Frie Leysen Explained

Frie Leysen
Birth Date:	19 February 1950^[1]
Birth Place:	Hasselt, Belgium
Occupation:	Festival director

Frie Leysen (19 February 1950 – 22 September 2020) was a Belgian festival director. She was director of the art centre deSingel, Antwerp, from 1980 until 1991. In 1994, she co-founded the Kunstenfestivaldesarts in Brussels.

Early life and education

Frie Leysen was born in Hasselt on 19 February 1950^[1] as the daughter of Bert Leysen, the first programming director of the NIR,^[2] and the twin sister of actor Johan Leysen.^[3] She studied Medieval Art History at the University of Leuven.^[4]

Career

Leysen was the first director of art centre deSingel in Antwerp, from 1980 to 1991.^[5]

Together with Guido Minne she founded the Kunstenfestivaldesarts in Brussels in 1994.^[6] The first edition of the festival took place in May 1994. Under her direction the festival became an internationally-acclaimed major event for Belgian and international performing artists.^[7]

In 2007 she organised Meeting Points 5, a multidisciplinary festival taking place in nine different Arabic cities (Amman, Damascus, Beirut, Ramallah, Cairo, Alexandria, El Minia, Tunis, and Rabat), as well as in Brussels and Berlin.^[8]

She curated the Theater der Welt in 2010, was an artistic director at Berliner Festspiele in 2010-12, and was the artistic director of the Wiener Festwochen in 2013 - 14.

She curated the performing arts program of Homeworks 7 in Beirut in 2015.

Death

After a period of illness, Leysen died on 22 September 2020 aged 70.^[2]

Awards

• 1991: Arkprijs van het Vrije Woord (Ark Prize of Free Speech)^[5]
• 2003: Flemish Community Award for general cultural contributions^[5]
• 2014: Honorary doctorate from the Free University of Brussels^[5]
  • 2014: Erasmus Prize 2018: Co-recipient of the Bernadette Abraté Award, given by the French-speaking theatre critics in Brussels, with Christophe Slagmuylder, for their work at the Kunstenfestivaldesarts^[9]
• 2019: European Festivals Association (EFFE) lifetime achievement award, to acknowledge her commitment to artists and her actions for artists' creative freedom^[10]

Notes and References

1. News: Frie Leysen . Munzinger. 22 September 2020. de.
2. News: Cultuuricoon Frie Leysen overleden . Knack.be. 22 September 2020. nl.
3. News: Margot Vanderstraeten interviewt: Johan Leysen. Margot Vanderstraeten. 22 September 2020. nl. 2 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201002003047/http://www.margotvanderstraeten.com/margot-vanderstraeten-interviewt-johan-leysen/. dead.
4. Web site: Erasmusprijs 2014. Dutch Heights. 22 September 2020.
5. News: Festivaldirecteur en curator Frie Leysen (70) overleden. Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie. 22 September 2020. nl.
6. Web site: History | Kunstenfestivaldesarts . https://web.archive.org/web/20170826082256/http://www.kfda.be/en/history. dead. Aug 26, 2017. KFDA. Sep 22, 2020.
7. Presenter Interview: The Kunsten Festival des Arts, making Brussels a center generating new trends in contemporary art. Christophe . Slagmuylder. Chiaki . Soma. Performing Arts Network Japan . 29 February 2008 . 16 March 2024.
8. Web site: Meeting Points 5 . Bidoun . 1 April 2008 . 17 March 2024.
9. Web site: Persbericht | Prijs van de Kritiek Theater - Dans - Circus 17/18. rabbko.be. Sep 22, 2020.
10. Web site: EFFE Awards 2019-2020 Frie Leysen and Dieter Kosslick to receive lifetime achievement awards | Europe for festivals, Festivals for Europe. European Festivals Association . Sep 22, 2020.