Art News

A selection of recent acquisitions, 2005-2011 on view at S.M.A.K.

GHENT.- The collection is S.M.A.K.’s DNA and reflects the museum’s core identity as the pivot between recent art history and current trends. S.M.A.K.’s acquisition policy has developed organically over the years and has three distinct levels. Firstly, the museum strives to form an ensemble around the oeuvre of a select group of artists. Instead of representing an artist with just a single work, S.M.A.K. aims to collect an oeuvre in depth in order to present it in all its complexity. Secondly, there is a substantial interaction with the temporary exhibitions, which can be seen as the engine of the collection policy. Finally, by acquiring the work of emerging artists the museum attempts to give a major boost to further developing young artistic practices. Thus, through expanding clusters, S.M.A.K. seeks to arrive at constellations which enter into dialogue with each other within the collection. Presenting a collection