Lakeside Collection together with Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen participated in a study on “Collaboration between private collectors and (semi)public cultural heritage institutions”, at the request of the Ministry of Culture in Flanders, carried out by Laura D’Hoore and Professor dr. Annick Schramme on behalf of the University of Antwerp.

“Flanders is known for its many private collectors and their impressive, diverse and unique art collections. Collecting and displaying the collection is a phenomenon that passes through time has undergone various evolutions. The private collector has been since its inception of the public museums at the beginning of the nineteenth century often a valuable one partner for those public institutions. Parallel that has to do with social evolutions partnership throughout history various forms adopted. From supportive as lender or donor as a driving force behind the establishment of a museum. Today, private collectors are taking worldwide increasingly the initiative to their own opening presentation spaces. Therefore they take in the public tone circuit a important position. Also in Belgium the number of private collectors who own a presentation space. The boundaries between public and private to fade. At the same time, rising prices, that sometimes reach astronomical heights, today's art market. Rice on the one hand the question of what impact that will have in the future will have on the public supply of cultural heritage organizations. On the other hand is there is a growing interest in more cooperation between such public and private actors.

The Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen is an innovative example of a public-private partnership collaboration. Depot space is leased to private art collectors and corporate collections through a long-term agreement (which legally differs from a loan agreement). 15 percent of the floor space intended for art has been reserved for this purpose. The tenants of the sub-funds can thus open their depots to the audience. Tenants within the depot receive the same service and professionalism upon request offered as the museum collection.

The corporate art collection of Lakeside Capital Partners, also known as the Lakeside Collection, has acquired its own place in the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. Ali Keles, Founding Managing Partner Partner of Lakeside Capital Partners and founder of the collection, signed together in 2021 with Boijmans director Sjarel Ex a long-term agreement for the accommodation of the Lakeside Collection. It now has its own compartment in the depot, containing an exhibition space, artist-in-residence program, storage space and boardroom, which together covers a total of 173 m². Again is a mutual trust between the museum and the collector one of the important driving factors in entering into such a partnership. In addition, the freedom that the collector experiences in the collection presentation is also considered a critical success factor.”

To read the summary of research report:  PDF version

To read the full research report: PDF version