Foundation Paul Duhem 

 

 

The purpose of the Paul Duhem Foundation is to secure the longevity of drawings and paintings emanating from the studio established by the artist Bruno Gérard in the Centre La Pommeraie (Beloeil).

The studio is internationally recognised in the cultural and artistic world and today boasts a collection of around 20,000 art works.

 

Louis Van Baelens, 2014, peinture à l’huile sur toile, 70 x 100cm

Isabelle Laure, 2014, marqueur acrylique sur papier, 55 x 73 cm

 

In 2015, Bruno Gérard wrote in the catalogue accompanying the exhibition Emergence, which was held on the occasion of the studio’s 25th anniversary:

If artworks belong to the artist, we need to reflect on the importance of preserving those works. How can we ensure that they survive through time? We have donated a significant number of pieces to various museums over the years, with the agreement of the artist or owner, but what should we do with the thousands of artworks that are stored at the studio? Establish a foundation?*

 

Mission accomplished. 

  (*) Bruno Gérard et Jacky Legge, Emergence ,  Ed. Centre La Pommeraie / Maison de la Culture de Tournai, Ellignies-Saint-Anne / Tournai, 2015.

 
SIGNIFICANT MILESTONES
1980    Establishment of a painting and engraving studio by Bruno Gérard at the Livémont care home (Aubechies, Beloeil). It enabled the talents of several artists to be exhibited internationally. For example, Jean-Pol Godart, who passed away in November 2005, achieved recognition through several exhibitions in Brussels, Ghent, Mons and Paris, in particular In Portes Tres: Jean-Pol Godart, Jean-Luc Mylayne, Walter Swennen, organised in 2004 by Laurent Busine at the museum of modern art in Grand-Hornu (Mons), and Visions singulières, curated by Carine Fol at the Palais des Beaux-Arts of Brussels in 2005. Jean-Pol Godart created only 13 crucifixes during his career. Eight were acquired by the Lille museum of modern, contemporary and primitive art, and four by the Paul Duhem Foundation. The Foundation was also able to serve as repository for the sculptures of other artists from the Livémont care home (Dominique Bottemanne, Jean-Marie Heyligen, Pascal Masquelière, etc.), although the paintings and engravings produced while Bruno Gérard directed the studio were unfortunately destroyed after his departure to La Pommeraie!

 

 

1990    Establishment by Bruno Gérard of the studio for painting and design at the La Pommeraie Centre (Ellignies-Sainte-Anne). Open to all residents, the studio offers complete artistic freedom. The objective of the studio is not to ‘create artists’, but, rather, to provide vulnerable people with the opportunity – and the time – to develop an artistic personality that is unique to them. This has enabled numerous residents to discover their own talent, sometimes instinctively, sometimes after protracted research. It did not take long for certain artists to become internationally recognised. There have been an immeasurable number of individual and collective exhibitions of the work of artists from La Pommeraie.

 

1992   

…

2018   

Valeurs et missions
Centre de documentation
Comité artistique
Soutiens et partenaires
Supportez-nous


Why the ” Paul Duhem ” Foundation ?

The Foundation was named after an artist who graduated from the studio. Paul Duhem, a prolific and indefatigable painter who was born in 1919 and died in 1999, left an indelible mark on all who knew him and on those who encountered his artistic work. His pieces are characterised by precision and harmonious vibrancy, whilst retaining a laudable economy of means. Unquestionably, this brilliant colourist bestowed a particular aura on the studio and his work can be seen in numerous galleries, including the main museums of art brut (raw art).

.

Photo © Guy Stievenard

Paul Duhem, 1997, crayon blanc, pastel gras et peinture à l’huile sur papier, 55 x 72 cm