Hubert Minnebo Donates Extensive Collection to The Phoebus Foundation

The Phoebus Foundation, a public benefit foundation, welcomes a substantial donation from Flemish artist Hubert Minnebo. This transfer safeguards a vast and diverse collection of artworks and documents through continued professional management and sustainable care.

A Multifaceted Donation

The donation encompasses a wide range of artworks that reflect Minnebo's rich oeuvre. These include paintings, drawings, etchings, aluchromies, and sculptures in copper and bronze. Each of these works testifies to his exceptional craftsmanship and ongoing quest for beauty and expression.

In addition to the artworks themselves, Minnebo is also donating extensive documentation that illuminates his artistic journey. Hundreds of slides and photographs, personal archives, catalogs, publications, and designs are part of the collection. Together, they illustrate the development of his oeuvre and offer insight into the thought and work processes that preceded it. The addition of materials and tools from his studios is also unique: objects directly linked to the creation of his sculptures and paintings. This way, not only the final result is preserved, but also the context in which the creations were made.

"Minnebo spent his entire life casting, hammering, and sanding until his metal began to speak," says Fernand Huts, chairman of The Phoebus Foundation, delighted with the donation. "The living fire you sense in his idiosyncratic oeuvre is pure Flemish heritage that will move generations to come."

This combination of artworks, archival materials, and studio objects makes the donation particularly valuable and complete.

An artistic legacy

With this gesture, Hubert Minnebo aims to ensure the future of his life's work in an environment where care, expertise, and accessibility are paramount. His oeuvre is now held in numerous museums, public spaces, and private collections, both in Flanders and internationally. By transferring a large portion of his work and archive to The Phoebus Foundation, he consciously chooses an institution committed to sustainable preservation and scientific substantiation.

The donation also confirms Minnebo's significance within Flemish art history. His work is representative of a generation of artists who combined mastery of craftsmanship with a distinct artistic vision. With his creations, he consistently connected tradition and innovation, poetry and monumentality.

About Hubert Minnebo

Hubert Minnebo (born 1940) began his career as a painter and graphic artist and gradually developed into a sculptor in precious metals such as copper and bronze. He also created an extensive collection of jewelry in yellow and white gold, in which the same sense of form and refinement resonates. His oeuvre is characterized by a delicate formal language in which organic lines and a pursuit of harmony are central. A recognizable motif in his work is the so-called "Minnebo head," a signature shape that recurs in various variations and lends his oeuvre a strong individuality. His sculptures, paintings, and jewelry are characterized by a distinct aesthetic power and are held in numerous collections at home and abroad.

About The Phoebus Foundation

The Phoebus Foundation is a public benefit foundation that collects, preserves, restores and researches art. The foundation shares its collection and knowledge with the widest possible audience through exhibitions, publications, loans, cultural events, symposia, podcasts, and a children's website. More information: www.phoebusfoundation.org  and www.watiskunst.be.

With the support of the Katoen Natie – Indaver group companies and the publisher Hannibal Books.

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