Prominent figures in the art world are voicing fierce opposition to a controversial government plan that would see Antwerp's Museum of Contemporary Art (M HKA) stripped of its collection and effectively dismantled. The move, part of a wider austerity drive in Belgium's Flanders region, has been labelled "simply insane" by leading artists.
A 'Flagrant' Shake-Up of Belgium's Museum Landscape
At a press conference in Antwerp this Tuesday, the directors of M HKA decried what they termed the "flagrant illegalities" of a proposed museum sector reorganisation. The plan, set for debate in the Belgian parliament on Friday, involves transferring the institution's entire collection of approximately 8,000 artworks to the Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art (Smak) in Ghent.
This surprise announcement follows an earlier decision in October by Flanders' culture minister, Caroline Gennez, to cancel the planned construction of a new €80 million high-rise building purpose-built for M HKA. The transfer would effectively reduce the Antwerp institution, founded in 1985 as Belgium's oldest contemporary art gallery, to an arts centre without a permanent collection.
Artists Rally in Defence of Antwerp's Avant-Garde Legacy
Leading the charge against the proposal is celebrated Antwerp-based painter Luc Tuymans, widely regarded as Belgium's most influential living artist. "Antwerp is Flanders' biggest city, with a legacy as a home of the avant-garde in Belgium," Tuymans stated. "To degrade a museum to an arts centre is simply insane. You cannot simply take a collection of artworks and transplant it into another ecosystem, because such an ecosystem does not exist."
The outcry extends internationally. British-Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor, whose works are part of the M HKA collection, has formally protested the move. In an email to the culture ministry seen by the Guardian, Kapoor stated he "cannot accept that they might be removed from M HKA or otherwise put at risk as part of any institutional reorganisation." The collection also features major works by artists including Kerry James Marshall and Marina Abramović.
Questionable Savings and Logistical Hurdles
The rationale for the shake-up is rooted in severe budget pressures. Belgium faces a budget deficit of 5.4% of GDP, one of the largest in the Eurozone, with the arts sector bearing a significant brunt of cost-cutting measures. Minister Gennez's plan aims to streamline Flanders' museum landscape by concentrating collections at three central hubs for historical, modern, and contemporary art.
However, the projected savings have been called into question. Belgium's financial inspectorate issued an unfavourable opinion on the proposals in October, suggesting their budgetary impact would be "fragmentary." While operating costs might fall from around €8 million to €5 million, the gutted Antwerp institution would then face new expenses to borrow artworks for exhibitions.
Significant logistical problems also loom. Smak museum in Ghent, located about an hour's train ride from Antwerp, is currently thought to lack sufficient space to properly house M HKA's extensive collection, necessitating further investment in storage capacity. The future of other major projects, like Brussels' planned Kanal museum, also remains uncertain under the wider austerity drive.
The proposed dismantling of M HKA represents a profound shift in Belgium's cultural geography, sparking a heated debate about the value of regional artistic identity versus centralised fiscal management.
