Yves Goldstein to Exit Kanal Brussels on 30 November, Right After Opening Weekend
Yves Goldstein is set to resign from his role as director general of Kanal, the new contemporary art museum in Brussels, on 30 November, right after its inaugural weekend. The museum, which was previously known as Kanal-Centre Pompidou, will open its doors on 28 November. Although Goldstein intended to remain until a successor was appointed in early 2027, a deal with Brussels minister-president Boris Dilliès hastened his exit. Dilliès had sought to remove Goldstein earlier this month due to differing visions for Kanal's direction. Kanal will debut with ten exhibitions, featuring a collection of 350 works from the Centre Pompidou. The Citroën building was acquired by the Brussels-Capital Region in October 2015, and funding is projected to drop from €28m to €10m by 2029 due to budget cuts.
Key facts
- Yves Goldstein will depart as director general of Kanal on 30 November, immediately after the museum's opening weekend.
- Kanal, formerly Kanal-Centre Pompidou, opens in late November in Brussels with ten shows, including a 350-work exhibition from the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
- Goldstein had announced in early May he would leave after his second five-year term ended, planning to stay until a successor was found in early 2027.
- An agreement with Brussels minister-president Boris Dilliès moved his departure to 30 November; The Art Newspaper understands Dilliès attempted to dismiss Goldstein earlier this month.
- The Brussels-Capital Region statement notes a “difference of opinion regarding the future of Kanal” and says Goldstein will not participate in selecting his successor.
- The museum is housed in a 40,000 sq. m former Citroën garage built in the mid-1930s, transformed by noAarchitecten, EM2N and Sergison Bates architects under Atelier Kanal.
- Kanal's annual budget was initially €35m, dropped to €28m this year, and is expected to fall to €10m annually by 2029 under austerity measures.
- Kanal pays the Centre Pompidou €2m annually until 2031 under their partnership deal.
Entities
Artists
- Yves Goldstein
- Boris Dilliès
- Rudi Vervoort
- Michèle Sioen
- Gilles Bechet
Institutions
- Kanal
- Kanal-Centre Pompidou
- Centre Pompidou
- Brussels-Capital Region
- Reformist Movement
- Mouvement Réformateur
- noAarchitecten
- EM2N
- Sergison Bates architects
- Atelier Kanal
- Tate Modern
- Citroën
- The Art Newspaper
- ArtNews
- Fondation Kanal
- Gouvernement régional bruxellois
- Sioen Industrie
- Le Journal des Arts
- Brussels Region
- Movement Réformateur (MR)
- Brussels-Capital Region government
- Socialist Party
- La Libre
- ARTnews
Locations
- Brussels
- Belgium
- Paris
- France
- Zurich
- Switzerland
- London
- United Kingdom
- Bruxelles
- Belgique
- Molenbeek