How to read Modern and Contemporary Art?

Christiane Struyven is a speaker,  an art historian and expert on modern and contemporary art. She gives keynote speeches on painting and sculpture 1850-2020 in 4 languages. She is a guide of cultural trips with artistic themes in Belgium and abroad, such as the Venice Biennal, a Seinecruise on impressionist painters, guided visits of major museums in Paris, London and New York on modern and contemporary art. 

Christiane is an honorary lawyer, studied law (Louvain University), History of Art (Cambridge University) and she also got a diploma of antiquairon (CREPAC Wavre).

Recently, she published two books on women artists in plastic art. The first “Do women have to be naked to be in the Museum? 50 top international women artists 1850-2020” was published in Dutch in March 2020 by Lannoo Editors. The second book is “Who is afraid of women artists? 50 Belgian women artists 1880 – 2020” is published in Dutch and French in October 2025 by Lannoo Editors.

In the ‘80’s, she lived/worked in Mexico City, where she curated exhibits on 19^th and 20^th century painting for the Mexican Ministry of Public  Education. As of 1988, she was a barrister for 20 years at the Brussels’bar. In the meantime, she remained active in the artistic field. She was a TV (VRT) presentator on art, an advisor to Europalia Mexico and a boardmember of the Proximus Art Foundation. 

Since 2009 she gives talks on modern and contemporary art and guides the important temporary exhibits at BOZAR (till 2017). She is president of Jeunesses Musicales Brussel, administrator of the Montgomery Club Brussels and member of the board  of the Dutch Cultural Foundation d’Ouwe Kerke Retranchement nearby Knokke-Le Zoute.