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Axel Vervoordt: Stories and Reflections
Eminent tastemaker Axel Vervoordt recounts the pivotal moments in his life that formed the foundation of his mindful philosophy and signature aesthetic.
Axel Vervoordt is one of the world’s foremost tastemakers. Revered for his discerning eye in art and interior design through a career that has spanned more than fifty years, he is renowned for his captivating minimalist interiors. An iconic figure at the most prominent international art fairs and exhibitions, he incarnates a singular philosophy for how to live mindfully and with style.
Axel recounts stories from the people who most influenced his life—his family, friends, patrons, artists, colleagues, clients, and unforgettable mentors—in this memoir that is personal, funny, insightful, and permeated with humility, wisdom, and lessons learned. He reflects on the key moments in his life—Rudolf Nureyev’s visit to the Vervoordts’ castle, Axel’s youthful acquisition (and subsequent sale) of a Magritte, his discovery of Japanese Gutai art, his legendary Venice exhibitions, and his experience working for notable clients and friends. He details his greatest successes and his personal regrets, while offering firsthand insight into the work that has forged his reputation. Axel is a larger-than-life and inspiring man, and this book offers snapshots from his life, painting an overall portrait of his guiding philosophy.
Axel Vervoordt is one of the world’s foremost tastemakers. Revered for his discerning eye in art and interior design through a career that has spanned more than fifty years, he is renowned for his captivating minimalist interiors. An iconic figure at the most prominent international art fairs and exhibitions, he incarnates a singular philosophy for how to live mindfully and with style.
Axel recounts stories from the people who most influenced his life—his family, friends, patrons, artists, colleagues, clients, and unforgettable mentors—in this memoir that is personal, funny, insightful, and permeated with humility, wisdom, and lessons learned. He reflects on the key moments in his life—Rudolf Nureyev’s visit to the Vervoordts’ castle, Axel’s youthful acquisition (and subsequent sale) of a Magritte, his discovery of Japanese Gutai art, his legendary Venice exhibitions, and his experience working for notable clients and friends. He details his greatest successes and his personal regrets, while offering firsthand insight into the work that has forged his reputation. Axel is a larger-than-life and inspiring man, and this book offers snapshots from his life, painting an overall portrait of his guiding philosophy.
312 pages, Hardcover
Published March 27, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 17, 2018
Interessant, wie of wat is “Axel Vervoordt”. Wat drijft hem en hoe is hij geworden wat hij is. Literair, spijtig genoeg, teleurstellend.
April 6, 2025
Belgian Art collector, dealer, interior designer & curator illustrates his life journey through decades of memories; meeting people, cultures and art movements that influenced and inspired him.
Axel being lover of opera, all things vintage and 16th century but also someone who is constantly evolving in his work and is the interior designer of celebrities like Bill Gates, Sting or Kim Kardashian & Kanye’s minimalist home certainly brings some interesting contrasts and tensions, which he enjoys and that are fascinating.
I enjoyed examples of various philosophies and art movements that he encountered and implemented in his life and work,such as Sunbi, Gutai, Wabi-sabi Ichi-go, ichi-e.
“Sunbi is a spirit and a state of mind. This idea depended my understanding and appreciation for Korean artists in the Dansaekhwa movement - such as Chang-Sup Chung, Seobo Park, and Hyong-Keun Yun. Sunbi is a way of finding beauty in bare simplicity. It’s about living life free from artificiality. It’s about seeking nobility through the purity of scholarship; by surrounding yourself with objects that are minimal and restrained, with an inherent respect for nature. It’s a truth that I want to bring to my own life.”
He has discovered, bought and restored the Vlaeykensgang (collection of medieval alleyway lined with 15th and 16th century houses in Antwerp) or the Kanaal (industrial complex on the outskirts of Antwerp originaly built in 1857, the vast site was a former distillery and malting complex).
On his collaboration with Anish Kapoor:
“Anish is and artist who has the ability to give body to the void - to use material to show us what immateriality is. He’s a sculptor of space that gives the chance to contemplate infinity by showing us a vision of full emptiness.”
In the physical centre of the Kanaal site is a large building with a circular room that was historically used as a storage space for grain that arrived to the neighboring canal by boat. In 2000, Anish Kapoor’s “At the Edge of the World” was permanently installed there following its acquisition by the Vervoordt family. The work has become central to the collection and vision of the Axel & May Vervoordt Foundation.
“The idea is to make an object which is not an object, to make a hole in the space, to make something which does not actually exist. Even more, the extraordinary appearance, loved and feared, of a piece of void, at once finite and infinite, reactivates the symbolic contact between inside and outside, earth and heaven, male and female, active and passive, conceptual and physical, thus rebewing the process of knowing,” says Kapoor.
Axel being lover of opera, all things vintage and 16th century but also someone who is constantly evolving in his work and is the interior designer of celebrities like Bill Gates, Sting or Kim Kardashian & Kanye’s minimalist home certainly brings some interesting contrasts and tensions, which he enjoys and that are fascinating.
I enjoyed examples of various philosophies and art movements that he encountered and implemented in his life and work,such as Sunbi, Gutai, Wabi-sabi Ichi-go, ichi-e.
“Sunbi is a spirit and a state of mind. This idea depended my understanding and appreciation for Korean artists in the Dansaekhwa movement - such as Chang-Sup Chung, Seobo Park, and Hyong-Keun Yun. Sunbi is a way of finding beauty in bare simplicity. It’s about living life free from artificiality. It’s about seeking nobility through the purity of scholarship; by surrounding yourself with objects that are minimal and restrained, with an inherent respect for nature. It’s a truth that I want to bring to my own life.”
He has discovered, bought and restored the Vlaeykensgang (collection of medieval alleyway lined with 15th and 16th century houses in Antwerp) or the Kanaal (industrial complex on the outskirts of Antwerp originaly built in 1857, the vast site was a former distillery and malting complex).
On his collaboration with Anish Kapoor:
“Anish is and artist who has the ability to give body to the void - to use material to show us what immateriality is. He’s a sculptor of space that gives the chance to contemplate infinity by showing us a vision of full emptiness.”
In the physical centre of the Kanaal site is a large building with a circular room that was historically used as a storage space for grain that arrived to the neighboring canal by boat. In 2000, Anish Kapoor’s “At the Edge of the World” was permanently installed there following its acquisition by the Vervoordt family. The work has become central to the collection and vision of the Axel & May Vervoordt Foundation.
“The idea is to make an object which is not an object, to make a hole in the space, to make something which does not actually exist. Even more, the extraordinary appearance, loved and feared, of a piece of void, at once finite and infinite, reactivates the symbolic contact between inside and outside, earth and heaven, male and female, active and passive, conceptual and physical, thus rebewing the process of knowing,” says Kapoor.
April 7, 2021
Rich guy does rich guy stuff. Would be better served with roles reversed — more images of the pieces/experiences that shaped his life colored with the stories as context. As-is it just reads as a story of privilege/ego with a smattering of the actual art that accompanies it as minuscule footnote
October 26, 2023
An interesting description of the people and events that influenced Axel Vervoordt and made him the success he is. And what is he? More than a Collector and Interior Designer. Perhaps a curator of beauty and space….?
February 29, 2024
Het boek is een mooie compilatie van persoonlijke anekdotes uit het leven van Axel Vervoordt en zijn visie en filosofie m.b.t. kunst. De Lannoo-uitgave bevat daarnaast een aantal foto's ter illustratie. Ik heb persoonlijk veel plezier beleefd aan zijn liefde voor schoonheid.
October 16, 2018
Interesting stories and anecdotes from a man who buys and sells antiques for a living - successfully! His understated appreciation for all things old, their patina, their history.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2021
Insightful and inspiring, Axel's love and passion for art and the role it plays in the world and our lives is refreshing.
March 26, 2021
I am biased because I was already a huge fan of Axel Vervoordt before reading this. I initially bought the book to learn more about his life but I was more impressed by his eclectic knowledge in the different pieces and the time periods from which they come. His life, although injected with some interesting characters and events, was very privileged so I was a bit less captivated by the trajectory of his business. I don't mean to discredit his journey at all; his passion is evident in his detailed recounting of stories.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews