Belgian art collector Myriam Ullens de Schooten killed outside her Walloon Brabant home

The Belgian art collector and baroness, Myriam Ullens de Schooten, was killed outside her home in Lasne-Ohain, south of Brussels, on Wednesday morning, report Belgian media.

Ullens, 70, who died at the scene, was allegedly shot four times by her stepson Nicolas Ullens. A former member of the Belgian state intelligence service, he has been detained by police, according to La Libre newspaper.

Forensic scientists, a police doctor, an examining magistrate and a ballistic expert attended the crime scene in Brabant Walloon.

The German-born influential art collector, businesswoman and philanthropist was with her husband Baron Guy Ullens de Schooten when the incident occurred. He is said to have survived the attack. It followed a protracted family dispute over inheritance issues, according to reports.

The victim was the second wife of Guy Ullens de Schooten, an industrialist and philanthropist who also collected contemporary art. They married in 1999.

Together, they opened the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing in 2007. Later renamed the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, it was sold in 2017. The pair continued their art activities with the Swiss-based Fondation Guy & Myriam Ullens. Their charitable ventures included educational projects abroad.

Photo: Baroness Myriam Ullens de Schooten, former Belgian prime minister Charles Michel and Baron Guy Ullens de Schooten in Beijing, China, in 2016 © Belga/Dirk Waem