Portraits International, a gallery that focuses on the portrait, just opened in the Prinsengalerie. It is an initiative of Claire Soper and Peter van der Hijden, two expats who live in the area. “The boredom during the lockdown made us dream,” says Van der Hijden.
How Did You Come up With the Idea For a Portrait Gallery?
Shortly after the lockdown I got into a conversation with Claire. Turns out she dreamed of an art gallery. Like all older gentlemen, I dreamed of a bookshop. By limiting the art to portraiture and the books to biographies, we arrived at a synthesis. In fact, we only have one product: the human story.
You are very ambitious. In addition to art and books, there are also master classes on the program.
That’s right, we’re a bit megalo, but we do everything piano, step by step. We will work per season and start everything gradually. Now, in the winter, we have an exhibition with sixty portraits of famous scientists, philosophers and artists, made by the Dutchman Toon Teeken. From March there will be work by Ukrainian artists.
In the spring we will also launch the biographies, in other words the written portraits. The offering will initially consist of books about Wittgenstein, James Joyce and the other celebrities now hanging in the gallery, in four languages.
From the summer we will be organizing courses, about those celebrities, about art history, but there will also be portrait painting and personality building workshops.
It will also be possible to order a portrait. How does that work?
You can contact us for a portrait of, for example, your cousin’s birthday, your boss who is saying goodbye or the school director who is retiring. That can be a book or painting, but also a film, a photo, even a rap or musical. A portrait can take many forms. We are still looking for makers for this. This is how we give work to young artists.
You already have plans abroad.
Indeed, we want a branch, a kind of franchise, in Berlin and Barcelona.
Did You Absolutely Want to Sit in The Sint-Hubertus Gallery in Brussels?
Absolute. We are located where the Danaqué fashion store was located for many years. Some call this place a blind spot. Others said: just go to Brugmannplein. But I really believe in the inner city. We will make this blind spot a lively place, or at least we try to. You just have to dare, be a little crazy too. And if it fails, it fails.
This article is originally published on bruzz.be
