The object in context
The Royal Museums’ 2016 selection identifies this work by Jan Fabre: blue ballpoint pen on Cibachrome photographs, inventory 12507, dated 2011–2013. Its inventory number distinguishes the Brussels object from versions or reproductions elsewhere. The old list records a collection location in 2016, not a guarantee of display today.
Try this when you look
Compare an area of blue with the underlying photographic surface. Record what belongs to the photograph and what belongs to a later mark. A pen is an ordinary tool here used at another scale; the material label is more useful than guessing from a small screen image.
Before you visit
Use the inventory number when checking the museum’s current collection information. Modern works in this selection were not all part of the same permanent gallery: five featured in a specific 2016 Patio presentation. Plan around confirmed display, not an archived room number.
- The object in context: The Royal Museums’ 2016 selection identifies this work by Jan Fabre: blue ballpoint pen on Cibachrome photographs, inventory 12507, dated 2011–2013.
- Try this when you look: Compare an area of blue with the underlying photographic surface.
- Before you visit: Use the inventory number when checking the museum’s current collection information.