ANNUAL REPORT 2007 - Bozar.be

I. Crossing boundaries
Photo : Julien Lanoo
Paul Dujardin,
Director-General
Combining our strengths
A remit of an institution like the Centre for Fine Arts, of providing an
international cultural image at both national and international level, is
a challenge that cannot be met unaided. If the Centre for Fine Arts is
once again ‘up to speed’, it owes this to its solid internal structure, and to
being able to count on extensive outside assistance and collaboration.
The confidence and the support given by the Board of Directors under
the Chairmanship of Viscount Davignon has allowed us to take some
good decisions during the course of this year and to advance our general
project. For this I would like to extend to them my sincerest thanks.
The investments and our balanced budget would not have been possible
without the intervention of Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, Deputy
Prime Minister and Justice Minister Ms Laurette Onkelinx, Deputy
Prime Minister and Justice Minister Didier Reynders, Deputy Prime
Minister and Budget Minister Ms Freya Van den Bossche, and without
the participation of the Beliris Fund (federal-regional cooperation),
via the government of the Brussels Capital Region. We would like to
express our profound gratitude to all of them.
The activities carried out in co-production with our usual cultural
partners or in collaboration with others, provided unity in diversity.
They represented a quality advantage which contributed to the great
diversity of our cultural offering. In every field we could count on
cultural and financial cooperation from outside Belgium, with the
support of Minister of Foreign Affairs Karel De Gucht and in particular
with the cooperation of the authorities responsible for cultural and
international relations in China, Germany and Portugal. To them too
we would express our profound gratitude.
As behoves its international level, our programme confirmed our main
priorities with classical concerts, jazz, world music and even rock. In
addition to large exhibitions of ancient and modern art, particular
attention was paid to current Belgian creativity. The film events were
of high quality, as were the architectural programme and the literary
activities. The dramatic arts too were well represented, both as solo
events and as part of multidisciplinary formulas. In all an enormous
programme of 5,480 activities.
The resulting dynamism is marking out a path for the future. It is a path
we are determined to continue on, with total dedication, in order to
ensure the future of the Centre for Fine Arts.
But we also owe our success to our home team, that is 365 employees who
are responsible for the administrative management, the building, and
the cultural programming of this great multidisciplinary centre, a body
of tasks taken on entirely by the institute itself. As well as the cultural
side, I would also emphasise the work carried out, in collaboration with
the Régie des Bâtiments/Regie der Gebouwen, by the site managers,
architects, foremen and technicians. With their help we are continuing
with the renovation work to provide a building in which we can work
effectively whilst respecting the heritage it represents.