Collector's Talk

Jean Philip, Filip, how did you come to discover Schönfeld Gallery? 

Jean Philip Via Caroline Pauwels, whom I knew through VUB. Last year, we visited the group exhibition she had curated for Schönfeld Gallery, where we ended up acquiring a piece by Janine Vandebosch. What we truly appreciate about the gallery is its beautiful portfolio of intriguing artists, offering accessible artworks that are within our budget. Moreover, it’s not an exclusive club where everything is already sold during the exhibition’s preview. 

And the one purchase led to the next? 

Jean Philip Well, yes, kind of (laughs). We recently acquired a work by Albert Pepermans when we visited his studio. We deliberately chose an older work from 1995, because we can still buy newer works from Albert later on. 

Filip We were planning on buying something from Albert for a while already. When we purchased Janine’s piece, we came across Albert’s impressive book at the gallery. While flipping through it, we quickly stumbled upon Torso Red, and its monumental presence immediately captured our attention. Even though we saw many other beautiful works in the studio afterwards, we stuck with our initial coup de foudre. By the way, the painting was hidden behind a little wall in the studio. ‘Wait, let me get it out of the corner’, Albert said (laughs). 

Jean Philip It’s part of a triptych, and we’re somewhat guilty of separating it. However, we intend to reunite them sooner or later. 

Filip During Christina Zimpel’s solo exhibition at the gallery last spring, we also acquired one of her paintings, a small portrait. We were instantly in love with the playful nature of Christina’s body of work, but found it incredibly challenging to pick just one piece. In the end, we went with the most extravagant one. 

Jean Philip I always think of Meryl Streep when I see that artwork. I have no idea why (laughs). 

What else is included in your collection? 

Jean Philip Our collection is quite diverse, featuring both figurative and abstract works, all from the twentieth century. 

Filip We used to primarily collect prints. When I was still living in Ghent and Jan Hoet was the director of S.M.A.K., I bought some editions from the Friends of S.M.A.K. Later on, we also purchased prints by Nathalie Du Pasquier at Galerie Greta Meert, and we own two screen prints by Luc Tuymans, Orchid and Der Diagnostische Blick. The biggest name in our collection is probably Damien Hirst. We have two editions from his series The Empresses, where he used glitter for the first time. Nowadays, we tend to gravitate towards unique works, such as the oil paintings by one of my former teachers, Marc Van Cauwenbergh. His abstract works are reminiscent of Western traditions and Eastern aesthetics. It’s nice to have work by someone who has had a significant impact on your life. 

Jean Philip Last year, we acquired the monumental painting Amalfi Coast by Israeli artist Navot Miller from Yossi Milo Gallery in New York. The title of the exhibition, Eurovision, was quite fitting. In the series with the same name, Miller captures the delightful memories he collected during his travels across Europe. 

Filip Our most recent purchase was at Gallery Sofie Van de Velde, titled Jongen aan de kust (‘Boy on the Coast’) (2022), an oil on canvas work by Antwerp artist Jesse Tomballe.