Belgian Art & Diplomacy

The collection has been built up organically since the creation of the Belgian state in 1830. Since then, and especially after the Second World War, diplomatic posts have been opened abroad.

The art collection comprises at least 4,500 works, including some 600 paintings, 500 tapestries, 3,000 works on paper and 200 sculptures, from the seventeenth century to the present day. More recently, other media such as photography, mixed media, installations, videos and site-specific works have been added.

Pieces from the collection are displayed around the world in official living and working spaces, in a variety of geographical, climatic and cultural contexts. In all, some 230 buildings are involved, in which almost all the works of art are on permanent display.

These specific contexts and particularities require a specific interpretation of the four main tasks of collections management. The unit of the art collection in Brussels has therefore drawn up a tailor-made policy for the SPF concerning registration and documentation, collecting, conservation and restoration and presentation (exhibitions, publications, …). This policy is monitored and implemented in collaboration with the diplomatic missions, which are responsible for the day-to-day management of the works of art.

Works of art are sometimes sent back to Brussels for various reasons (poor condition, moving to a smaller living or working space that is more suited to the context, etc.). This opportunity to visit Brussels is used to update information on the works of art and check their condition. Sometimes a work of art needs to be restored and/or reframed. Before handing over works of art to (another) diplomatic post, and bearing in mind that the work of art is likely to be away for a long period, we ensure that the work can be returned in good condition.

A video and some restoration reports are available below by way of illustration. The painting in question is a 17th-century landscape attributed to De Momper. The painting was restored in Brussels in 2005 and again in 2022, on its return from Luxembourg, before leaving for Rome. The oval portraits of an 18th-century man and woman returned to Brussels from Bucharest in 2019. Restored on site in 2005, they were restored in Brussels in 2021, and one of the portraits received a new frame, before being sent to Santiago de Chile.

Video

Restorations can be carried out both in Brussels and on site. For example, a painting was restored in Athens by a restorer attached to the Benaki Museum. Any treatment carried out both on site and in Brussels is closely monitored and is carried out in accordance with conservation and restoration ethics (including the reversibility of the treatment, by a professional restorer of paintings, works on paper, textiles, etc.) and with public procurement laws (including invitations to tender).