As if it Could, ouverture
22 June–26 October 2013
Herbert Foundation
Coupure Links 627 A
B-9000 Ghent
A five-year process preceded the establishment of the Herbert Foundation. Since September 2008, the Collection was moved to the Foundation in different phases.
The Herbert Collection focuses on the international avant-garde between 1968 and 1989. Both dates mark the framework in which the Collection places itself ideologically and represents a social turning point: the student uprising of 1968 as a symbol of the belief in a malleable, utopian world and the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 marking the end of this period. More information is available on the website.
In 2011, work began on the building and renovation of the reception and exhibition rooms at the Coupure in Ghent. These are situated by the Ghent canal, De Coupure. Through the construction of the watercourse, an industrial zone developed in this spot at the end of the 18th century consisting of metal, construction and textile companies.
The buildings in which the Foundation is housed, belonged to the “Atelier Van den Kerchove,” a company established in 1825 and specialized in building Corliss steam engines. The studio spaces, among which the current exhibition space, were built in red brick and date back to the end of the 19th century.
The exhibition space covers two floors. The existing architecture has been deliberately altered as little as possible to preserve the original neutrality of the building.
Besides presentations of the Collection, the Archive within the Foundation will also be opened in time and the Herbert Foundation intends to expand into an art-historical research centre.
As if it Could, Ouverture
On 22 of June 2013 the Herbert Foundation will open with the exhibition As if it Could, ouverture, Works and Documents from the Herbert Foundation.
Compiled by Annick and Anton Herbert, the exhibition will display a selection of 60 artworks and 250 archived documents from the Collection.
As if it Could, ouverture forms the fourth panel in a series. After Répertoire (Eindhoven, 1984), Programme (Luxemburg, 2000) and Inventaire (Barcelona/Graz, 2006), Ouverture marks the present turning point in which, after four decennia of collecting, the Collection is to be opened to the public, based on a semi-private foundation.
As if it Could, ouverture displays work and documents by, amongst others, Art & Language, John Baldessari, Marcel Broodthaers, Stanley Brouwn, Günter Brus, Daniel Buren, Hanne Darboven, Jan Dibbets, Luciano Fabro, Gilbert & George, Donald Judd, Mike Kelley, Martin Kippenberger, Joseph Kosuth, Sol LeWitt, Richard Long, Bruce Nauman, A.R. Penck, Richard Prince, Gerhard Richter, Thomas Schütte, Jan Vercruysse, Didier Vermeiren and Franz West.
The exhibition can be visited from 22 of June until 26 of October 2013 through guided tours after online reservation. The guided tours take place on Fridays and on Saturdays, at 11 and 14h. A maximum of 16 people can take part in each tour.
