anneessens 29
1000 Brussels, Belgium

Open to individual visitors every first Saturday of the month from 2-5pm

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2 Comments

  1. Hello Victoria, welcome to Brussels! I also wrote about the Vanhaerents Art Collection. It’s a great collection and I loved the building itself. Looking forward to the next exhibition in 2017! I’ll be following your blog. Lisa

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