Draft:Isy Brachot III

Isy Brachot III (born 1944) is a Belgian art dealer and gallerist, He is one of the most notable belgian art dealers of the 20th century. He became prominent as an art gallery owner in Brussels beginning in 1967 and he is known as the last René Magritte dealer. His wife, Christine Brachot, fostered meaningful dialogues between European and American contemporary artists over the decades.

Early Life and Career
In 1915, Isy Brachot, the first of his name, founded the "Galerie des artistes français" and actively promoted renowned Belgian painters in his other galleries: the Studio gallery and the Art Gallery of Zoute, inaugurated in 1923. Through four decades of exhibitions and the international art magazine "L'Art belge," Isy Brachot played a pivotal role in shaping the art market in Belgium. In 1934, he opened his gallery at 62 Avenue Louise, housed in the former Galerie Le Centaure, and passed away in 1960.

Taking the reins, Isy II continued the legacy. In the same year, the gallery relocated to a mansion at 62 A Avenue Louise in Brussels. Focusing on figurative art, Isy II exhibited works by artists such as Ensor, Dali, Picasso, Léger, Mesens, Delvaux, Magritte and Delmotte. He passed away in 1967.

Isy III orchestrated a significant event in 1968, organising a vast exhibition of René Magritte's work, presenting 180 paintings and, as a world premiere, 8 sculptures.

Along with his wife Christine Brachot, He specialized in surrealism and hyperrealism and established a second gallery in Knokke-le-Zoute (1971-1979), a gallery in Paris (1978-1993), a second gallery "Christine et Isy Brachot" in Brussels (1989).

Isy III coined the French word hyperréalisme, meaning Hyperrealism , as the title of a major exhibition and catalogue at his gallery in Brussels in 1973. The exhibition was dominated by such American photorealists as Ralph Goings, Chuck Close, Don Eddy, Robert Bechtle and Richard McLean; but it also included such influential European artists as Roland Delcol, Domenico Gnoli, Gerhard Richter, and Konrad Klapheck

In 1989, Isy Brachot opened another gallery in Paris called "Piece unique" in collaboration with Lucio Amelio (1989-1992), the space was designed with Cy Twombly.

Christine and Isy Brachot also introduced "First View," a space for premieres in Brussels from 1991 to 1992 and 1991 to 1993.

Additionally, " Galerie Christine et Isy Brachot" in Paris was dedicated to contemporary artists.

Isy Brachot immersed himself in the realm of surrealism, particularly Magritte's work, becoming a recognized specialist and the last dealer of the artist. He organized over thirty exhibitions dedicated to Magritte between 1968 and 1995.

Brachot Gallery
From 1967 to 1993, the gallery specialized in surrealism (Magritte, Dali, Marien, Mesens, de Chirico, Dado …), conceptual art (Art and Language, Broodthaers, Opalka,Turell, Cragg, Gormley, Bijl ), narrative figuration (Arroyo, Fromanger), body art (Journiac, Luthi, Gina Pane...), Arte Povera (Kounellis, Mario Merz...), Pop Art (Dine, Rauschenberg , Johns, Warhol...), Hyperrealism (De Andrea, Gnoli), Photorealism, ( Chuck Close...)

The gallery participated in numerous contemporary art fairs across Brussels, Liège, Ghent, Paris,Basel,Madrid, Cologne, Frankfurt, Berlin, Amsterdam, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Tokyo, and Yokohama.

In 1994, the gallery transformed into "Galerie Christine et Isy Brachot," exclusively representing one living artist, Panamarenko.

Since 2000, his son, Isy Brachot IV, manages the Gallery Brachot, currently overseeing the sale of works by Magritte, Delvaux, Broodthaers, Mesens, Marien, and Opalka among many others.

Apart from nearly 500 exhibitions, the gallery published around a hundred exhibition catalogs, monographs and the catalog raisonné of the works of Félix Labisse and Panamarenko.

Recognition
Isy Brachot III served as the President of the "Union Professionnelle des Marchands d'Art Moderne et Contemporain" for 10 years and as the Secretary General of the "Confédération Européenne des Experts d'Art".

He was also the former President of the "Chambre Belge des Experts en Œuvres d'Art".

In 1988 He received the title of "Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres" in France by Jack Lang.