The King Baudouin Foundation has recently acquired the archives of the New Smith Gallery, the famous Brussels gallery of painter and gallery owner Richard Lucas.
Initially inaugurated in 1959 under the name Galerie Smith, it became New Smith in 1966 and closed in 1969. The archives comprise four visitors’ books, full of signatures, photos and press cuttings etc., and files of correspondence relating to the organization of exhibitions. Names such as Paul Delvaux, Marcel Broodthaers, Bernd Lohaus, Takamatsu, Félix Roulin, Raoul Ubac and Walter Leblanc feature in the pages.
These archives are essential documents for the study of art in Belgium during the 1960s and, as Richard Lucas also exhibited the work of Manzoni, Alviani and Fontana, they also provide rich material for the study of relations between Italy and Belgium during the decade.
The archives are currently being analysed, classified and inventoried in order to enable specialists to use them for research and conservation projects.
