Six links between Delen Private Bank and art

For the second year running, Delen Private Bank is a partner of Luxembourg Art Week. This support is part of the bank’s wider commitment to the arts, which includes its own collection as well as activities in the countries in which it operates.

1. Love at first sight

Delen Private Bank’s love affair with art is nothing short of love at first sight. Ever since it was founded in 1936, this banking institution has emphasised the interest and emotional dimension of art. “As art broadens the vision of each and every one of us, we like to share it with our customers,” explains Anne-Sophie Delen, head of marketing & interior design at Delen Private Bank. “Even today, art remains a precious source of inspiration, connection and joy for our customers and staff.” That’s why art is such an integral part of the bank’s identity and a passion that it willingly shares with its customers.

2. Belgian art as a guiding principle

The bank itself has an art collection. Interestingly, it not only owns works of art, but also furniture. The interiors of the bank’s offices offer a fruitful dialogue between art and design. As far as the artworks are concerned, they come mainly from painters in two domains: Belgian painters or painters coming from geometric abstraction (or both).

The collection includes works by Patrick Ceyssens, Pierre Célice, Stefan De Jaeger, Stéphanie Defays, Jo Delahaut, Stef Driesen, Luc Peire, Guy Vandenbranden, Marinda Vandenheede, etc. In addition to this collection, the bank regularly collaborates with galleries that exhibit in its buildings. “These collaborations allow us to change the artistic setting frequently and invite our customers to discover the new exhibitions,” explains Sophie Verschueren, interior design & art advisor for Delen Private Bank.

3. A presentation to clients

“Delen Private Bank also likes to deploy its activities and welcome its clients in places that tell a story,” explains Delen. “These buildings symbolise the bank’s long-term, trans-generational vision. They also illustrate the bank’s passion for preserving Belgium’s architectural and artistic heritage.”

In addition, because the bank likes to share its passion for art with its customers, employees and other art lovers, it has created Delen.Art, a digital platform that showcases the bank’s art collection and the temporary exhibitions that are installed in its offices. “The bank wants to put artists and art lovers in touch with each other in a long-term approach,” adds Delen.

4. Support mainly for art fairs

“Over the years, the bank has established numerous partnerships and long-term collaborations with artists, museums, galleries and art fairs,” explains Delen. The main partnerships are with the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen (KMSKA, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp), the Brussels Art Fair (Brafa), Art Brussels, Art Antwerp and Luxembourg Art Week. The bank is committed to the cities in which it has offices, and at the same time is establishing a presence on the local cultural and artistic scene.

5. Support for Luxembourg

Delen is a partner of Luxembourg Art Week for the second year running. “For the moment, the bank does not yet exhibit any Luxembourg artists, but in the future we intend to develop the same approach as in Belgium in all the countries where we are present. The partnership with Luxembourg Art Week is already a first step in this direction,” says Delen. To coincide with Luxembourg Art Week, the bank is also organising events during the fair to which it invites its customers and prospective customers. “For art lovers, we also organise guided tours,” she adds.

6. 17 years with Brafa

In 2024, Delen Private Bank will have been a partner of the Brussels Art Fair (Brafa) for 17 years. Brafa is one of the most important art fairs in Europe. It attracts collectors, curators and art lovers from all over Europe and beyond. It’s a fair that mixes ancient, modern and contemporary art, tribal or decorative. “The other art fairs we support--Luxembourg Art Week, Art Antwerp and Art Brussels--tend to focus on contemporary art. For us, they uniquely complement our partnership with Brafa. The most important thing for us, and in line with our values, is to offer platforms that can arouse curiosity about art and generate enthusiasm among our customers,” explains Delen.

This article was written for the , published on 25 October. The content is produced exclusively for the magazine. It is published on the website as a contribution to the complete Paperjam archive.

This article was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.