Luc Haenen On Collecting and the Upcoming miart Fair
TLmag spoke to Antwerp-based collector Luc Haenen about his collection, which he has been building for nearly 25-years, and what he is looking forward to seeing this April at the 2025 edition of miart, the international modern and contemporary art fair of Milan.
Antwerp-based collector, Luc Haenen, began collecting art at the turn of the 21st century, and has not looked back. Along with his wife, Carine, the cardiac surgeon has developed, a diverse collection that includes sculpture, installation and painting. Often, the work has underlying themes of death and decay, connections to the body and between art and science – a perhaps unintended, yet natural relationship to his work. TLmag spoke to Haenen ahead of the upcoming miart fair, about his collection and what he is looking forward to seeing at this year’s edition.
TLmag: When did you first start collecting? What was the first piece you bought?
Luc Haenen: We acquired our real first piece in 2000. It was a large colourful acrylic on canvas, called The Firebird by Kamagurka, a local Belgian artist. Actually, it was one of my patients who, after surgery, had some artbooks next to his bed, and who was writing stories on art (Kandinsky) and we started of a conversation about collecting.
TLmag: Would you share the underlying theme or vision that inspires your collection? What are the main criteria guiding your acquisition choices? Does your collection reflect market trends, or does it follow a more personal and independent path?
L.H.: We had not noticed any specific theme ourselves, but when other collectors visit our house they are always intrigued by the number of works in relation to death and decay, perhaps not always at first sight. There are no special criteria that guide our acquisitions,
but mostly the works are in a way all related to each other, like an invisible network of ideas and threads; Sometimes the artists are or were a couple, sometimes they are friends of artists whose work we collect. It is of course difficult to be immune to market trends, especially today where the predominant trends are shifting towards painting. For sure we always tried to be as personal as possible, which is for works on death and decay, in times we are living in now, not an obvious choice. We are very happy and lucky to have interacted with many artists at the very beginning of their careers.
TLmag: Art fairs have become increasingly influential in shaping the market and promoting emerging talent. What is your view on the role these fairs play today, both for collectors and the art market as a whole?
L.H.: Even considering the number of art fairs around the globe these days, I still think they can be relevant for emerging artists and galleries. A couple of reasons: consolidation in the blue-chip galleries, [the opportunity to be] more globally positioned, and the cost of running a gallery in a city. As an emerging gallery, at a fair you can connect your artists to new collectors. Art fairs are also the place where curatorial interaction is more important than in a regular gallery circuit. Fairs perfectly take the pulse and breath of society, like we see now, in uncertain times, painting, more than installation is on the market.
TLmag: As a collector of modern and contemporary art, what aspects of miart – the international modern and contemporary art fair of
Milan – do you find particularly engaging?
L.H.: I have been coming to miart for many years. The fair has made significant progress in recent years, elevating its status on the international scene. The mix between the established section, with important players and the leading emerging galleries from London to Cremona or Amsterdam. Spared from the big hustle the fair keeps its intimate almost family spirit.
TLmag: The theme of miart 2025, “Among Friends,” underscores the importance of collaboration in the art world. In your experience as a collector, have you personally witnessed the value of synergies between artists, galleries, and institutions? How crucial do you think these collaborations are for advancing the contemporary art scene?
L.H.: I think the theme of 2025 is a very important one. Not only geographically, like the Vanessa Carlos’ Condo-project in London, where galleries co-share their space but in the “we all need each other” collaborations between blue chip galleries doing group shows with emerging gallery artists. And why can’t institutions join in? In a way, that is what Paris and Milan are doing with their important fashion houses who interconnect with contemporary artists and get the city be a part of the arts week.
TLmag: In addition to miart, what is something you love to do when you are in Milan? A restaurant or museum you enjoy visiting?
L.H.: I never leave Milan without visiting Hangar Bicocca and a couple of coffee’s at Bar Luce (Fondazione Prada). Something that also leaves me breathless every time is the Novecento museum with the upper floor dedicated to Lucio Fontana.
TLmag: During an international fair like miart, what elements contribute to creating a meaningful experience for collectors?
L.H.: Connecting with the city and its people, breakfast visits in Milan, informal dinners in local spots…
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