Since the seventies of the last century, the name of artist Johan Van Geluwe has been synonymous with widely used concepts such as “The Museums of Museums” and “Hofjes van Eden”. As an artist, he falls outside all existing categories. His work confronts folk culture with museum magnificence, Flemish traditions with international perspectives, critical reflection with ancient symbols, kitsch with utopia. This broad activity cuts in many directions and appeals to a multitude of people. Discover an oeuvre that perfectly illustrates the zeitgeist of several decades, but is unique at the same time.

THE MUSEUM OF MUSEUMS

Johan Van Geluwe has been developing an oeuvre that falls outside all art categories since the 1970s. He creates fictional institutions such as The Museum of Museums. The combination of global and local thinking runs like a thread through his work. He mixes cultural symbols with both kitsch and avant-garde, and utopia with reality. Against the power of the institute and the commercialization of art, he takes a critical view of quality and public responsibility. The artist escapes the conventions by taking refuge in relativizing irony and in the boundaries of art, such as architecture, history and folk culture. This versatility is reflected in various media: installations, collections, slides, graphics and puns. His vision results in a unique visual language that touches many themes but belongs nowhere else than in The Museum of Museums.