Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

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In person

Luc Tuymans is one of the most significant and influential contemporary painters in the art world today.
b. there! had an exclusive interview at his studio in his hometown of Antwerp

Text Sheridan Becker
Images Photolibrary.com, Getty Images

01 Where do you live and why?

I was born and raised in Antwerp. It’s where I have chosen to remain to live and work.

02 Why do you think Antwerp has produced so many great artists?

People tend to forget that although Antwerp is a very small city, in the 17th century it was the biggest port in the world, filling the city with loads of foreign capital and turning it into a cosmopolitan melting pot with lots of different ethnicities and nationalities represented from all over the world– Portuguese, Spanish, Jewish, Indians, Nigerians.

03 When did you know you wanted to be an artist?

When I was six years old. I attended a summer camp and won a drawing prize. I recall there were hundreds of kids at the camp, yet all I did all day long was draw. I was always drawing. I drew chalk paintings at the time. It was also a difficult period in my life because as a young child I was diagnosed as being borderline autistic, but after puberty kicked in everything changed.

04 What are your favourite restaurants and bars to visit in Antwerp?

I frequently go to the restaurant Euterpia (General Capiaumonstraat 2, Berchem), which is located in an Art Nouveau building and serves good food. And for more than 11 years I worked in the nightlife scene in order to earn a living and survive in Brussels, Antwerp and beyond. So it will be no big surprise that I am co-owner of a cocktail bar – 57 Mogador (57, Graaf van Egmontstraat, Antwerp). It’s a great place to go for drinks either before or after dinner.

05 What are your favourite cultural places in Antwerp?

Museum Plantin-Moretus offers an extraordinary collection of typographical material including the Bible in five languages, the first printing of a 36-line Gutenberg bible and paintings and drawings by Peter Paul Rubens. A must see cathedral: Onze-Lieve Vrouwekathedraal offering two sensational triptychs by Rubens.

Another must see: Koninklik Museum voor Schone Kunsten (Royal Museum of Fine Arts) - all the big players can be found here. And let’s not forget Antwerp-Tower, also known as The Farmer’s Tower, the oldest skyscraper in Europe – it’s even older than the Empire State building.

06 Tell us about your painting L’Archiduc that Brad Pitt recently bought at Art Basel?

I painted this piece in 1979. It’s the inside of the jazz bar, L’Archiduc, located in Brussels. The French owner had an unusual protocol towards her customers: she would open the door, look at you, and if she liked your face, she would let you come in. If she didn’t like the look of you, well, she would just close the door. I painted the bar from memory. The original owner of L’Archiduc was my first collector. He put the painting on the market through my dealer at Art Basel.

07 Is it true you burn all your Polaroid pictures that you use to paint from?

The Polaroid pictures I have used to create my paintings over the past several years were donated to the Museum of Contemporary Art here in Antwerp. For the past two years the museum has stored and maintained an impressive archive database. I am grateful for their support and investment in my work.

08 What’s your working routine like?

Before I start working on a painting I know what I’m going to paint. I spend months on conceptualising, working out the imagery by creating numerous drawings, watercolors and Polaroids. Eventually the painting process will begin. I’m also a curator. For example Bozaar in Brussels will present “Double Happiness Brussels/Beijing” (16 October, 2009 – 10 January, 2010).

It’s an event where over 50 artists from both Belgium and China will exhibit their work. The exhibition will travel to Beijing, at the NAMOC in the Spring of 2010.

09 What are some of your favorite cities in the world to visit and why?

I am quite fond of Warsaw. I like the Polish attitude. I also like their dark sense of humour which is quite close to the Belgian humour. And, let’s not forget the Poles can hold their liquor. Other cities I enjoy include Chicago, Beijing and Tokyo.

10 Who influences you as a painter?

I have many influences, but it’s more about complete admiration. Van Eyck’s work is simply perfection. One can’t do anything except admire him and the same goes for Spanish artist Velásquez. The quality of both these artists is truly amazing.

FACTS

■ Age 51

■ Family

Lives with his wife Carla Arocha, the Venezuelan artist, in Antwerp

■ Clientèle

Tuymans’s most high-profile client of late is Brad Pitt who recently bought his L’Archiduc painting at Art Basel

■ Latest project

The first living Belgian to be honoured with a retrospective at Tate Modern, his US tour starts in September. Wiels Contemporary Art Centre in Brussels will feature his first solo exhibition from April