Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
For BRAFA's Life of objects, we step inside the home of Dries Van Noten and Patrick Vangheluwe, where collecting is less a strategy and more a way of life with art.
Here, they reflect on intuition, time and the quiet intelligence of objects chosen to last. Central to this encounter is a pair of bronze sculptures of Mercury and Apollo, acquired from Desmet Fine Art, a longtime exhibitor at BRAFA. The figures, classical in subject matter but strikingly present, embody a dialogue between movement and balance, intellect and beauty – qualities that resonate deeply with their approach to collecting.
Filmed in an intimate setting, this episode shows how artworks gradually become companions: they shape spaces, anchor memories and reflect a personal view of the world. It reminds us that collecting is less about possession than about attention, patience and trust in your own eye.
This insight takes on an extra dimension as Dries Van Noten prepares for the opening of the Fondazione Dries Van Noten in Venice in April 2026 – a new chapter that extends his lifelong dialogue between art, craftsmanship and culture into the public domain.
A story about objects, yes, and above all a story about looking closely.
📍 BRAFA Art Fair 2026
🗓️ 25 January – 1 February | Brussels Expo
🎟️ Tickets & info: brafa.art
🔔 Subscribe to our social channels and follow the series Life of Objects to uncover the journeys of artworks and artists that shape BRAFA’s world — it's where history, creativity, and connoisseurship meet.
BRAFA Principal Sponsor: Delen Private Bank
Video by Eyes-Screen
For BRAFA's Life of objects, we step inside the home of Dries Van Noten and Patrick Vangheluwe, where collecting is less a strategy and more a way of life with art.
Here, they reflect on intuition, time and the quiet intelligence of objects chosen to last. Central to this encounter is a pair of bronze sculptures of Mercury and Apollo, acquired from Desmet Fine Art, a longtime exhibitor at BRAFA. The figures, classical in subject matter but strikingly present, embody a dialogue between movement and balance, intellect and beauty – qualities that resonate deeply with their approach to collecting.
Filmed in an intimate setting, this episode shows how artworks gradually become companions: they shape spaces, anchor memories and reflect a personal view of the world. It reminds us that collecting is less about possession than about attention, patience and trust in your own eye.
This insight takes on an extra dimension as Dries Van Noten prepares for the opening of the Fondazione Dries Van Noten in Venice in April 2026 – a new chapter that extends his lifelong dialogue between art, craftsmanship and culture into the public domain.
A story about objects, yes, and above all a story about looking closely.
📍 BRAFA Art Fair 2026
🗓️ 25 January – 1 February | Brussels Expo
🎟️ Tickets & info: brafa.art
🔔 Subscribe to our social channels and follow the series Life of Objects to uncover the journeys of artworks and artists that shape BRAFA’s world — it's where history, creativity, and connoisseurship meet.
BRAFA Principal Sponsor: Delen Private Bank
Video by Eyes-Screen
