Acquisitions
ACQUISITIONS
HOW OUR COLLECTION GROWS
M's collection consists of more than 53,000 objects and it is expanded every year. This is done in three ways: through purchases, through donations or legacies and through long-term loans.
Before we include a work in the collection, we check whether it fits into our acquisition policy - a set of formal and substantive criteria.
New masterpiece in M’s collection
M has acquired a unique 15th-century drawing from the circle of Rogier van der Weyden. 'The Swooning of the Blessed Virgin and two Marys' (c. 1458-1469) was previously on long-term loan to M from 2011 to 2017. It is the first time that M has been able to add a 15th-century drawing to its Prints and Drawings Cabinet, a sub-collection that contains over 22,000 works. The drawing will be shown in a new collection presentation in 2024.
Circle of Rogier van der Weyden, 'The Swooning of the Blessed Virgin and two Marys', ca. 1458-1469, Collection M Leuven, photo: M Leuven
M receives works by six Belgian artists
The Flemish Community has place seven artworks by six Belgian artists on long-term loan to M. Recent works in a range of media by Martin Belou, Koenraad Dedobbeleer, Ann Veronica Janssens & Michel François, Meg Stuart and Jan Van Imschoot are now part of the collection. The works were all acquired in 2022.
‘Laymen’, Koenraad Dedobbeleer, Flemish Community Collection at M Leuven, photo: the artist & courtesy Clearing Brussel
‘Ship’, Martin Belou, 2022, Flemish Community Collection at M Leuven, photo: the artist
‘Constellation’, Martin Belou, 2022, Flemish Community Collection at M Leuven, photo: the artist
‘The Lobby’ (still), Meg Stuart, 2020, Flemish Community Collection at M Leuven, photo: the artist
‘La Courtisane Intellectuelle’, Jan Van Imschoot, 2012, Flemish Community Collection at M Leuven, photo: the artist
‘Artemisia. Allegory of Painting’, Jan Van Imschoot, 2011, Flemish Community Collection at M Leuven, photo: the artist
M acquires rare masterpiece by Michaelina Wautier
M welcomes 'Study of a Head of a Bearded Man' into its collection. It is a recently discovered painting from the oeuvre of Michaelina Wautier, who worked in Brussels in the seventeenth-century.
This extremely rare study from c. 1655 was authenticated by Wautier expert, Katlijne Van der Stighelen (KU Leuven). The work will be presented in the new collection presentation in 2024. Through this display, M aims to further redress the balance between female and male artists and to highlight an underexposed area of art history.
‘Portrait Study of a Bearded Man’, Michaelina Wautier, ca. 1655, M Leuven Collection, CC0, source: artinflanders.be, photo: Cedric Verhelst
M’s collection grows with more than 20 works by contemporary artists
M Leuven has been given Cera’s art collection on a long-term loan and can celebrate the collection’s 25th anniversary appropriately. On the advice of M, the cooperative made a celebratory purchase of more than 20 artworks.
Cera is, for example, adding its first works by emerging artist Gerard Herman to its collection. Purchases were also made of new artworks by reference artists Joëlle Tuerlinckx, Jan Vercruysse and Marthe Wéry already represented.
Ausstellung’s Notiz - Page Flottante, Joëlle Tuerlinckx, 1996-2022, Cera-collection with M Leuven, photo: the artist
Labyrinth & Pleasure Gardens, Jan Vercruysse, 1994, Cera-collection chez M Leuven, photo: Jan Vercruysse Foundation
Barre, ‘1,2, VIELE’, Joëlle Tuerlinckx, 1996-2022, Cera-collection with M Leuven, photo: the artist
Cash Cow, Gerard Herman, 2022, Cera-collection with M Leuven, photo: the artist, courtesy Waldburger Wouters
Without title (Ijsselland), Marthe Wéry, 1993, Cera-collection with M Leuven, photo: InC, courtesy La Patinoire Royale | Galerie Valérie Bach
Without title, Marthe Wéry, 2002, Cera-collection with M Leuven, photo: InC, courtesy La Patinoire Royale | Galerie Valérie Bach
M's collection continues to grow
Exceptional pieces from the late Middle Ages, 19th and 20th centuries found their way to M's collection through donations and longterm loans. The works are in various ways strongly connected with Leuven.
To name a few, there is a 19th-century Memento Mori skull, an oil sketch by Gustave Van Aise, a bozzetto by the Goyers studio, a sculpture of St Arnold of Metz made by Hendrik Roesen around 1500, a sculpture representing John the Baptist by Jan II or Passchier Borman, a Baroque statue in boxwood of Mary with child by the sculptor Nicolas van der Veken from Mechelen, a 20th-century communion-plate by the important Leuven silversmith Dom Martin and a contemporary sculpture by Joost Laroy from Wijgmaal. To finish off, a self-portrait medallion and two sculptures also join the important Constantin Meunier sub-collection.
Most of the acquisitions will be on display from 14 October in 'Museum in Motion'.
‘Saint Arnulf of Metz’, Hendrik Roesen, ca. 1480-1500, M Leuven, photo Cedric Verhelst for meemoo. Art in Flanders
‘The Virgin and Child’, Nicolas van der Veken, circa 1750, M Leuven, photo Cedric Verhelst for meemoo. Art in Flanders
‘Bozzetto for a Statue of Jean Baptiste Staes (1732-1813)’, Goyers Frères, 2nd half 19th century, M Leuven, photo Cedric Verhelst for meemoo. Art in Flanders
‘Self-Portrait’, Constantin Meunier, 1899, M Leuven, photo Cedric Verhelst for meemoo. Art in Flanders
‘Skull (memento mori)’, 19th century, M Leuven, photo Cedric Verhelst for meemoo. Art in Flanders
‘John the Baptist’, attributed to Jan II or Passchier Borman, ca. 1500-1515, M Leuven, photo Cedric Verhelst for meemoo. Art in Flanders
‘Paten’, Dom Martin Martin osb, executed by Tétard Frères, 1949, M Leuven, photo Cedric Verhelst for meemoo. Art in Flanders
‘The Sheaf-Binder’, Constantin Meunier, circa 1898, M Leuven, photo Cedric Verhelst for meemoo. Art in Flanders
‘Oil sketch for the Vander Kelen triptych, Gustave Vanaise, ca. 1888, M Leuven, photo Cedric Verhelst for meemoo. Art in Flanders
‘Industry’, Constantin Meunier, 1896, M Leuven, photo © Cedric Verhelst
The Cera Collection of Contemporary Art expands
On the advice of M, Cera purchased works by three Belgian contemporary artists: Anne Daems, Vincent Geyskens and Marie Zolamian. A number of these works will be on display at M from 14.10.22.
The acquired works are by emerging contemporary or underexposed already established Belgian artists. We build on ensembles that already exist in the collection, or we introduce new names.
'Stoel Gustave Serrurier-Bovy bedekt met kledingstukken 8', Anne Daems, 2019, Cera collection at M Leuven, photo: © Anne Daems, courtesy Galerie Micheline Szwajcer
Without title, Marie Zolamian, 2019, Cera collection at M Leuven, photo: © Marie Zolamian
'Stoel Gustave Serrurier-Bovy bedekt met kledingstukken 3', Anne Daems, 2019, Cera collection at M Leuven, photo: © Anne Daems, courtesy Galerie Micheline Szwajcer
Without title, Marie Zolamian, 2018, Cera collection at M Leuven, photo: © Marie Zolamian
'Stoel Gustave Serrurier-Bovy bedekt met kledingstukken 14', Anne Daems, 2019, Cera collection at M Leuven, photo: © Anne Daems, courtesy Galerie Micheline Szwajcer
'Sophisme', Marie Zolamian, 2018, Cera collection at M Leuven, photo: © Marie Zolamian
'Stoel Gustave Serrurier-Bovy bedekt met kledingstukken 6', Anne Daems, 2019, Cera collection at M Leuven, photo: © Anne Daems, courtesy Galerie Micheline Szwajcer
The 'Maria Lactans': a new masterpiece in our collection
In 2021, M acquired a 'Maria Lactans' - a depiction of Mary breastfeeding the baby Jesus. This marble sculpture is by Brioloto de Balneo, an Italian sculptor from the 13th century.
The 'Maria Lactans' was purchased via the Masterpieces Fund and has since been part of the collection of the Flemish Community. In M the sculpture was placed in its own focus chamber. There it enters into dialogue with the 16th-century painting 'Mary with Child' by Joos van Cleve and with 'The Fertility', a late 19th-century sculpture by Constantin Meunier. That is an arrangement that fits with the transhistorical approach of our museum.
'Maria Lactans', Brioloto de Balneo, 13e eeuw, Collectie Vlaamse Gemeenschap bij M Leuven © foto: Jan van Esch
Sixty acquisitions for the contemporary art collection
In 2021, M's collection of contemporary art in one fell stroke expanded by no less than 60 works.
The Flemish government allocated almost 4 million euro in 2021 to buy works by artists affected by the pandemic. These 281 objects are now part of the collection of the Flemish Community, but are given on long-term loan to six Flemish museums. M is one of them. Our experts were also involved in selecting the works.
The 60 works at M are by 33 artists working in various media: painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, video art and installations. A few of the names: Leen Voet, Tom Hallet, Oriol Vilanova, Vincent Geyskens, Tina Gillen, Aleksandra Chaushova, Yannick Ganseman and Dirk Braeckman.
'Je fais ce Que je veux #06', Leen Voet, 2019-2021, Collectie Vlaamse Gemeenschap bij M Leuven © Leen Voet & Baronian Xippas, foto: Kristien Daem
'Mirrors', Oriol Vilanova, 2017-heden, Collectie Vlaamse Gemeenschap bij M Leuven © Oriol Vilanova
'Sincerely yours', Tom Hallet, 2021, Collectie Vlaamse Gemeenschap bij M Leuven © Tom Hallet
'It carrying the inferno', Ria Pacquée, 1995, Collectie Vlaamse Gemeenschap bij M Leuven © Ria Pacquée
'Romantic species – Grey crowned crane', Aleksandra Chaushova, 2021, Collectie Vlaamse Gemeenschap bij M Leuven © Aleksandra Chaushova
'Ontwerp voor glasraam', Patrick Van Caeckenbergh, 1989, Collectie Vlaamse Gemeenschap bij M Leuven © Patrick Van Caeckenbergh, courtesy Zeno X Gallery, foto: Dirk Braeckman