Maintaining and transmitting one's heritage: an interview with Julie Waseige

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Julie Waseige is an art historian (graduated from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, 2012), specializing in modern Belgian art and surrealism. After working as a researcher and scientific assistant at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, where she ensured the daily management of the Magritte Museum, she became an independent art historian in 2016. She is the author of several books devoted to René Magritte and surrealism published by Skira, Ludion, Hazan and Taschen. She has curated major international exhibitions, including Magritte. The Life Line (Lugano and Helsinki) and Magritte. A Lab of Ideas (Skarhamn). She was also a historical consultant for the documentary René Magritte. The master of mystery (Seven Doc, 2023). Between 2019 and 2020, she held the position of scientific director of the Marcel Mariën Foundation. A member of the international cultural network SALOON since 2019, she is now a cultural columnist at RTBF and co-founder of Retrace, a heritage promotion agency created in 2021 with Annabelle Oliva (www.retrace.agency).

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Could you introduce yourself and explain what your profession consists of, or more generally, your daily mission?

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I am an art historian by training. With my associate Annabelle Oliva, an archaeologist, whom I met at university, we created Retrace almost five years ago. Retrace was born out of an awareness: many people or institutions have heritage — whether it's family stories, businesses, collections, or buildings — but don't know how to tell it or how to transmit it. However, often at the moment in their lives when they want to share this memory, they find themselves helpless when it comes to archives or stories that need to be structured. Our role is precisely to make this memory alive and transmissible. This can take very different forms: a book, an exhibition, an exhibition, a website, a movie... Each project is unique and adapts to the desires and needs of our customers. We define ourselves as a heritage development agency, because our strength is to unite the right profiles around each project. Annabelle and I do the research and the writing, but we also work with a network of graphic designers, video artists, printers, scenographers and specialized experts to create a real “dream team” adapted to each story. In summary, Retrace is the art of transforming heritage into a story, and a story into a living heritage.

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If you had to take only one item with you, what would it be? And why?

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A dictaphone! Because I am a big traveller, a bit of a backpacker, and I love to get off the beaten track. What I am passionate about traveling is meeting local communities and having conversations with them. For example, a year ago, Annabelle and I were in the Marquesas Islands. It is an incredible territory, often unknown, which is in reality a real open-air museum: there are archaeological sites every 15 meters. There, we met passionate locals who are fighting to preserve and promote their culture. The dictaphone allows me to keep track of these exchanges, these stories, and to enrich my understanding of the world.

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How have you been managing your valuables and their documentation so far?

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I was very quickly made aware of the conservation of works, since I specialized in the work of René Magritte. It taught me a real requirement in how to manage valuables. For example, I myself purchased a small piece of work on paper: last summer, instead of staying in my hot apartment, it “travelled” to a place where the preservation conditions — temperature, humidity — were ideal. It's anecdotal, but it illustrates my rigor well. With Retrace, it's the same approach: we apply a method worthy of a museum or a public institution, but at the service of private customers. Whether it is an inventory in a castle, family archives or art objects, we implement precise and scientific management. But what's just as important is how this research is delivered: our clients don't need a thousand-page report with footnotes. Our role is to transform this academic rigor into accessible, clear, and engaging stories, so that their heritage can really be passed on.

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“Retrace is the art of transforming a heritage into a gift, and a receipt into a living heritage.

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Is the value of an object financial or emotional? Do you have an example?

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For me, the number one value is sentimental value. This is what I love to see in our customers, especially when a collector tells me that he buys at first sight, without looking only at the price or the price. Of course, there is a logic of speculation and some choose to place works in a chest. But what really stays, what we transmit, are the objects that touch us personally. For example, I am thinking of my grandmother's ring, which I recently received. It is not a piece of great financial value, but it is an item that I will keep and cherish for the rest of my life. And that's exactly it: art and objects above all make sense when they carry an intimate story, an aesthetic shock, an emotion. It is this human dimension that, in my opinion, is the real value.

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What advice would you give people when it comes to managing their assets, especially when it comes to managing their assets?

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“Many of our customers know they have assets but don't know where to start. To help them, we created the “project definition” workshop two years ago. It's a 2 to 3 hour session, a bit like coaching. Upstream, the customer receives a questionnaire to reflect on his story and his desires. Then, during the workshop, we explore possible paths together. In the end, he leaves with a clear report and, if he wishes, a proposal for collaboration — but without any commitment. This allows, with a very reasonable initial investment, to clear the ground and to know what is possible in terms of time, budget and personal energy.

I really recommend this workshop to those who feel that they have a story to share, but who are hesitant to start. Because sometimes you have to act quickly: for example, we work with a client who is now the living memory of his family. When these stories disappear over a generation, it's an irreparable loss. And I'm also saying this from a very personal perspective: every family has a story to tell. I lost both my grandfathers when I was a teenager, and I regret not asking them questions. They had both been resilient during the war... I would have liked so much for them to tell me themselves, to explain to me their stories, their choices, their memories. At 15, I did not have that awareness. Fortunately, there are still archives, but they are not the same thing. That's why I often say: even if it's not with us, take a dictaphone, record your loved ones, take advantage of a family dinner to ask questions. Because these stories are what shape future generations.

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“For example, we are working with a client who is now the living memory of his family. When these stories disappear with a generation, it's an irreparable loss.”

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You tested Objectory, what do you think?

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What immediately impressed me was the simplicity: I didn't get lost in the application, I didn't feel like I was going in circles — and that's something that often annoys me with these types of tools. I think it's an excellent tool that meets a real need. The challenge will mainly be to gain the trust of those who use it, but if that trust is there, it can really change the situation. Because on a daily basis, when working with collectors, finding papers or collecting all the information on a piece is often complicated.

Now, the fact of centralizing everything in one place, to have all the data accessible immediately, it is a time saver and a real peace of mind. I think it's going to make life easier for a lot of people — and I hope you win the hearts of as many people as possible.

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