History

  • 1970's, Journey to becoming a collector
    WARHOL ANDY
    BEUYS JOSEF, 1980
    SILKSCREEN & ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, DIAMOND DUST
    214 X 178 CM

    1970's

    Journey to becoming a collector
    The story begins before any gallery walls: Walter Vanhaerents initially set out to study medicine but, due to family circumstances, joined the construction company founded by his father, Leon. Entrepreneurship provided the means for a parallel calling—collecting art—shaped early on by film-aesthetics studies and formative encounters with Andy Warhol’s “slow films” and, in the 1980s, with German museums in Mönchengladbach and Cologne. Those experiences catalyzed a decisive reset toward a transnational, conceptually alert collection.
  • 2007, Opening of the Brussels space

    2007

    Opening of the Brussels space

    Public presentation began on 16 March 2007 with the opening of the Vanhaerents Art Collection in a converted 1926 industrial building at Rue Anneessens, Brussels—marking a new chapter for a body of work shaped over decades. Early exhibitions, often titled after iconic songs, unfolded over multi-year cycles and were complemented by focused solo projects in the Project Space (including Mark Handforth, David Altmejd, AES+F, Philippe Parreno, Tomás Saraceno).

  • 2015

    2015

    First major international presentation during the 56th Venice Biennale
  • 2018 - today , Viewing depot

    2018 - today

    Viewing depot
    In 2018 we introduced the Viewing Depot, inspired by the Schaulager concept, aligning public access with conservation, research, and loan readiness. Its flexible rotations have enabled timely responses to contemporary discourse—including dedicated presentations addressing the underrepresentation of Black artists.