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Kat Demoor, Archive Manager

Bridgeman’s archive manager and all-round problem solver, Katrien ‘Kat’ Demoor.
Bridgeman’s archive manager and all-round problem solver, Katrien ‘Kat’ Demoor.

What's your role at Bridgeman Images?

I'm the all-round problem solver! I manage the office, the library’s physical archives and work with the digital collection. I also liaise with our Sales Team to support the flow of digital orders and queries. This includes checking the quality, colour and orientation of an image. As well as looking at whether it has been cropped, cleaned or restored. 

One of our many strengths is that we are surrounded by the original transparencies. If something is flagged up, we can cross-check with the original. 

What do you love most about your job? 

I started working here after moving from Belgium to London. I love the unexpected. I remember visiting museums for a client to check the quality and colour of their printer’s proofs against the paintings. 

What misconceptions do people most commonly have about the archive?

That what's on the website is all we have to offer. There is a wealth of material we can access behind the scenes. If you cannot find the image, always ask our sales team. In some cases we can even send a photographer to the museum for you.

 

Bridgeman’s in-house technicians can do everything from digital restoration to scanning a detail at super-size for larger print jobs. Here, we have cut out details for any use (Scene from a Play) and coloured previously black and white images (George 'Beau' Brummell and | Bill Sykes and his dog). This is only a fraction of the services we offer though!

Scene from a Play [top, with Bridgeman's cut-out detail, below] (oil on canvas), French School, (16th century)
Scene from a Play [top, with Bridgeman's cut-out detail, below] (oil on canvas), French School, (16th century)

 

George 'Beau' Brummell (1778-1849) 1805 [original, left; later Bridgeman colouration, right], by Robert Dighton (1752-1814) | Bill Sykes and his dog [original, left; later Bridgeman colouration, right] by Thomas Archer, c.1894

 

Kat's top picks from our archive

 

Woman at the Edge of the Water

The light on Belgian beaches can be very surprising. Here, Spilliaert captures the constant colour changes of sea and sand.

Woman at the Edge of the Water, 1910 (oil on canvas), by Leon Spilliaert (1881-1946) / Private Collection / Giraudon
Woman at the Edge of the Water, 1910 (oil on canvas), by Leon Spilliaert (1881-1946) / Private Collection / Giraudon

 

Portrait of Saskia van Uylenburgh

This portrait of Rembrandt’s first wife shows a lady of great wealth. Apparently falling in love with the artist was below her status.

Portrait of Saskia van Uylenburgh (1612-42) (oil on panel), by Rembrandt (1606-69) / Gemaeldegalerie Alte Meister, Germany
Portrait of Saskia van Uylenburgh (1612-42) (oil on panel), by Rembrandt (1606-69) / Gemaeldegalerie Alte Meister, Germany 

 

From the Triptych of the Temptation of St. Anthony

The weird and wonderful world of Hieronymus Bosch continues to intrigue me. The everyday world he lived in must have been full of contradictions and beliefs. The scenes he paint lay bare the cruel reality of the late-Middle Ages.  

From the Triptych of the Temptation of St. Anthony (oil on panel) (detail), by Hieronymus Bosch (c.1450-1516) (after)
From the Triptych of the Temptation of St. Anthony (oil on panel) (detail), by Hieronymus Bosch (c.1450-1516) (after)

 

Self-Portrait on the Borderline between Mexico and the United States

Khalo has been quoted saying: "I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality". Looking at this image, we can see the fusion of different cultures and beliefs.

Self-Portrait on the Borderline between Mexico and the United States, 1932 (oil on metal), by Frida Kahlo,(1907-54)
Self-Portrait on the Borderline between Mexico and the United States, 1932 (oil on metal), by Frida Kahlo, (1907-54) 

 

Shield, Cheyenne

I love tribal art. This Native American shield caught my eye.

Shield, Cheyenne, c.1860 (mixed media), American School, (19th century) / Detroit Institute of Arts, USA
Shield, Cheyenne, c.1860 (mixed media), American School, (19th century) / Detroit Institute of Arts, USA 

 

Knights attacking elephants

Elephants were scarce in 15th Century France. I guess if you've never seen an elephant, this is as good as it gets! 

Knights attacking elephants, from the 'Shrewsbury Talbot Book of Romances', c.1445 (vellum), French School, (15th century)
Knights attacking elephants, from the 'Shrewsbury Talbot Book of Romances', c.1445 (vellum), French School, (15th century)

 

 

Find out more

Need help with a project? Contact our team of in-house experts to source the cultural and historical footage and stills that you need. Our archive is growing all the time so there's always something new to discover. We also offer research and retouching services.

 

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