About Mircea

Mircea Maria Gerard Van-Haevermaet Olbrich

25 September 1976 – 3 April 2016

Mircea was born in Sint-Niklaas, Flanders, Belgium, and spent his early years in a flat above a bowling alley before moving with his loving parents, Paul and Goedelieve, to a farmhouse in Zele. There, surrounded by horses, dogs, chickens, and a host of other animals, he grew up immersed in a world of life and care.

From an early age, Mircea showed a deep passion for drawing, painting, and sketching. His parents encouraged this creativity by enrolling him in a Steiner school, nurturing his artistic talents. Later, he pursued law studies at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and earned a second law degree at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). In 2001, he was sworn in as a lawyer at the Palais de Justice in Brussels and worked for leading firms including Bird & Bird and Liedekerke, eventually becoming in-house counsel at Gaz de France.

In 2000, Mircea met Luke Olbrich. They built a life together, eventually marrying in 2008 after marriage equality was legalised in Belgium. With their beloved adopted dogs, Gobbah and Seppe, they later relocated to the UK, where Mircea made the courageous decision to leave his legal career behind and follow his true passion—art conservation.

He was accepted into the Florence-based bachelor’s programme in art conservation at Marist University (New York, USA) in the Lorenzo de’ Medici Institute. Moving to Florence with Luke and their dogs, Mircea completed the four-year degree in just two years, making the Dean’s List every semester.

In Florence, he studied under master conservator Daniela Murphy Corella and became a member of the Association Bastioni, where he gained hands-on experience and mentorship within a vibrant community of restorers. He graduated with honors in December 2015.

In early 2016, Mircea was restoring Putto with Dolphin by Verrocchio (c. 1479), located at the Palazzo Vecchio, working alongside fellow conservator Chiara Piani. He was due to travel to Switzerland on April 5 for his final interview at SUPSI—one of the world’s leading postgraduate programmes in conservation—to begin a PhD.

Mircea died by suicide on April 3, 2016, at home in Florence. He was 39.

He never completed the restoration of Putto with Dolphin.

The MMG Foundation has been established to continue the work he started and to begin all of the work he didn’t have the time to get to. With love and affection for his everlasting spirit and ensuring he lives on, in the memory of the living.