PRESENTATION: Private Passion X Public Duty: Hoet & Matthys-Colle: Through Collectors’ Eyes

Jan Hoet (23/6/1936-27/2/2014) was the founder of S.M.A.K. in Ghent, Belgium. His reputation was first established by “Chambres d’Amis,” an innovative exhibition he organized in Ghent in 1986, 50 American and European artists were invited to create works for 50 private homes in Ghent, which were then opened to the public for several weeks. Subsequently, he managed several important exhibitions all over the world. Hoet curated Documenta IX in 1992, presenting several hundred works by 190 artists from nearly 40 countries.

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: S.M.A.K. Museum Archive

Ten years after the death of Jan Hoet, the founder of S.M.A.K., the exhibition “Private Passion X Public Duty: Hoet & Matthys-Colle: Through Collectors’ Eyes” explores the similarities and differences between Jan Hoet’s acquisition policy and the works purchased by the collectors, Roger and Hilda Matthys-Colle. Dr Roger Matthys was one of the founders of the Association for the Museum of Contemporary Art (V.M.H.K.), an organisation that lobbied for its own museum and purchased works of art. As president from 1974 to 1979, Matthys had a great deal of influence on the V.M.H.K.’s purchasing policy. His private collection included many artists whose work was exhibited or purchased by the museum. The two collections are therefore closely intertwined and complementary. Jan Hoet served as the curator of the SMAK from 1975 until his retirement in 2003. As part of the 2000 “Over the Edges” exhibition in Ghent, he let artist Jan Fabre drape columns of a university auditorium in slabs of ham. After retiring, in 2003, he became artistic director for the museum MARTa Herford in Herford and collaborated with architect Frank Gehry on its design. The inaugural show in 2005 called “My Private Heroes” was an eclectic mix of works by artists including Marina Abramović, Chris Burden, Gavin Turk, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Joseph Beuys as well as history paintings, ephemera and a yellow jersey worn by a Tour de France winner. The Matthys-Colle Collection is not only fascinating because it spans fifty years, but also because Roger Matthys often purchased work from artists at an early stage, and this for both his private collection and the V.M.H.K. Moreover, the Matthys-Colle Collection is not limited to one particular movement. It thus offers a condensed overview of art history during the second half of the twentieth century – albeit through almost exclusively male and Western artists. Especially at the end of Dr Matthys’ life and after his death, works were sold or exchanged if they no longer fitted into the collection or to free up resources for new acquisitions. In 2020, thirty-nine works were given on long-term loan to S.M.A.K. This exhibition showcases – for the first time – a number of other works from the Matthys-Colle Collection. Given the historical affinity between the private collection and that of the museum, gaps can be filled and works can occasionally be brought together as pairs or ensembles. Every artist in this exhibition is – or was once – represented in both collections. On the upper floor, an archive exhibition takes a closer look at the Matthys-Colle Collection and the figure of Jan Hoet. In the Friends of S.M.A.K. room, you can discover a selection of the editions published by the V.M.H.K. by artists who are (or were) represented in the Matthys-Colle Collection.

Photo: Mike Kelley, Cluck Cluck Croak Croak, 1982, Acrylic on paper, Matthys-Colle Collection

Info: S.M.A.K. (Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst), Jan Hoetplein 1, Gent, Belgium, Duration: 25/5/2024-5/1/2025, Days & Hours: Tue-Fri 9:30-15:30, Sat-Sun 10:00-18:00, https://smak.be/