LEUVEN.- M Leuven opened the exhibition Art That Moves, showcasing artworks that once belonged to private collections and now enrich the museum’s holdings. The exhibition is inspired by the recent long-term loan of two complete private collections. From a medieval Weeping Madonna to works by Camille Claudel, Léon Spilliaert and James Ensor, the exhibition presents masterpieces that have never before been shown to the public.
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“The significance of private collections for the history and functioning of M cannot be overstated,” says Alderman for Culture and Chair of M, Bert Cornillie. “Donations, bequests and long-term loans from private collectors have played a major role in shaping M’s collection. The trend can be observed in many museums. However, the long-term loan of entire private collections is highly exceptional. Yet, in the past year, M has received two complete private collections on loan, adding 142 new objects to the museum. The city is immensely proud of this fact. They represent a valuable addition to M’s already rich collection and contribute to the international standing of Leuven’s museum."

The Collections
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The Van der Velden-Teurlings collection comprises 26 paintings on panel, copper and canvas, primarily from the 16th and 17th centuries. These still lifes, landscapes, portraits, and allegories are unique in that they are all signed, including works by Paulus Potter, Balthasar van der Ast and Willem van de Velde the Younger. Additionally, the collection includes 45 late medieval sculptures from the 13th to 16th centuries, carved in wood and alabaster, originating from both the Low Countries and the Franco-Burgundian regions of Southern Europe.

A second long-term loan consists of an anonymous private collection of Belgian art from 1900 to 1930. It includes 71 paintings and works on paper by artists such as James Ensor, Constant Permeke, Edgard Tytgat, Gustaaf De Smet and Gustave Van de Woestijne, along with an impressive 30 works by Léon Spilliaert. This significant addition enriches M’s collection by introducing several Symbolist and Expressionist artists who were not previously represented in the museum.
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Marjan Debaene, senior curator of old masters at M Leuven, underscores the importance of private collections in relation to the museum’s acquisition and exhibition policy:
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“A key objective for M Leuven is to strengthen its core collection through long-term loans, with a particular focus on complementary private collections that contextualize our existing holdings. Without the major donations of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, M would look entirely different today.”
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Masterpieces that ‘move’ in every sense of the word
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The transfer of artworks to a museum is often accompanied by deep emotions. At the same time, it offers private collectors the assurance that their works will not only be meticulously documented, restored if necessary and preserved, but also made accessible to future generations. The exhibition title has both a literal and a figurative meaning: the works ‘move’ to the museum, but they also ‘move’ people. ​ ​
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“Museums and collectors are allies,” says Marjan Debaene. “Through long-term loans, museums can make masterpieces accessible to the public while offering expertise in research, conservation and presentation. It is a win-win situation for all involved.”
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Exhibition highlights ​
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James Ensor, Masquerade, 1891, Long-term loan private collection Belgium, photo: Cedric Verhelst for M Leuven

This small yet intriguing painting depicts masked figures in a mysterious, carnivalesque atmosphere. Ensor portrays himself on the right as a pisseur, a frustrated onlooker who watches a kneeling figure venerate a mysterious woman. This work has never been shown before – not even in the numerous exhibitions dedicated to Ensor in 2024.
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Edgar Tytgat, Lust, 1922, long-term loan private collection Belgium, © SABAM Belgium 2025, photo: Dominique Provost

A seemingly everyday summer scene that is infused with sensuality, which is characteristic of Tytgat’s work. However, when viewed through a contemporary lens, it evokes #MeToo connotations: a man caresses a half-naked woman while a child plays in the background.
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Léon Spilliaert, Woman in an Exhibition, 1912, long-term loan private collection, photo: Dominique Provost

The campaign image for Art that Moves shows a woman in an exhibition, where another Spilliaert work hangs – almost a meta-depiction of art within art.
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Jean de la Huerta, Mourning Madonna (detail), ca. 1450, long-term loan collection Van der Velden-Teurlings, photo: Pieter de Vries
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A monumental stone sculpture of a Weeping Madonna from the Burgundian period. A rarity, as the collection previously lacked Burgundian sculptures. Attributed to the circle of Jean (or Juan) de la Huerta, a renowned sculptor at the Burgundian court in Dijon.
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Paulus Potter, Open Barn with Two Draught Horses, 1649, long-term loan collection Van der Velden-Teurlings, photo: Pieter de Vries
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Potter, one of the most celebrated animal painters of the Dutch Golden Age, was known for his detailed and lifelike depictions of animals. This work depicts a typical 17th-century rural scene with muscular horses at its centre.

Lambert Lombard, Triptych with the Adoration of the Shepherds, ca. 1540, long-term loan private collection Luxembourg, photo: Cedric Verhelst for M Leuven
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A unique triptych showing the Adoration of the Shepherds. It resided for a long time in Venice, where it was displayed in the Doge’s Palace. The piece is of exceptional artistic quality and a rare example of Liège Renaissance painting.

Camille Claudel, Prayer, 1900, Collection M Leuven, photo: M Leuven
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A delicate drawing by Camille Claudel, a study for one of her most renowned series: La Prière or Le Psaume (The Prayer or The Psalm). The drawing is of a hooded woman – a figure with religious connotations, and possibly an elderly female, a recurring motif in Claudel’s oeuvre. The work was acquired through a personal connection between the collector Léon Gauchez and Claudel.

Jef Lambeaux, Satyrs and Bacchae, ca. 1880, Collection M leuven, source: artinflanders.be, photo: Dominique Provost
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The collection includes several works by Jef Lambeaux, commissioned by the Vanderkelen family. Among them is the famous Wine Fountain and a plaster model of Satyrs and Bacchantes, which is closely related to The Human Passions that Lambeaux created in Brussels. Portrait busts of the Vanderkelen family are also on display.
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The art of collecting: private collections in a domestic context
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'Art that Moves' explores the enduring significance of art in private ownership, showcasing its historical role in domestic settings and its cherished place in personal spaces. Many collections are assembled with great care, steered by personal preferences and aesthetic sensibilities. Each object tells a unique story, shedding light on the passion and dedication of the collectors.
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Anne Liefsoens, collections and library assistant at M Leuven, explains: “These recent loans made us think: what if we curated an exhibition about our relationship with private collectors? This would allow us to explore why people collect and donate, and give the public the opportunity to see these magnificent works.” ​
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'Art that Moves' focuses on a decisive moment for Leuven’s collection around the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. At that time, Leuven’s relatively ‘local’ collection was an eclectic assemblage, comprising an 18th-century urban cabinet of curiosities, alongside numerous religious works from monasteries and churches in the region. These sacred pieces had been transferred to municipal ownership following the French Revolution and the dissolution of religious institutions. Thanks to several benefactors and collectors, the collection received an influx of works that could be considered modern and contemporary art.
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The exhibition explores the diversity of artworks and the collectors who assembled them, adopting a transhistorical and multidisciplinary approach – much like M’s collection of over 56,000 objects, which is extremely varied and has also expanded organically through its city roots.