Alain Servais: A Dedicated Collector

Since his first art purchase in the late 1990s, Alain Servais has brought his keen eye and intellectual approach to developing one of the leading contemporary art collections in Europe. But Servais has always gone beyond collecting, initiating a residency to support artists and opening up his collection, the Servais Family Collection, to the public in Brussels. For Servais, collecting is about supporting the wider network of the art world, including emerging artists and galleries, so as to sustain experimentation and diversity in the market. TLmag spoke to Alain Servais ahead of the upcoming miart fair in April.

TLmag: Would you share the underlying theme or vision that inspires your collection? What are the main criteria guiding your acquisition choices? Does your collection reflect market trends, or does it follow a more personal and independent path?

Alain Servais: We are interested in the way humans are living together, less than by how a single individual may feel. We could name the theme as sociological or political, even if that last denomination is a bit “tainted” in our current times. We are collecting in order to preserve works of art for the next generation. It is complex to describe but knowledge and intuition are essential to arrive to this judgment. It is also a meditative process where we don’t fall for what we love or what is “fashionable”, in the taste of the day, but we want to be challenged and to go outside of our comfort zone. In addition, collectors have an important role of injecting cash in the system to support the artists and galleries that have a go at original and relevant experimentation.

TLmag: Art fairs have become increasingly influential in shaping the market and promoting emerging talent. What is your view on the role these fairs play today, both for collectors and the art market as a whole?

A.S.: Art fairs are changing fast. Originally, they were a successful attempt by galleries to get more foot traffic. They have evolved a must-go place where collectors and amateurs can discover the best art. They are now more akin to a shopping mall doubled a social event where the art is often of the “easier to consume” type and where the art is less important than the socializing. These are challenging times for fairs as the costs are exploding and the returns are diminishing.

TLmag: As a collector of modern and contemporary art, what aspects of miart do you find particularly stimulating?

A.S.: Like all art fairs, miart is a spotlight to an art scene at least once a year for the local community but also for international visitors. Therefore, the interactions with the city are as important as what is happening at the Allianz MiCo. Milan is fortunate to have world class institutions like Hangar Bicocca and Fondazione Prada, but also enough significant art galleries to justify the trip to Milan in addition to miart. miart has also historically been a fair of innovation its curation, fostering a constant dialogue between modern and contemporary art through shared booths featuring two galleries, whether by this exhibition format or by distinguishing classic Italian galleries from edgier contemporary international ones.

TLmag: The theme of miart 2025, “Among Friends,” underscores the importance of collaboration in the art world. In your experience as a collector, have you personally witnessed the value of synergies between artists, galleries, collectors and institutions? How crucial do you think these collaborations are for advancing the contemporary art scene?

A.S.: Like most “industries” in the world, the art industry is becoming more and more concentrated between the auction houses representing at least 50% of the total turnover and the mega galleries which are representing at least 25%. It leaves 25% of the pie to something like 2000-3000 galleries around the world. Collaboration between artists, galleries, collectors and institutions is the only way for those galleries to survive and resist to the commodification of the market by the two giant pillars. This collaboration is necessary not only between artists, between galleries, between collectors and between institutions but also between the four of them: artists with galleries, galleries with institutions, collectors with galleries or collectors with artists and institutions.

TLmag: During an international fair like miart, what elements contribute to creating a meaningful experience for collectors?

A.S.: The interactions with the city, its people, its culture, its cuisine. The famous “experience” that people to favour more and more above only objects.

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