Flemish Government Plans to Dissolve M HKA Museum, Transfer Collection to S.M.A.K. by 2028
On October 6, 2025, the culture minister of the Flemish government revealed intentions to revoke M HKA's (Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp) designation as a national museum, planning to relocate its collection to S.M.A.K. in Ghent by 2028. Without consulting M HKA's leadership, the museum will transition into an arts center dedicated to exhibitions and residencies. Founded in 1947 and inaugurated on June 20, 1987, M HKA began with 150 pieces from the Foundation Gordon Matta-Clark and now boasts over 8,000 items. This reorganization has sparked worries regarding Antwerp's artistic community and the diversity of contemporary art in Flanders, leading to backlash from artists such as Emila Kabakov and Anish Kapoor. A roundtable discussion on December 15, 2025, included various thinkers voicing support for M HKA.
Key facts
- Flemish culture minister announced restructuring plan on October 6, 2025
- M HKA to lose national museum status, collection transferred to S.M.A.K. in Ghent by 2028
- M HKA would become an arts center for exhibitions, residencies, programs
- No consultation with M HKA leadership or stakeholders occurred
- M HKA's history dates to 1947 proposal by Antwerp mayor Lode Craeybeckx
- Museum opened June 20, 1987, with 150 works from Foundation Gordon Matta-Clark
- Collection now includes over 8,000 objects, including Panamarenko House donated in 2006
- Afterall published roundtable on December 15, 2025, in Issue 59–60 'Infrastructure'
Entities
Artists
- Gordon Matta-Clark
- Peter Paul Rubens
- Emila Kabakov
- Anish Kapoor
- Panamarenko
- Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven
- Tamara Beheydt
- Lode Craeybeckx
- Flor Bex
- Ingrid Sischy
- Pascal Gielen
- Hicham Khalidi
- Dieter Roelstraete
- Els Silvrants-Barclay
- Bart De Baere
- Vasıf Kortun
- Eugene Tan
- Luc Tuymans
- Nicola L.
- Lee Bul
Institutions
- M HKA (Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp)
- Internationaal Cultureel Centrum (I.C.C.)
- S.M.A.K.
- Flemish government
- Foundation Gordon Matta-Clark
- Afterall
- Artforum
- Antwerp Research Institute for the Arts (ARIA)
- University of Antwerp
- Jan van Eyck Academie
- Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society
- University of Chicago
- Permanent Brussels
- Centre for Urban Studies
- VUB University Brussels
- M HKA
- Government of Flanders
- SMAK
- Museum Watch
- CIMAM
- ICOM
- SALT
- MATHAF
- National Gallery Singapore
- Singapore Art Museum
- ArtReview
- The Guardian
- Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art
Locations
- Antwerp
- Belgium
- Flanders
- Ghent
- Maastricht
- Netherlands
- Chicago
- United States
- Brussels
- Istanbul
- Turkey
- Doha
- Qatar
- Singapore