Verbeke Foundation

‏Founded by art collectors Geert Verbeke and Carla Verbeke-Lens, the Verbeke Foundation is a private art site which opened its doors to the general public in June 2007. As ‘a refuge’ for arts, the foundation holds an impressive collection of modern and contemporary art and also offers exciting possibilities for emerging as well as less renowned artists. ‏Culture, nature and ecology go hand in hand at the Verbeke Foundation. With 12 hectares (29.7 acres) of scenic area and 20,000 m² (4,9 acres) of covered space, the Foundation is one of the largest private initiatives for contemporary art throughout Europe. The warehouses of the former Verbeke transport agency were converted into unique exhibition halls. One of the buildings was furnished to exhibit the extraordinary collection of collages and assemblages. The Foundation is subject to ongoing growth and transformation processes. The Artist-in-residence program at the Verbeke Foundation began in 2008 and offers both established and emerging artists an exciting opportunity to create works in situ. The foundation provides on-site accommodation, full board as well as access to the workshop so that artists can fully dedicate themselves to art projects. The residencies are self-directed and are meant for production of new artworks and exhibitions. Artists-in-residence are selected on the basis of their applications. The Verbeke Foundation expresses special interest in proposals for artworks that attempt to introduce innovations and are in line with the foundation’s experimental spirit.