Five questions for an M-art patron: "It's nice to be able to really mean something to M"

Five questions for an M-art patron

"It's nice to be able to really mean something to M"

They may live in Wijgmaal, but their second home is a few kilometres away. For many years now, M-art patrons Katelijne Laroy and Bernard Blanpain often take the train to Leuven to indulge in art and culture at M.

What inspired you to become M-arts patrons?
Bernard: ‘About five years ago, a couple we know asked us if we wouldn't like to come along to a Friends' Day - they were already M-art patrons and they are allowed to bring someone else along. That invitation came at the right time: all three children had left home, and we were ready for an additional network of people who are passionate about art.’

‘In the end, we didn't need to think too long about becoming M-art patrons ourselves. The price is more than reasonable, when you see what you get in return. Exclusive studio visits, for example. We recently went to Mark Manders' studio in Ronse. Fantastic!’

Katelijne: ‘He is an inspiring, internationally renowned artist and he showed us around there for an hour-and-a-half. Impressive, if only because his studio - a large industrial building with an overgrown production hall - consists of several parts, each for a different art discipline.’

Bernard: ‘We were also given ample opportunity to ask questions. That way you get a good idea of how an artist like that lives, thinks and works.’

M-cenassen in de museumzalen van museum Leuven — © Aurélie Geurts voor M Leuven

Cultural Barbarian

What kind of impact does art and culture have on your lives?

Katelijne: ‘A major one. For me it has always been that way, because I grew up in an art-loving family. My father, Joost Laroy, was a versatile artist who taught at the Academy in Leuven. The fascination for art and culture was something I was brought up with.’

Bernard: ‘Katelijne and I have been a couple since our days at school, in the beginning I was the cultural barbarian (laughs). By now I've made up for my failures. Although it is no coincidence that I am in asset management, and she in art.’

Katelijne: ‘I teach painting at SLAC, and I am president of the non-profit organisation Dirk Bouts, which organises trips to museums and exhibitions.’

‘I also paint myself and I was recently selected for Open M's ‘Hidden in plain sight’ exhibition: you can still see three of my canvases at M until the end of October. Still something to be proud of, I must say, that my work hangs in the museum where I so often admire that of others.’

Which exhibitions or works of art have you particularly remembered?

Katelijne: ‘A while back, I went to see ‘DOKA’, the collection presentation curated by Geert Goiris at M. Just like that, a minimalist, geometric work caught my eye: three wooden discs in light, subtle colours. Looking at it more closely, I saw that it was by Richard Venlet. A nice surprise as I studied with him at Sint-Lukas in Brussels.

As an M-arts patron, how important do you think it is to support museum projects?
Bernard: ‘The museum uses part of the contributions from M-art patrons to buy unique works or support special projects. You are also told where that money goes every year. That's much nicer than just paying an amount every year without knowing what it will be spent on. It's nice to realise that through your contribution you can really mean something for a place that contributes so much to the image of the city.’

What message do you have for people who are also considering becoming M-arts patron?

Bernard: ‘Being made part of the story of such a wonderful museum in your own city, being able to ask questions freely to curators of exhibitions, and often to the artist himself... That's a dimension you only get to experience as an M-art patron.’

Katelijne: ‘It also encourages you to break out of your fixed patterns. That way you discover something new, something refreshing, something you would probably have ignored otherwise. I really like that.’

Bernard: ‘So yes, our message would be, let yourself be surprised and go for it.’

M-cenassen op bezoek bij een kunstenaar in haar atelier — Diederik Craps voor M Leuven

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