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FAMILY SERVAIS COLLECTION

Art that poses questions, in a converted factory loft in the north of Brussels

Collector:

Alain Servais

Address:

Brussels, Belgium

collection.servais@gmail.com

By e-mail appointment only.

Alain Servais is omnipresent in the art world. He is occasionally part of the expert panel for the collection of new media at Art Basel. At other times he can be seen during Berlin Art Week rushing from gallery to gallery on a rented Vespa. He is also an avid Twitter user. The extremely well-connected collector, who lives in Brussels, is hungry for art. In his opinion, good art should question certainties: “It should teach me something that I don’t know about myself or my environment.” Servais converted an old factory into a 900-square-meter loft in the multicultural district of Schaerbeek. Here he not only lets artists live and work, but he also shows parts of his collection—established names such as Gilbert & George and Barbara Kruger as well as younger positions, like video works by Mexican artist Arturo Hernández Alcázar. Once a year he rearranges 80 percent of his collection’s holdings.

BRUSSELS

If you are looking for quality and want to discover something new, come to Brussels. The art scene there is flourishing—not least thanks to two fairs that regularly attract an international audience. In April 2016, Art Brussels moved into its new quarters inside the historic halls of Tour & Taxis. At the same time, the New York fair Independent installed its European off-shoot at the Dexia Art Center, a centrally located, former furniture department store from the 1930s. During art fair season, Brussels really comes alive: open houses hosted by scores of private collectors, gallery nights, and parties set the program. For young artists and international collectors, this European capital—with both its charm and rough edges—has become a Mecca: studios, galleries, and institutions congregate here en masse. The Palais des Beaux-Arts (for short: Bozar) lures visitors with exhibitions ranging from Jeff Wall to Daniel Buren, to new stars like Kehinde Wiley. Art-goers interested in seeing additional current positions such as Rita McBride are in good hands at the Wiels—Centre d’Art Contemporain, in the Forest district. Nine artists’ studios for international new comers are available for residencies at this art center, which opened in 2007 in an old brewery. If you want to explore the Brussels gallery scene, it’s best to take a tour of the Ixelles district, or the Lower Town, also known as Downtown. Situated here are the spaces of the long-established Galerie Greta Meert and the gallery Dépendance, run by German-native Michael Callies. Walking in the direction of Ixelles you’ll also pass the flagship gallery Jan Mot as well as the New York blue-chip gallery Barbara Gladstone. Upon arriving in the elegant Ixelles district, you’ll find Almine Rech, Xavier Hufkens, and Levy Delval. Anyone wishing to stock up on art books in otherwise comics-enthusiast Belgium should head straight to the magnificent Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert Passage, near the Grand Place. Here the bookshop Tropismes provides an opportunity for endless hours of browsing.