Five questions for an M-art patron couple: “Culture isn't an afterthought. It's fundamental”

Five questions for an M-art patron couple

“Culture isn't an afterthought. It's fundamental”

Author and editor Hilde Devoghel and her husband, KU Leuven Professor Bart De Moor, have been M-art patrons from the very beginning and have always been convinced of its value.

How did you become M-art patrons?
Hilde: “We were good friends of Véronique Vandekerckhove, M’s first curator. She persuaded us to support the new museum. Véronique died in an accident in 2012, but we have always continued as M-art patrons.”

What role does art play in your lives?
Bart: “Music is where my heart lies most. I grew up with it: my mother was a gifted pianist, and my father was chairman of Opera Flanders. I am now Chair of the Alamire Foundation – a true honour. Our foundation researches and promotes Franco-Flemish polyphony, one of Flanders’ key exports in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, alongside the paintings of the Flemish Primitives.”

Hilde: “What Bart has with music, I have with language. Literature is my lifelong passion – both reading and writing. I recently published a volume of poetry. But my first job was at the Stichting voor Kunstpromotie [Foundation for Art Promotion], which helped artists connect with the business world. Later I worked for ROBtv, and then became a science communication officer at KU Leuven. All jobs where you act as an intermediary between different worlds.”

Bart: “I also recognize that at M. My true passion is for historical art, but it’s wonderful to see how the museum makes the link to the current scene. Take last year’s exhibition ‘Dieric Bouts. Creator of Images’: you could see works by Bouts and his peers alongside contemporary art. You could tell the confrontation had been carefully considered.”

Why are M-art patrons so important for the museum?
Bart: “Of course, there’s the financial contribution. And you know exactly where your money goes, which I appreciate. In recent years, the M-art patrons’ contribution has gone to the restoration of the Passion Retable. We even have a personal link to that: our daughter Hannah is one of the researchers.”

Hilde: “Her PhD took her to Sweden, where many Flemish retables have been preserved intact. I went along as her personal assistant on that occasion (laughs).”

Bart: “In my opinion, the financial input isn’t the main thing. The chief contribution is your network. I have served as chief of staff for science and innovation policy, and also as vice-rector for international policy at KU Leuven. That helps make things happen.”

“A key Flemish work from the Alamire Foundation Collection – the Leuven Chansonnier – can be seen in ‘The Pursuit of Knowledge’ at M, the exhibition marking KU Leuven’s 600th anniversary. This book from around 1475 contains 52 songs, twelve of which were previously unknown. Alamire researched and digitized the manuscript, and you can listen to it being sung at M. With my background as an engineer, I also helped manage the research process.”

M-cenassen in museum M Leuven — © Josefien Tondeleir voor M Leuven

What role does M play in the wider Leuven community?
Hilde: “M is an integral part of Leuven’s ecosystem. You also see this abroad: in cities with a university, the cultural offering is often very strong. Science and art have many points in common. ‘The Pursuit of Knowledge’, a collaboration between M and KU Leuven, once again brings this into focus.”

Bart: “Culture isn’t an afterthought. It’s fundamental. During the Second World War, Winston Churchill was once asked whether funds for defence could be siphoned from the culture budget. His response: ‘Absolutely out of the question – otherwise what are we fighting for?’”

Hilde: “Age-old artworks have endured so much to survive: wars, disasters… People even risked their lives to preserve art for future generations. It’s awe-inspiring. Museums play a crucial role herein. As M-art patrons, we’re delighted to contribute.”

What are your favourite works in M?
Hilde: “This gallery, in the old Vanderkelen-Mertens house, is our favourite. The late medieval altarpieces and sculptures are magnificent in themselves, but the scenography, with its baroque wallpaper, gives the space a rhythm all its own.”

Bart: “The works show an incredible level of craftsmanship. The facial expressions, the folds of the clothing… it’s remarkably realistic, like a comic strip in 3D. That’s typical of Flemish altarpieces. Around 1500, Flanders was renowned far and wide for its cultural exports: paintings, tapestries, polyphonic music – and altarpieces too. Definitely something to be proud of.”

Kunstwerken uit de collectie van museum M Leuven — © Josefien Tondeleir voor M Leuven

Kunstwerk uit de collectie van museum M Leuven — © Josefien Tondeleir voor M Leuven

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

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