BRUSSELS.- The renowned Belgian Collection of Post War and Contemporary art compiled by Roger and Hilda Matthys-Colle will be sold at Christie’s this Autumn. A total of 41 works will be offered in a series of auctions across three sale rooms: 4 and 5 October in London, followed by Amsterdam on 25 and 26 November, and finally Paris on 4 and 5 December. 36 out of the 41 works will be part of a public preview exhibition during Brussels Gallery Weekend, taking place on 6-7 September at the Huberty & Breyne Gallery in Brussels. Many of these works have yet to be discovered by the public, with limited loans to exhibitions having been made in the past.

In 1957 Roger co-founded the Friends of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Ghent, whose acquisitions would later form the basis of the Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst (S.M.A.K.). The Friends transformed the Belgian cultural scene, championing living artists, many of whom were not receiving attention from the more established institutions or from the public at that time.

In 1959 Roger bought his first painting, a work by Jan Burssens and this was the moment their personal dedication and passion for collecting truly began. Through the Jeune Peinture Belge movement the couple was introduced to abstract art and bought their first Karel Appel. Shortly after came acquisitions of Arte Povera, Nouveau Réalisme, Surrealism, Abstract Art, Conceptualism, Pop Art as well as some monumental sculptures, and within a short period of time an international collection reflecting the newest movements of the day was established. Their home, designed around their collection by talented architect Ivan van Mosselvelde, became a living museum, while they befriended many artists who visited on a regular basis. On one of these very early visits, at the time their house was still under construction, Sol LeWitt created an in-situ wall drawing.

“With visionary insights Roger and Hilde Matthys-Colle dared to look beyond the boundaries of cultural conventions in Post War Flanders. Although collecting has always been strongly rooted in Belgian culture, their open mindedness and international outlook makes the Matthys-Colle Collection one of the trailblazers for the Belgian art environment. They didn’t restrict themselves to any stylistic movement, the only criterion was quality.” explained Peter van der Graaf, Senior Specialist Post War and Contemporary Art, based in the Christie’s Brussels office.