Art Story

Refined antique objects carry a quiet luxury -memories of a time when beauty, status, and refinement effortlessly went hand in hand. This vanished splendour has intrigued Jan De Vliegher for years and serves as the starting point for his "Treasury" series. In each painting, we see a display cabinet filled with porcelain: platters, plates, cups. What once stood still and fragile behind glass becomes, under De Vliegher's brush, a sensory experience -powerful, colorful, intense. The image seems to draw the viewer inside the cabinet, revealing a depth of shine, movement, and pure paint. De Vliegher does not choose a literal depiction but an evocation. Ornaments and tableware are reduced to their essence -memory and desire. The series was first exhibited in 2011 at Gaasbeek Castle and originated from a visit to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Today, so many years later, "Treasury" continues to evolve -a lively conversation between past and present, between viewing and deep experience.