The author Jan Ceuleers delves into the colourful history of Galerie Ronny Van de Velde to mark the Antwerp institution’s 30th anniversary. It was in the mid-1990s, with an art market in deep recession courtesy of the Gulf War, that Van de Velde made a resolute choice to focus on exponents of the historical avant-garde. After announcing its presence with a Marcel Duchamp retrospective, the gallery grew into a fully-fledged, self-made museum in barely a few months. Further retrospectives to Francis Picabia, Man Ray, Georges Vantongerloo, Marcel Broodthaers and James Ensor followed, along with numerous other exhibitions.

This voluminous book introduces you to a single-minded gallery owner, whose artistic intuition allowed him to pursue a course as personal as it has been successful, making him a fixture of the art scene both in Antwerp and beyond.