Two prominent international museum organizations have issued strong condemnations of the Flemish government's controversial decision to transfer the collection and operations of Antwerp's M HKA (Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp) to a newly established museum in Ghent by 2028. The move would effectively eliminate Belgium's oldest contemporary art museum, sparking outrage throughout the international art community.
The Museum Watch Committee, an initiative of CIMAM (International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art), released a Statement of Support for M HKA expressing profound concern over the government's announcement. The committee criticized the decision as being "based upon a false administrative logic that sees collections as merely an assorted accumulation of items." The statement was signed by leading figures including Zeina Arida, director of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Amanda de la Garza, artistic deputy director of Reina Sofia, and Yu Jin Seng, director for curatorial, research, and exhibitions at the National Gallery Singapore.
The committee emphasized M HKA's exceptional reputation, noting that "over the past 40 years, M HKA has accrued a well-deserved reputation as a European museum of international standing focusing on contemporary art, building on a predecessor founded in 1970." The museum has gained recognition for fostering artists' careers through first-time survey exhibitions before these artists become established, and for its "extremely multipolar and diverse approach" to contemporary art.
L'internationale, a confederation of 13 European museums and art organizations of which M HKA is a member, also published a scathing statement condemning the decision. The organization expressed that its membership "is appalled by the Flemish government's recent announcement, which was made with no consultation with M HKA's leadership or its stakeholders." L'internationale particularly criticized the lack of transparency, questioning "how, and on what basis was such a radical redrawing of the Flemish cultural map based – in consultation with whom – and when will this be made known?"
Under the government's plan, M HKA's permanent collection, which focuses on Antwerp's avant-garde scene and its connections to the international art world, will be transferred to the new Ghent facility. The current M HKA building will undergo renovation to become an arts center with exhibitions and programming, essentially transforming into a Kunsthalle without a permanent collection. The Flemish government also canceled plans for a new M HKA building that was estimated to cost 151 million euros.
The CIMAM letter described this transformation as "a regression," expressing particular concern that the collection "is being separated from its site-specific" context. The committee noted that M HKA "has a major collection anchored in the localized internationality of the post Second World War avant-garde, of which the harbor city of Antwerp was a hotbed of artist activity." The museum was praised for being "ahead of its time" and "looking towards Eurasia twenty years ago."
M HKA's collection includes significant works by artists who have lived and worked in and around Antwerp, such as Marcel Broodthaers, Luc Tuymans, Otobong Nkanga, and Laure Prouvost. It also features important pieces by artists who came to the city specifically to create work, including Marlene Dumas, Jimmie Durham, Nicola L., and Gordon Matta-Clark, whose "Office Baroque" (1977) was realized in a five-story building in Antwerp. According to L'internationale, this collection "is uniquely contextualized by the city's rich artistic lineage within multiple historical, cultural and geopolitical contexts."
Both organizations expressed serious concerns about the impact on M HKA's 80 staff members. L'internationale specifically asked the Flemish government to clarify "how their new plans are commensurate with maintaining the museum's current work force." The CIMAM letter noted that M HKA is one of only two Flemish museums in the federalized country that has been declared a Cultural Heritage Institution by the government "in recognition of its mission to work at the level of international excellence."
M HKA's director, Bart De Baere, who currently serves as secretary-general of CIMAM and previously chaired the Museum Watch Committee from 2016 to 2024, expressed his dismay in a statement included in the CIMAM letter. "I'm at a loss," De Baere said. "We are living in a democracy here, in which we nominate people to take decisions for us. It's important to take that seriously. I am actively committed to several countries in which people are dying for this very reason. At the same time, I am beyond flabbergasted by both the decision and its hollowness."
The Flemish government defended its decision by stating that the new museological strategy would create three museum clusters, each led by a "beacon institution," allowing them to "grow together into museums as described in the new international definition of ICOM." However, the CIMAM letter strongly refuted this justification, stating that "this decision also violates the ICOM Museum Definition and its Code of Ethics, to which CIMAM responds and adheres." The current ICOM definition, updated in 2022, defines a museum as "a not-for-profit, permanent institution in the service of society that researches, collects, conserves, interprets and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage."
The controversy has already led to significant resignations and public criticism from prominent figures in the Belgian art world. M HKA's board chairman Herman De Bode resigned following the announcement, reportedly stating that "the decision taken by the Flemish government to behead the M HKA, at the suggestion of the Minister of Culture, is too crazy for words. This happened without any participation from anyone on our side. I think that's criminal. I have no other words for it."
Renowned Belgian artist Luc Tuymans also voiced his anger over the decision, emphasizing the historical significance of the institution. "I am angry," Tuymans reportedly said. "We must not forget that the M HKA was the very first museum of contemporary art in Belgium. The whole neighborhood was also built around it. This is a real loss of face for an important city like Antwerp." Both international organizations have called for the Flemish government to reverse its decision and find alternative solutions that would preserve M HKA's unique role and location in Antwerp's cultural landscape.
