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🇧🇪 Belgium /Culture & Society

From Jan Decleir to Luc Tuymans: Can an auction of 20 artists' studios save Antwerp artists' group?

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • An Antwerp art collective, Ercola, faces eviction from its building due to the city's plan to sell it.
  • To save their 50-year-old studio space, citizens and artists are raising funds through a cooperative, aiming to purchase the building for 1.3 million euros.
  • A fundraising auction featuring works by 20 renowned artists, including Luc Tuymans and Jan Decleir, is scheduled for June 2, with proceeds going to the cooperative.

The artists of the Antwerp collective Ercola are fighting to keep their home. The city plans to sell the building in Wolstraat, forcing the collective out of the space they have occupied for over 50 years. To prevent permanent loss, a citizen cooperative is working to raise 1.3 million euros to buy the building themselves.

If we don't buy it now, we will lose it forever.

— Ewout LehoucqEwout Lehoucq of Ercola emphasizes the urgency of purchasing the building to prevent its permanent loss.

Nearly 1 million euros has already been raised. A significant boost is expected from an auction on June 2 at Bernaerts auction house. Twenty prominent artists, including Luc Tuymans, Jan Decleir, and Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven, have donated works for the sale. All proceeds will directly support the Ercola cooperative's purchase.

Dennis Tyfus, Luc Tuymans, Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven, Jan Decleir... 20 artists have donated a work to Ercoland, our cooperative.

— Ewout LehoucqEwout Lehoucq details the artistic contributions to the fundraising effort.

"If we don't buy it now, we will lose it forever," stated Ewout Lehoucq of Ercola. The collective envisions transforming the building into studios, social housing, a public garden, and spaces for art and community gatherings. The building, a protected heritage site, has been in poor condition and requires extensive renovation, which the city deemed too costly.

We only have a few days left to make a bid, so the auction will really help us.

— Ewout LehoucqEwout Lehoucq highlights the critical role of the upcoming auction in meeting the bidding deadline.

With the public sale scheduled for June 4, the cooperative has only days to submit a bid. "We only have a few days left to make a bid, so the auction will really help us," Lehoucq added. The initiative aims to preserve a vital cultural hub in the city, which has hosted artists like Wannes Van de Velde and Dennis Tyfus.

Ercola is truly a beating heart in the city.

— Ewout LehoucqEwout Lehoucq underscores the cultural significance of Ercola to Antwerp.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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