Flemish Minister of Culture Caroline Gennez (Vooruit) and the Flemish museums have reached an agreement on the next steps in reforming the Flemish museum landscape.
The Antwerp-based contemporary art museum M HKA will retain its status as a museum under the approved reforms. This decision follows Gennez’s recent comments in the Flemish Parliament, where she signalled openness to maintaining M HKA’s museum status.
Initial plans, introduced in autumn last year, to dismantle Belgium's oldest contemporary art museum and transfer its collection to Ghent have sparked a major controversy amid artists' communities.
After the long negotiations, an agreement was reached between Flemish museums and Gennez.
The M HKA is one of four projects outlined in the plan, which the Flemish government has endorsed. The museum will develop an "ambitious plan" for the creation of its updated iteration, referred to as “M HKA 2.0,” according to Gennez.
This new phase will aim to provide greater support for contemporary visual artists and strengthen the connection between heritage and the arts.
As part of these reforms, M HKA will also take a more collaborative role within the wider museum sector. A two-year cooperation agreement has been established to deepen ties with other heritage institutions.
Gennez also announced a general assembly on the future of visual arts in Flanders. The event, organised by FARO with Kunstenpunt as a collaborator, aims to produce long-term recommendations for the arts sector.
In the near term, a vision statement will be prepared by June. This document, created in cooperation with the involved museums, will outline a shared future for Flanders’ museum landscape. Patrick Allegaert, former chair of the Flemish Museum Consultation, will guide this process.
The participating museums have committed to closer cooperation. According to the plan, Felix Art & Eco Museum in Brussels and the Roger Raveel Museum in Zulte (near Ghent) will team up with Mu.ZEE in Ostend; while Museum Hof van Busleyden in Mechelen will join forces with the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA), and the S.M.A.K in Ghent will become a Flemish museum. M HKA’s placement in a cluster will depend on the plan it develops.
Gennez emphasised a unified vision with the museums. She stated their goal of showcasing more art in more locations to a broader audience while pursuing stronger collaboration and aligning Flemish museums with international standards.
Museums involved in the talks included M HKA, KMSKA, Mu.ZEE, S.M.A.K, Felix Art & Eco Museum, Kasteel van Gaasbeek, Museum Hof van Busleyden, and the Roger Raveel Museum.
