What to See During Art Brussels
Art Brussels, held from 24–27 April, remains one of the strongest art fairs outside the global “blue-chip” circuit. It combines the sophistication of Paris, the conceptual rigor of Berlin, and the diversity of London, creating a distinctly European atmosphere. Despite occupying only two exhibition halls, the fair brings together an impressive mix of established galleries—including Almine Rech and TEMPLON—and ambitious emerging participants. For anyone beginning a collecting journey, Art Brussels is an essential destination.
1. Panoptès Collection
The private collection of Émilie De Pauw is an immersive world devoted to minimalism, optical art, and light-based practices.
Every work feels like an individual narrative, and the collection as a whole reflects an extraordinary curatorial sensibility. Visiting Panoptès is less like touring a collection and more like entering a landscape of ideas. I am already looking forward to the opening of its future space on Lake Como.
2. The Loft – Collection Famille Servais
The Servais Family Collection is a remarkable constellation of ideas assembled by Alain Servais together with a team of outstanding curators.
Alain often describes himself not as a collector but as a hunter of ideas, while the curators act as storytellers. Each floor unfolds a different narrative. To fully appreciate the collection’s intellectual depth, I would recommend visiting Documenta in Kassel first—it provides an important key to understanding much of what unfolds here.
3. Fondation Boghossian – Villa Empain
A highly rewarding institution currently presenting Timeless Gazes: From Pharaohs to the Present Day, an exhibition that brings together ancient Egyptian archaeology and contemporary African art.
The experience extends beyond the galleries. A beautiful Art Deco swimming pool and monthly DJ sessions create an unexpected atmosphere where history and contemporary culture coexist effortlessly. I ended up spending several hours there, enjoying the sun and music in the company of pharaohs.
4. GQ Gallery – Frank Gerritz
Without question, my favourite stand at Art Brussels.
Presented as a solo exhibition, Frank Gerritz’s work possesses a rare conceptual depth. I first encountered his art in a historic palazzo in Mallorca, where it left a lasting impression. His exhibitions consistently demonstrate exceptional curatorial precision, and his works inhabit minimalist and historic settings with equal confidence.
Photographs rarely capture their true presence—this is work that must be experienced firsthand.
5. Xavier Hufkens – Nathanaëlle Herbelin
One of my favourite galleries in Brussels, Xavier Hufkens consistently delivers thoughtful exhibitions within beautifully conceived spaces.
Nathanaëlle Herbelin’s exhibition explores the delicate balance between everyday experience and underlying uncertainty. Her paintings reflect the desire to preserve relationships with family and friends amid instability and emotional complexity. The result is intimate, poignant, and deeply human.
6. Xavier Hufkens – Matt Connors
At the gallery’s second location, Matt Connors presents a vibrant series of abstractions that recall the playful visual language of Chuck Jones cartoons.
Bright colours and energetic forms create an atmosphere full of movement and vitality. The exhibition title, Mysterious Leap, references Freud’s notion of the divide between mind and body, adding a philosophical layer beneath the work’s apparent spontaneity.
7. Fatiha Zemmouri – Earthline at Nosbaum Reding
Monochromatic, tactile, and quietly powerful.
Zemmouri’s paintings create a silent dialogue between the fractures of the earth and the paths along which people wander, lose themselves, and search for meaning. These works invite contemplation and reflection on our place within the wider world.
8. Nazanin Pouyandeh at TEMPLON
TEMPLON presents the first Belgian solo exhibition of Iranian-born artist Nazanin Pouyandeh, Sous l’étoffe du monde (Under the Fabric of the World).
For Pouyandeh, painting becomes an act of liberation—sensual, radical, and deeply personal. Her dreamlike compositions weave together echoes of Flemish painting, Surrealism, Japanese shunga prints, Matisse, and Bonnard. Reality dissolves into myth, memory, and imagination.
9. Galila’s P.O.C. (Passion Obsession Collection)
Located in the Forest district, Galila transforms a former industrial building from the 1950s into a living archive of one woman’s passionate relationship with contemporary art.
Created over nearly two decades by Galila Barzilai Hollander—who prefers to describe herself not as a collector but as an “art addict”—the collection rejects conventional classifications. Instead of being organised by medium or movement, it is structured around deeply personal themes. Every object functions as a form of self-portrait.
The energy of the space is extraordinary.
10. Jan Mot
Perhaps the most conceptual gallery in Brussels.
Its founder collects ideas as much as artworks, making it an ideal destination for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of contemporary conceptual practice. The exhibition Ian Wilson: Works from the Panza Collection (1974–2008) offers a rare opportunity to experience art as an embodiment of thought itself, demonstrating how ideas can become the primary artistic medium.