Marjan Debaene, Head of Collections, M – Museum Leuven

1. M presents...
a network,
a knowledge centre, a website

2. Contents
•The bigger picture. Medieval sculpture as museum policy
•A network
•A knowledge centre
•A website

3. The bigger picture.
Medieval sculpture as museum policy
• Focussing on strengths and opportunities
– M’s rich sculpture collection
– decades of expertise
• Claiming a territory & leaving a mark
– no documentation centre in the wider Benelux region expresses an
explicit or concrete focus on medieval sculpture
– A field largely undiscovered by broader public (supply/demand)
• Filling a void
– no formal professional networks exist in the Benelux specifically for
medieval sculpture scholar’s
– no platform websites exist for medieval sculpture

4. The bigger picture.
Medieval sculpture as museum policy
• Specific museumproject
• Embedded in collection policy
– Collection accessioning – active prospection
• Acquisitions
• Loans
• Donations
– Collection presentations and temporary exhibitions
• E.g. Sculptures from Bruges (2014-2015)
• E.g. new collection presentation (2017)
• E.g. Jan Borman (2019)
– Collection research
• Museum staff
• (doctoral) theses
• Research projects

5. House altarpiece, Antwerp?, ca. 1520, acquired in 2010

6. Ecce Homo,
Brussels,
circle of Jan Borman
ca. 1500,
acquired in 2014

7. The bigger picture.
Medieval sculpture as museum policy
3 strategic goals*:
• Create an international network for scholars
• A network of relationships, contacts
• Set up annual scholarly meetings
• Create a knowledge centre for documentation and expertise
•Develop an online platform that brings scholars, experts, connoisseurs and the
interested public together
Ards.
Association for Research and Documentation on
medieval and Renaissance sculpture
* apart from collection policy

8. The bigger picture.
Medieval sculpture as museum policy
• Mission statement:
Ards is a network platform aiming to generate and promote knowledge about Western
European medieval and Renaissance sculpture. Its goal is to increase the interest from both
specialists and the broader public in this segment of Art History.
Ards is also a centre for expertise and documentation on medieval sculpture based in M -
Museum Leuven.
• Strategic aims:
• to stimulate research on medieval and Renaissance sculpture and to provide a
sustainable digital platform for the dissemination and publication of research results;
• to demonstrate the importance of medieval and Renaissance sculpture in cultural
history;
• to promote public interest in medieval and Renaissance sculpture through different
channels, such as (online) publications, workshops/congresses, exhibitions, etc.
• Member-driven

9. The bigger picture.
Medieval sculpture as museum policy

10. Network
• Established in 2014
• Database of contacts
• Scholars/researchers
• Museum staff
• Conservators/restorers
• Collectors
• Art market and galleries
• Annual colloquia and/or scholar’s days, organized by M
or in collaboration with other institutes or museums
• Newsletter
• Closed Linked-in group: Ards
• Invitations will follow in the coming weeks
• Growth scenario

11. Knowledge centre
• ‘Established’ in 2015: Documentation, Knowledge,
Research
• Documentation
– Starting point: the available documentation
– specialised library
– artwork files
– artist files
– exhibition dossiers
– restauration reports
– auction catalogues (ca. 6000, dating from ca. 1810 - 2015)
– Photographic documentation
– ephemeral brochures
– Room to improve and grow
• Improve and enhance registration and physical filing system
• Digitally disclose documentation and library
• Collect and add more documentation
• Yearly but small budget for library purchases.
– Fase 1 : 2015-2018: focus on improving and disclosing

12. Knowledge centre
• Knowledge
– Conduct and publish research
– Facilitate research (internships…)
– Organise lectures, colloquia,…
– Enable publication of peer-reviewed research (future)
• Expertise
– Connoisseurship
– Exhibitions
– Conservation/restoration
• Open for researchers
– by appointment only
– on weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm

13. Website
• A website for you!
• A network platform
– aiming to generate and promote knowledge about Western
European medieval and Renaissance sculpture.
• A portal to knowledge
• A means to bring people, projects and institutions together
• On this website you can find links to:
- Museums and collections
- Research institutes
- Networking societies
- Projects
- Databases and research tools
- Art market and galleries
- Events
- Publications
….
• An online documentation centre open 24/7
GO!

14. To summarize. M Presents…
• A network:
– Ards. Association for Research and Documentation on
medieval and Renaissance Sculpture
• A knowledge centre:
– Ards. Documentation centre and Library
located at Museum M in Leuven
• An online platform:
– www.ards.be

15. Finally…
Please feed us with your information on research, publications and events to keep the
website as up-to-date as possible. Do not hesitate to contact us!
• info@ards.be
• Twitter account: @Ardsbe
• LinkedIn group: Ards
Marjan Debaene
Head of Collections M Leuven
marjan.debaene@leuven.be
www.mleuven.be
www.ards.be