Hidden treasures - The value of Public Art in storage
29/01/2027
BRAFA Art Talk at 4 pm
Nancy von Breska, PhD, Lapislazul; Laura D’hoore, PhD researcher at the University of Antwerp; Marieke De Baerdemaeker, Head Curator at Brussels City Museum; Eric Hemeleers, Chairman of the Eeckman I PatrimOne Group in Belgium. Moderator: Anne-Sophie V. Radermecker, Associate Professor in Cultural Management (Université libre de Bruxelles)
Language > English
Belgium’s public collections are highly decentralised, with no single official total of artworks held in storage. As in the global museum sector, an estimated 80–90% of collections may remain in storage. Yet storage conditions and incomplete documentation - such as photographs, measurements, provenance and condition reports - can affect an artwork’s value and future safekeeping. While some institutions have adequate inventories and storage, others lack the resources to properly assess their collections. In times of shrinking public funding, how can these “hidden treasures” be re-evaluated, valorised and made accessible to the public?
Nancy von Breska, PhD, Lapislazul; Laura D’hoore, PhD researcher at the University of Antwerp; Marieke De Baerdemaeker, Head Curator at Brussels City Museum; Eric Hemeleers, Chairman of the Eeckman I PatrimOne Group in Belgium. Moderator: Anne-Sophie V. Radermecker, Associate Professor in Cultural Management (Université libre de Bruxelles)
Language > English
Belgium’s public collections are highly decentralised, with no single official total of artworks held in storage. As in the global museum sector, an estimated 80–90% of collections may remain in storage. Yet storage conditions and incomplete documentation - such as photographs, measurements, provenance and condition reports - can affect an artwork’s value and future safekeeping. While some institutions have adequate inventories and storage, others lack the resources to properly assess their collections. In times of shrinking public funding, how can these “hidden treasures” be re-evaluated, valorised and made accessible to the public?
