Collector's Talk

Jesse, what’s in your collection?

My collection doesn’t adhere to a specific perspective. In the past, I primarily acquired artwork from the interwar period, with a focus on female artists. For instance, I own a painting by Marthe Donas, one of the early female pioneers of abstract painting in Belgium. However, it’s predominantly an eclectic collection, featuring ancient African art, Roman and Etruscan pottery, as well as paintings and drawings by artists like Edgard Tytgat and Rik Wouters. There’s also a relief by Bram Bogart, sculptural pieces by Babs Decruyenaere, and even the paw print of a Velociraptor, along with other fossils. Of course, I also buy quite some photography. There’s a portrait by Stephan Vanfleteren in the living room, a photo by Bruno V. Roels from Ghent in our bedroom, and a black-and-white photo by the American photographer Saul Leiter in another part of the house. To showcase my photography collection, I asked frame maker Michiel Veireman to create four changeable frames, allowing me to rotate and display these pieces.

What is the first artwork you’ve ever bought?

A charcoal drawing by Rinus Van de Velde. In 2008, I photographed Rinus for the KMSKA, and I found him to be a fascinating figure. I was quickly convinced and bought one of his works. Which, by the way, was during the week when we were buying our previous house. My wife also didn’t think it was the best timing, but I’ve always been a collector, even as a child, collecting things like skulls and fossils.

When I look around, I see that the collection has grown considerably since then.

Yes, I now have around 100 pieces in the collection. It has become quite extensive, I must say. I had custom cabinets made with 1.5-meter-deep drawers to store artwork, and they are already quite full! Yet, I don’t want to keep a real ‘stock’, because art languishes in storage. If I can’t live with it myself, I’d prefer someone else to own the work. So, I do sell regularly. In the community room of our cohouse, I showcase a different work from my collection every season.

Is it accurate to say it’s an addiction?

Yes, absolutely! But I’m quite prone to addiction. I’ve been on a collecting spree for more than ten years. I used to spend three to four hours every week browsing Invaluable.com, scouring all the auctions worldwide. However, since becoming a father, I’ve bought very little. The most recent piece I acquired was two years ago, a drawing by Jan Yoors, a silhouette of a woman. This work was featured in the joint exhibition of his and my work that took place in the autumn of 2022 at Schönfeld Gallery. Oh, and recently, I bought a collection of pottery from Ukraine that’s over 100 years old on Etsy. The sellers were deeply moved by my purchase because, during a time of war, they could use every penny. The package also came with an emotional letter and an extra piece of pottery intended for Axel Vervoordt. As it turns out, when they Googled me, they discovered that my house is not far from Vervoordt’s gallery space. Currently, my main focus is collecting football shirts from the nineties. I’ve managed to reacquire almost all the shirts my brother and I used to wear during that time.

What does your habit of collecting say about your personality?

For me, collecting represents an active quest, and that search has always been an intrinsic part of me. When we’re at the seaside with the family, you’ll never find me lounging on the beach; instead, I’m combing the shore in search of treasures. Paolo and I also make it a point to visit the flea market every weekend. I’m just obsessed by history, and find immense joy in surrounding myself with inspiring objects. I’ve always regarded our home as an empty vessel, a place where all these objects can come to life. Consequently, our interior is arranged very efficiently, and we don’t require an abundance of furniture. We also maintain a rather frugal lifestyle. I’m not inclined to splurge on clothing or eating out, for instance. This, of course, leaves room for art (laughs).