Twelve ex-dancers from his company implicated him.
The Belgian artist and choreographer Jan Fabre, accused of "sexual harassment", was sentenced Friday to 18 months suspended by the criminal court of Antwerp (north).
A sentence of three years in prison had been required against the visual artist, a figure of contemporary art.
Of the twelve complaints, the court considered that half of the charges were time-barred or unproven, with certain facts dating back to 2002. The judgment upheld the sexual assault of one of the complainants and the violence or humiliation suffered by five others.
Absent from his trial
The Flemish artist rejects all the charges brought against him.
He did not attend his trial and was also absent when the judgment was delivered.
“We are satisfied with this judgment”, reacted An-Sofie Raes, one of the lawyers representing the civil parties, quoted by the Flemish daily De Standaard.
Caught up by the #metoo wave in 2018, the 63-year-old Fleming was tried for "violence, harassment or sexual harassment at work" against former dancers from his company Troubleyn.
He also had to answer for an "indecent assault" against one of them.
Charges for which he faced up to five years in prison.
The 18-month sentence is accompanied by a stay of execution for a period of five years, during which Jan Fabre is deprived of his civic rights, specifies the copy of the judgment sent to the press.
“A culture of fear” in the company
On March 25, the first day of the trial, he was portrayed by the civil parties as a tyrannical man, regularly humiliating the dancers and having even practiced sexual blackmail on some of them.
One of the young women, a beginner dancer, had described “a toxic work environment” during the investigation.
Several alleged victims recounted photo shoots of an erotic nature directed by the choreographer, under the “false pretext” of publication in an artistic magazine.
Some sessions ended with sexual intercourse.
Ignoring his advances could be worth bullying and brutality, testified one of them.
After this overwhelming portrait, three years in prison had been requested by the prosecutor.
She found the testimonies of the victims "very credible" and criticized the choreographer for having established "a culture of fear" in the company.
His defense delivered during the trial a completely different image of Jan Fabre, portrayed as "romantic anar", but certainly "not a criminal".
His lawyer Eline Tritsmans admitted the "strong character" of the artist, known for his provocations, and the fact that working with him "is about giving 100%" in grueling performances where one aims for "the real exhaustion, the real emotions”.
“It is not here about helpless minors who are abused, but about strong, educated women, who choose to go and do radical dance with Jan Fabre”, pleaded Me Tritsmans.
“No sex, no solo”
Flagship accusation of the file, summarizing in the eyes of the alleged victims its tendency to harassment, the formula "No sex, no solo" had been denounced by the lawyer as "a rumor, a gossip".
The charges relate to the period 2002-2018.
In June 2021, after three years of investigation, the Antwerp Labor Auditor, a specialized section of the public prosecutor's office, decided to refer Jan Fabre to criminal justice.
The works (drawings, sculptures) of this protean artist who explore the themes of death, metamorphosis, religion or science, have been exhibited regularly in Europe, from Venice to Paris via Saint Petersburg.
In 2002, he covered the ceiling of the hall of mirrors of the royal palace in Brussels with 1.4 million beetle elytra with blue and green reflections, one of his most famous achievements.
Company
#MeToo, two years later: "The movement has had an impact on the denunciation of all forms of violence against women"
Company
"Feminism is not a war against men, but against male domination", according to Victoire Tuaillon
Company
MeToo
Violence against women
Sexual violence
Sexual harassment
Culture
Belgium