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Knight Jan Hoet (Dutch pronunciation:[jɑnˈɦut]; 23 June 1936 – 27 February 2014) was the Belgian founder ofSMAK (Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst or Municipal Museum for Contemporary Art) inGhent,Belgium.[1]
Jan Hoet was born inLeuven,Belgium. Throughout his career, he was often referred to in the press as a former boxer (he pursued the sport in college) and several times expressed an admiration forMike Tyson. In the late 1960s and early 1970s he and photographer Rony Heirman made some comics together.[2][3]
His international reputation was first established by "Chambres d'Amis," an innovative exhibition he organized in Ghent in 1986. In that show, about 50 American and European artists were invited to create works for 50 private homes in Ghent, which were then opened to the public for several weeks.[4] Subsequently, he managed several important exhibitions all over the world.
Hoet curatedDocumenta IX inKassel in 1992, presenting several hundred works by 190 artists from nearly 40 countries.[5] Subsequently, he managed several important exhibitions all over the world.
Hoet served as the curator of the SMAK from 1975 until his retirement in 2003. As part of the 2000 "Over the Edges" exhibition in Ghent, he let artistJan Fabre drape columns of a university auditorium in slabs of ham.[6] After retiring, in 2003, he became artistic director for the museumMARTa Herford inHerford (Germany) and collaborated with architectFrank Gehry on its design.[7][8] The inaugural show in 2005 called “My Private Heroes” was an eclectic mix of works by artists includingMarina Abramović,Chris Burden,Gavin Turk,Jean-Michel Basquiat andJoseph Beuys as well as history paintings, ephemera and a yellow jersey worn by aTour de France winner.[9]
On 17 June 2012 Jan Hoet collapsed at theairport inHamburg. On 23 June 2012, while being repatriated to Ghent, Hoet suffered fromhypercapnia and he was being held in a coma at the hospital ofSoltau. Hoet was repatriated to Ghent. In January 2014 Hoet suffered a second heart attack. He died in a hospital in Ghent on 27 February 2014[10] and was buried in the Cemetery ofCampo Santo.
In 1992, a Belgian magazine named Hoet one of the 10 sexiest people in Belgium.[11] At the news of his death, the Belgian prime ministerElio Di Rupotweeted that the Belgian art world “loses a father”.[12] "He was invaluable," painterLuc Tuymans said of Hoet, who bought his first work and was instrumental in making Tuymans a global name in contemporary painting.[13]
