Legacy work can be understood as a caring practice. Despite the legal and financial implications, it ought to stem primarily from a love and care for the life that went into the work – from the act of pausing and spending time with the treasures and burdens that someone has left behind. While in some instances grief and sorrow may be part of the process, dealing with heritage as a caring practice is less about loss than about nurturing the work, keeping it alive beyond the lifespan of its creator, forging new connections, and preventing an artist’s legacy from slowly falling into oblivion.[1]
Laura Herman, 2022
The Philippe Van Snick Estate was founded in 2015 by Philippe Van Snick himself at the request of his three children. They were considering the future of his oeuvre and how it could and should be managed. When Philippe Van Snick passed away in 2019, the Estate was activated.
The Philippe Van Snick Estate takes care of the artist’s oeuvre: it is responsible for the management, conservation and dissemination of his artistic legacy. Creating a complete inventory of the artworks, archival documents and artistic research is a key task. In this way, the Estate can share and activate knowledge and insight. The aim is to keep the work visible, facilitate new research and support the further internationalisation of the oeuvre through collaborations with galleries, institutions, curators, researchers, authors and artists, amongst others.
The Philippe Van Snick Estate is run by Philippe Van Snick’s wife, Marijke Dekeukeleire.
The team includes Benedicte Goesaert, artistic manager, and Camille Bladt, collection manager.
The Estate’s long-term aim is to compile a catalogue raisonné of Philippe Van Snick’s oeuvre. Owners of artworks or other material (archival documents, studies, models,…) by Philippe Van Snick can contact: info@philippevansnick.com.
[1] Laura Herman, Legacy Work as a Caring Practice, 24/02/2022, https://fomu.be/trigger/articles/legacy-work-as-a-caring-practice.