Antwerp's Museum De Reede Struggles Through Pandemic with State Aid and Social Media

Antwerp, a wealthy city of 527,000 known for diamonds and its port, faces a second wave of COVID-19 infections. While its relatively young population seems unconcerned, small museums are grappling with an unprecedented crisis, trying to survive despite a drastic drop in visitors and constant changes in event and exhibition programming. Museum De Reede, located in the city center and founded three years ago, focuses on graphic art. Housed in a building designed by Antwerps Architecten Atelier, it features a permanent collection of works by Francisco Goya, Félicien Rops, and Edvard Munch, complemented by temporary monographic or thematic exhibitions. President Harry Rutten stated that the museum received three state subsidies totaling about €9,000, in line with support measures from the Flemish Region. The museum chose not to invest in virtual tours due to costs and lack of revenue, instead using targeted Facebook and Instagram posts to tease details of its permanent collection and current temporary exhibition. Rutten emphasized that the primary goal is to present the opportunity to visit an exceptional museum dedicated to graphic art, but it is difficult to predict the future impact of the virus on visitor numbers. The museum's focus is on weathering the current global storm and its economic consequences, looking ahead to future exhibitions and ways to increase its popularity and reputation both online and offline.