The Phoebus Foundation

The Phoebus Foundation is a philanthropic art and cultural-heritage foundation focused on acquiring, preserving, researching and sharing significant works and historical objects. Its principal cultural ambition is to protect heritage connected with Flanders and, where possible, return important works to the region or ensure that they remain accessible there. The foundation’s activities extend well beyond conventional collecting. It provides professional conservation and management, maintains suitable storage, commissions scientific and art-historical research, supports restoration, organizes exhibitions and cultural expeditions, publishes research, convenes scholarly events and lends objects to museums and other public institutions. The foundation was created to give a lasting and independent structure to the art collection assembled by Fernand and Karine Huts and by the family enterprise Katoen Natie. The collection was separated from the commercial and financial risks of the Katoen Natie group through an independent legal framework intended to manage the foundation’s property and cultural assets. According to the foundation’s stated principles, neither Katoen Natie nor the Huts family are beneficiaries, and objects held by the foundation cannot be sold for the benefit of the company or family. Its operations are supported by companies associated with Katoen Natie and Indaver, but the foundation presents itself as a separate cultural institution rather than a corporate art-sales vehicle. The collection is organized into nine broad areas. These include Southern Netherlandish art from the Middle Ages through the Baroque, Belgian art from approximately 1880 to 1930, modern and contemporary art, CoBrA works, ancient textiles and archaeological material, twentieth-century Latin American art, historical maps and topographical material, books and other objects related to Reynaert the Fox, and the industrial and port heritage of Antwerp. The old-master holdings include paintings, sculptures, manuscripts, prints, drawings and decorative objects associated with artists such as Hugo van der Goes, Hans Memling, Gerard David, Pieter Bruegel, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and Jacob Jordaens. The Belgian modern collection includes impressionist, symbolist, expressionist and surrealist material, while the contemporary holdings include artists such as Wim Delvoye, Marcel Broodthaers and Jan Fabre. Textile heritage is another defining area. The foundation’s Egyptian and ancient-textile holdings include fabrics, clothing, archaeological fragments and related objects connected with Egypt, Rome and the Silk Road. Its Antwerp presentation on thousands of years of textile art has highlighted complete tunics and associated accessories. The topographical collection contains more than four hundred maps, atlases and city views dating from the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries. The Reynaert collection comprises more than 350 books relating to the medieval fox epic, and the port-heritage holdings document Antwerp’s maritime and industrial past through objects and historical photographs. Public access is central to the institution’s positioning. The foundation has organized exhibitions in Antwerp, Ghent, Geel and other locations, as well as international presentations and loans. Its exhibitions combine collection objects with interpretation, research and experiential formats, including cycling-based cultural expeditions. Major projects have addressed Flemish art, lace, portraiture, Jacob Jordaens, Saint Dymphna and Reynaert the Fox. The foundation also lends works to institutions including the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, Antwerp museums, the Art Institute of Chicago and museums abroad. Its conservation studio and research partnerships support a model in which collecting, scholarship, restoration and audience engagement are treated as mutually reinforcing activities.

The Phoebus Foundation developed from the art and heritage holdings associated with Fernand and Karine Huts and the Katoen Natie family enterprise. Its creation addressed the need to protect a substantial cultural collection from the commercial and financial risks that can affect an operating industrial group. Rather than leaving the objects within a company structure, the collection was placed in an independent legal foundation with philanthropic purposes. The foundation states that Katoen Natie and the Huts family are not beneficiaries and that collection objects cannot be sold to benefit the company or family. The institution’s approach drew inspiration from Anglo-American cultural foundations and museums, including the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Frick Collection. Its operating model combines acquisition with professional stewardship. Objects are stored in controlled environments, including art depots connected with Katoen Natie, and are treated in the foundation’s restoration studio. Conservation is accompanied by technical examination, historical research and cooperation with scholars and institutions in Belgium and abroad. The collection grew into nine principal areas. Flemish and Southern Netherlandish art from the Middle Ages to the Baroque forms a major core, with painting and sculpture supported by manuscripts, prints, drawings and decorative works. Other important areas include Belgian art from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, modern and contemporary art, early CoBrA, ancient Egyptian and other historic textiles, twentieth-century Latin American art, topography, Reynaert the Fox material, and the industrial and port heritage of Antwerp. The foundation has also preserved works in public-facing settings, including sculpture in the Singelberg park. Public presentation became a central part of the foundation’s identity. The permanent textile display in Antwerp, known as 3500 Years of Textile Art, presents fabrics, clothing and archaeological objects from ancient Egypt, Rome and the Silk Road. Other exhibitions have explored Flemish economic and cultural history, the roots of Flanders, Reynaert the Fox, lace, portraiture and the art of the Southern Netherlands. The foundation has used the term “expedition” for some projects, combining displays with interpretive routes and educational experiences. Research and restoration have been particularly visible in the Saint Dymphna Altarpiece project. The monumental work by Goossen van der Weyden, associated with the Norbertine Abbey of Tongerlo, entered the foundation’s collection in 2010. A major research and restoration program ran from 2017 to 2020, after which the work became the subject of public exhibitions in Tallinn and Geel. Another significant program has focused on Jacob Jordaens’s paintings depicting the story of Cupid and Psyche, originally made for the artist’s Antwerp home. These projects demonstrate the foundation’s preference for presenting objects together with their technical history, provenance, cultural context and conservation process. The foundation also functions as a lender and partner. It has provided long-term loans to museums in Antwerp and to the Art Institute of Chicago, while short-term loans have supported temporary exhibitions elsewhere. Its international profile has expanded through collaborations such as the Denver Art Museum presentation of Flemish masterpieces and the Frans Hals Museum’s Jordaens exhibition. Through these activities, The Phoebus Foundation operates as a private philanthropic custodian with a public cultural mission: to keep heritage in good condition, deepen knowledge of it and make it available to audiences in Flanders and internationally.

1. 2018VOSSEN: Expedition in the Land of Reynaert

   More than 350 Reynaert the Fox books and related material were presented through an exhibition and a cycling route in the Flemish Waasland and Dutch Zeelandic Flanders.

   Source
2. 2017OER. The Roots of Flanders

   The foundation presented a collection-based exhibition in Ghent examining cultural and artistic developments toward the modern era.

   Source
3. 2017Dymphna restoration program begins

   A major research and conservation campaign was undertaken for the Saint Dymphna Altarpiece, continuing through 2020.

   Source
4. 2016The Birth of Capitalism: The Golden Age of Flanders

   The foundation contributed to a Ghent exhibition on five centuries of Southern Netherlandish history, with loans and works from several major institutions.

   Source
5. 20113500 Years of Textile Art becomes a permanent presentation

   A permanent Antwerp exhibition began presenting ancient textiles, clothing and archaeological finds from Egypt, Rome and the Silk Road.

   Source
6. 2010The Saint Dymphna Altarpiece enters the collection

   The foundation acquired the monumental Saint Dymphna Altarpiece by Goossen van der Weyden, formerly associated with the Norbertine Abbey of Tongerlo.

   Source
7. 2003Port-heritage preservation initiative begins

   Katoen Natie initiated an effort to preserve the historical patrimony of port companies, resulting in a substantial collection of Antwerp port heritage and historical photographs.

   Source

An independent, research-led philanthropic foundation positioned between a private collection, a conservation institution and a public-facing museum partner. Its distinctive proposition is to acquire and safeguard Flemish and wider cultural heritage, subject objects to professional conservation and scholarship, and make them accessible through exhibitions, loans, publications and educational experiences.

• Southern Netherlandish artOld masters

  A principal collection of Flemish and Southern Netherlandish painting and sculpture from the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries, supplemented by manuscripts, prints, drawings and decorative objects. It includes works associated with artists such as Hans Memling, Gerard David, Pieter Bruegel, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and Jacob Jordaens.

• Belgian art, 1880–1930Modern art

  A collection centered on Belgian impressionism, symbolism and expressionism, including artists linked to Sint-Martens-Latem and works by Emile Claus, Gustave van de Woestyne, Valerius De Saedeleer, George Minne, Constant Permeke, Rik Wouters and James Ensor.

• Modern and contemporary artContemporary art

  Works by Belgian and international modern and contemporary artists, including Marcel Broodthaers, Wim Delvoye, Hans Vandekerckhove, Jan Vanriet and Jan Fabre. Outdoor sculpture holdings include works by Sophie Ryder, Pablo Atchugarry and Atelier Van Lieshout.

• CoBrA collectionPostwar art

  An extensive group focused particularly on the early phase of the CoBrA movement, with works associated with Karel Appel, Pierre Alechinsky, Corneille, Asger Jorn, Egill Jacobsen, Carl-Henning Pedersen and Christian Dotremont.

• Ancient textilesDecorative arts and archaeology

  Historic fabrics, garments and archaeological objects from ancient Egypt and other regions connected with Rome and the Silk Road. The holdings include linen, mummies, funerary objects, complete tunics and clothing accessories such as hairnets, footwear and jewellery.

• Topography collectionCartography

  More than four hundred maps, atlases and city views dating from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, including material associated with cartographers and publishers such as Mercator, Ortelius, Hondius, Blaeu and Kaerius.

• Reynaert the Fox collectionLiterary heritage

  A collection of more than 350 books and related material about Reynaert the Fox, spanning early sixteenth-century editions through modern publications. It supports exhibitions, research and public interpretation of the medieval animal epic.

• Antwerp port heritageIndustrial heritage2003

  Objects, documents and historical photographs preserving the material history of Antwerp’s port companies and industrial activity. The collection emerged from a preservation initiative begun by Katoen Natie in 2003.

• 2019Lace is More!

  Belgium

  A historical and contemporary presentation of Flemish lace, combining old-master examples with textile fragments, contemporary artworks and haute couture.

  Outcome. The exhibition connected a traditional Flemish luxury craft with contemporary artistic and fashion practice.

  Source
• 2018VOSSEN: Expedition in the Land of Reynaert

  Flanders · Netherlands

  An exhibition and cultural route built around the foundation’s Reynaert the Fox holdings. The project connected books and historical interpretation with a 40-to-60-kilometre cycling experience through the Waasland and Zeelandic Flanders.

  Outcome. It broadened access to the collection by combining literary heritage, regional tourism and outdoor interpretation.

  Source
• 2017Zot van Dymphna

  Belgium · Estonia

  A large-scale research and restoration campaign for the Saint Dymphna Altarpiece by Goossen van der Weyden, followed by public presentation under the English title Crazy about Dymphna.

  Outcome. The conservation work enabled the altarpiece to be interpreted and exhibited for new audiences in Tallinn and Geel.

  Source

• 2017Make restoration and research central to collection stewardshipStrategy

  The Saint Dymphna Altarpiece required extensive technical and historical work after centuries of alteration, neglect and damage.

  What changed. The foundation commissioned a multi-year research and restoration program and incorporated the findings into public exhibitions.

  Aftermath. The project became one of the foundation’s most prominent examples of combining conservation, scholarship and audience engagement.

  Source
• 2010Place the collection in an independent philanthropic structureStrategy

  The collection associated with the Huts family and Katoen Natie needed protection from the commercial and financial risks of the operating group.

  What changed. The holdings were placed in an independent foundation whose stated rules prevent sales for the benefit of Katoen Natie or the Huts family.

  Aftermath. The structure established the foundation’s long-term role as a cultural custodian rather than a conventional corporate collection.

  Source

• 2022Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools opens at the Denver Art Museum

  In collaboration with the Denver Art Museum, the foundation presented Flemish masterpieces from the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries to a United States audience.

  Campaign
  Source
• 2021Crazy about Dymphna presents the restored Saint Dymphna Altarpiece

  Following a multi-year research and conservation program, the foundation presented the monumental altarpiece by Goossen van der Weyden in an interactive exhibition at the Niguliste Museum in Tallinn.

  CampaignProduct launch
  Source
• 2021From Memling to Rubens and Crazy about Dymphna open in 2021

  The foundation mounted a major survey of Flemish art from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries and simultaneously presented the Dymphna project, bringing collection research and restoration to a broad public.

  Campaign
  Source
• 2021At Home with Jordaens is presented with the Frans Hals Museum

  The foundation collaborated with the Frans Hals Museum on the first monographic exhibition in the Netherlands devoted to the seventeenth-century Antwerp painter Jacob Jordaens.

  Campaign
  Source
• 2019Lace is More! presents the history and contemporary relevance of Flemish lace

  The exhibition surveyed lace production from the sixteenth century to the present and combined historic lace, textile fragments, contemporary art and haute couture.

  Campaign
  Source
• 2018The foundation acquires a substantial group from the Herman De Bode collection

  The Phoebus Foundation acquired almost the entirety of the Herman De Bode collection, strengthening its holdings in Flemish cultural and artistic heritage.

  M&AOther
  Source
• 2018The Phoebus Foundation expands its modern sculpture holdings

  The foundation acquired numerous sculptures formerly associated with the Brussels Airport collection, including works by George Grard, Jean-Michel Folon, Paul Van Hoeydonck, Jef Van Tuerenhout and Panamarenko.

  M&AOther
  Source
• 2017The Phoebus Foundation launches the OER exhibition on the roots of Flanders

  The foundation presented collection works alongside pieces from other Flemish private collections in an exhibition at the Caermers Monastery in Ghent. The project examined cultural and artistic developments leading into the early twentieth century.

  CampaignOther
  Source

1. The Phoebus Foundation
2. The Phoebus Foundation official website