Maintaining Its Spirit – The restoration of Atelier Pissenlits by Michel François

Over seventy-five overblown dandelions hang upside down in a showcase.

Faded fluffy balls – weeds actually – which we usually walk by or which we, if we feel the need, blow away nonchalantly. But here, captured in this still scene, we can truly take a good look. And then we suddenly notice their perfectly spherical shape and their surprisingly steady structure. We realize, beauty lies in nature. For all its apparent simplicity, this installation of Michel Francois is one of the eye-catchers of the collection of the collector couple Marlies and Jo Eyck. The majority of their collection was acquired by the Bonnefanten in 2012, with support of the Province of Limburg.

The Atelier Pissenlits was created as part of a group exhibition in 2005 at Castle Wijlre, the country estate of the Eycks. Around ten artists were invited to create an artwork in relation to the nature surrounding the estate. For the installation of Francois, Jo and volunteers of the Castle Wijlre picked the dandelions. The artist included the flowers in an installation that soon became an audience favorite. It ended up in the Eycks collection and was, until recently, on permanent view in Wijlre.

The installation was too fragile to simply include in the exhibition on the Eyck-collection in the Bonnefanten. The dandelions were in a bad condition, partly due to the extreme rainfall and floods in Limburg in July 2021. After careful examination, the museum decided to replace all dandelions. This aligned with the wish of the artist. The Bonnefanten wanted the restoration to match the original context as far as possible. In memory of the Eycks, and to give justice to the recollections of everyone involved, they decided to, once more, pluck the dandelions in Wijlre.

On a sun-drenched day in May, the employees of the Collection Management Department went to the meadows around the estate and collected around 100 dandelions. They cut the flowers close to the ground and immediately fixated them with hairspray, thereby preventing the seeds to spread by the wind. The dandelions were transported and dried in special boxes. A couple of months later, they were placed in the showcase again. By staying as close to the original as possible, the installation is now restored in line with the concept of the artist and in the spirit of Marlies and Jo.

The installation Atelier Pissenlits is on view at the Bonnefanten in the exhibition ‘Maintaining Its Spirit: Collection Marlies & Jo Eyck‘ until the 4^th of May 2025. Would you like to know more about the exhibition and restoration?

Header: Michel François, Atelier Pissenlits, 1999/2024, mixed media, various dimensions, Collection Bonnefanten. Acquired in 2012, with the support of the Province Limburg, from the collection Eyck, inv. nr. 1005692.