About us

The story of the BelgianArtPrize begins with a group of painters and sculptors, called ‘La Jeune Peinture Belge / De Jonge Belgische Schilderkunst’, who went public together between 1945 and 1948. Among them were Gaston Bertrand, Anne Bonnet, Jan Cox, Marc Mendelson, Rik Slabbinck and Louis Van Lint. The honorary chairman is none other than James Ensor. The driving force of the group is Robert L. Delevoy, art historian and gallery owner. Lawyer René Lust assumes the chairmanship. After René Lust’s death, on 5 June 1948, the association fall apart, but the will to promote young art remains intact. In 1950, a group of collectors, art critics and art lovers set up the “René Lust Foundation for Young Belgian Painting” in memory of René Lust.

The main aim of the foundation? To award an annual prize to an artist under forty.

Over the years, the formula has undergone constant change. Each time with a few different accents. From 1954 onwards, for instance, the prize had a little brother for a while: every three years the foundation awarded the ‘Prize for Young Belgian Sculpture’. In 1963, the prize opened up to foreign artists living in Belgium for at least a year. From 1983, the prize takes place every two years and in 1986 the age limit for candidates was reduced from 40 to 35. The number of prizes awarded and their designation also changed several times. Since 2013, the bank ING awards a Public Prize in addition to the ING Prize. An electronic voting system is set up so that visitors can vote for their favourite artist through the website.

In 2017, the association decides to make strategic changes. These include the criteria and selection procedure for artists: the age limit for artists is removed and the BelgianArtPrize goes to an artist whose artistic relevance and innovative insights, diversified art practice and own visual language, could have a significance at a certain momentum and in a certain context. Also, there will no longer be an open call and all Belgian artists or artists residing in Belgium for at least one year are up for nomination by a diverse group of curators, collectors, art critics, historians and experts who will be contacted. Belgian contemporary art institutions are also invited to cast a preferential vote that will go directly to the shortlist.

The 2019 and 2020 editions were difficult, but the organisation took the time to listen, weigh up, consult and feel the spirit of the age, and adjust accordingly. This ‘collective process’, with its interesting but often difficult discussions, proves that art is a marvellous tool for change. The dialogues brought innovation, however without losing sight of the initial goal of the BelgianArtPrize: the ambition to support Belgian art with heart and soul! Finally, since 2021, the jury is no longer asked to choose 4 finalists, but only 1 laureate instead. Today, the winner of the BelgianArtPrize receives the Crowet Prize, a sum of money in the amount of 20.000 euros, donated by the Gillion-Crowet family, founders and continuing patrons of the prize.