No plasters or disinfectant in these first-aid boxes. From paint and brushes to a bag full of glitter, you will find everything you need to restore damaged works of art.
"You don't find such artist's boxes in every museum. They may contain spare materials provided by the artist, reference material such as a tube of paint or documentation on the history of the work. Each work of art is unique and so is each box."
"Some works of art are very fragile. A well-known work by Broodthaers consists of 289 eggs. It has been loaned out regularly, and one of us always goes along for the ride. Then we make sure to have spare eggs, a box with fabric for ageing and powder pigment with us... No matter how carefully the work is transported, something can always break and then we can repair it immediately. In the box that accompanies this work, you will also find the address of a farm where you can find new eggs in the right size and shade."
"Also Broodthaers' 'Musselpot' is accompanied by a box. In it are two plastic bags with shells in the right size."
"Krokodillen" by Panamarenko consists of three crocodiles lying in a tiled pool. They are made of plastic and are filled with sand. This work of art dates back to the 1960s and after all these years the forms had started to leak. So we made a new inner form and put it into the original. For a repair like this, you have to study the artist's technique and way of working and research the materials. The results of all that research are in his artist's box."
"From 'ordinary' paintings to complex installations: each work needs to be repaired or set up in a different way. When we set up 'Diary of a Treasure-Holder' by Honoré δ'O, we follow an extensive step-by-step plan and we have his box filled with spare materials that we can also use."
"One of Luc Tuymans' artist's boxes contains everything about his series of murals made with large stamps: a can of black and white paint, a sample of the right grey, a paint roller... With the right material and his instructions, we place the stamps the way he wants them."
