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Body Language

  • Exhibition
  • Collection
24.05.19
09.10.20

Jan-Hendrik Cuypers, Slavin, 1885 © www.lukasweb.be - Art in Flanders vzw, foto: Dominique Provost

Starting in May 2019, a new collection presentation at M will focus on the theme of body language. In four rooms, we will present both old and contemporary artworks related to the human body. Specifically for this presentation, a number of these works are being restored with support from Delen Private Bank.

Nudes in art

Imagine this intimate scene: a sensually lighted, tied up naked woman awaits her fate. Emotionless, she looks at the muscled man who holds an instrument of torture in his hand. Are you now imagining an erotic scene from a Hollywood blockbuster or a torture scene from a medieval saint’s legend? Such tableaux have existed for longer than you may think. From time immemorial, the human body has been a favoured subject in the visual arts: in painting, sculpture, photography, but also in other disciplines.

 

An open book?

How profoundly do context and our cultural baggage influence our perception? And do our interpretations always correspond to what an artist seeks to express through gestures and poses? We will explore these questions in the new collection presentation Body Language, through both old and contemporary works in the M-collection. In addition, we are organizing performances throughout the year, and M is inviting professionals from various sectors to speak about their work with the human body or body language.

 

Restorations with the support of Delen Private Bank

To exhibit the artworks in optimal condition, a number of paintings and sculptures are currently being restored in specialized workshops. To this end, M is collaborating with Delen Private Bank. Chris Punie, office manager for the Leuven region and M-aecenas: “We support M in the preservation of cultural heritage, starting with a series of works that are being exhibited in the new presentation Body Language. This is integral part of our policy to protect Belgian heritage and to assist in developing it further.”

 

This collection presentation features works from the Cera Collection | With the support of M-LIFE, the fund that M Leuven founded within the King Baudouin Foundation.