Founded in 1986
Over 30 years of collecting art : “What happens when making an art collection becomes a group project.”
1986
Two Belgian art lovers from Bruges, Leo Van Tuyckom and Lieve Hermant, got the idea to group some contemporary art lovers. They contacted the Brussels art critic, Pierre Sterckx, to be the curator of the group.
Very quickly they convinced twenty people from all different areas in Belgium; Ghent, Kortrijk, Brussels, Hasselt and Antwerp to set up a Club dedictated to collecting contemporary art.
The Groeninghe Art Collection was initially housed in the attic of an old tannery, also the seat of the Art Gallery “ ’t Leerhuys”, a stone’s throw from the Groeninghe-museum in the old city center of Bruges.
Leerhuys
2008
In 2008, the extending Groeninghe Art Collection moved to the well known International College of Europe in Bruges, where a selection of works is on permanent view in the hallways of the College. There they enter into dialogue with students, professors and visitors from all over the world.
The members meet every two months in the College of Europe, where they can enjoy their collection. During these meetings, possible buy options are discussed, lectures are held by artists, critics, museum directors, gallery owners and renowned collectors are invited.
Every five years there is a new iteration of the group, under the curatorship of an art expert. These days we are in the 7th edition of the Groeninghe Art Collection.
The purchase policy of the group is very eclectical and spans works by renowned artists such as Gerhard Richter, Mike Kelley to merging and young international artists.
Needless to say that at Groeninghe Art Collection, all the members have a passion for contemporary art, collecting pieces on the long haul, exchanging of views and knowledge of "Contemporary Art".
