Belgian Collector Maurice Verbaet in Dunkirk

With 10,000 to 15,000 works, you’re considered an insatiable collector. What are your latest acquisitions? At the end of June, I bought a beautiful oil on canvas by Roger Raveel (1921-2013) at the Jules Veilinghuis Auction House. It had been restored, so I negotiated a price of €45,500, 30% below the low estimate, which makes me very happy! A little before that, I bought Soirée d’octobre ( October Evening ) by Léon Spilliaert (1881-1946) from 1912 and a museum-quality work by Henry de Groux (1866-1930) dated 1899. In theory, I don't buy anything dating before 1950. Seven or eight years ago I sold all my prewar works to focus on artists from the period 1945-1975, the boom years. It's not that I'm starting over, but rather that I can hardly resist something that sweeps me off my feet! One can imagine that you don't live with all these works at home. No, I don't, except for mirrors, because that would mean preferring one over another. That's why I've been lending a lot to museums in Japan, Seoul and MoMA in New York for the last 40 years. Sharing is essential. I keep all of the works in a place…