JEAN PHILIP DE TENDER

I just finished reading “How to be an artist”, by the acclaimed writer Jerry Saltz, art critic for The New Yorker. I don’t consider myself to be an artist – I do some writing – but I definitely love art. Reading about the arts and listening to art podcasts have become a nice way to distract, like tomorrow when I will hit the road Brussels – Geneva.

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Often, when I buy books, I buy spare copies and give them away to friends who might be interested in the topic. So @geertverbruggen, a copy will come your direction !

Geert has been a long time friend. An architect, who changed the direction of his life and became something in between a cook & an artist. Or an artist & a cook ? My partner and I have been following his journey over the past few years, occasionally buying one of his works, supporting emerging artists we like. When I wrote “Alles is een verhaal”, (“Everything is a story”) ten years ago, I featured two pages in the book on his artistic dream.

What makes someone an artist ? My partner is an art historian and in the 25 years we have been sharing our lives together, he teached me a lot, often with comments between the lines. I am very grateful for that. Clearly we had / have ? different tastes, but time evolving we seem to predict each other’s thoughts. When we consider buying a new piece of art, there is never much disagreement. And when there is, our opinions seem to grow to one another over time. I grant you this, he grants me that. One thing we have in common is that what we seek in artists new to the market is how they evolve. There is nothing wrong in copying or being inspired by an iconic artists, but what does that lead you to ? Are you able to write your own story ? Can they reinvent themselves time after time ? Change directions and explore new ways ?

When Geert earlier this week posted this image on his instagram, I immediately texted him : “Abstract Outside. New phase ?”. Filip and I were excited and immediately inquired for the price. His answer : “Indeed, surprising output yesterday”.

Geert is no longer an aspiring artist. He is an artist and we admire his work. When I think about the next chapter in my life it evolves around wine (and a bar) or art (and a gallery). And a combination of all of that must be possible, including a bookshop.

In the mean time if you are interested in his work, check Geert Verbruggen out on instagram or contact him on his website.