BRUSSELS (AP) ― Belgian contemporary art director Jan Hoet, who organized a major exhibition in private homes and curated Germany’s Documenta art fair, died Thursday. He was 77.
He died in a hospital in Ghent after a long illness, his family said.
Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo said the Belgian art world “loses a father.”
Hoet was known for his outspokenness and criticized art snobs and politicians who did not get the point of modern art. In the process, his rasping, down-to-earth style brought contemporary art within the reach of everyone, making him a beloved Belgian cultural icon.
His fame spilled beyond the border and he became curator for major exhibitions from Germany to China.
“He was invaluable,” painter Luc Tuymans said of Hoet, who bought his first work and was instrumental in making Tuymans a global name in contemporary painting.
“Jan had the charisma and the force of conviction to talk about art in understandable terms. That way he was able to draw a great many people in,” Tuymans told VRT network.
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