Redrawing the museum landscape 

Yesterday, the Flemish Government announced a thorough redesign of the Flemish museum landscape. Its aim is to encourage the fragmented museum sector to collaborate more intensively with a view to increasing its international clout.

A number of museums will be grouped into three clusters. KMSKA, Mu.ZEE and S.M.A.K. will play a central role in this. The museum function of the M HKA will be transferred to the S.M.A.K. in Ghent. This will have a significant impact on contemporary art in Antwerp. We therefore express our warm support for our colleagues at the M HKA.

Naturally, major changes raise many questions everywhere. Questions that currently have no ready answers.

From now on, the sector will be involved in shaping this radical reform. The KMSKA will endeavour to constructively implement the announced outlines. A transition is not only accompanied by uncertainties, but also by opportunities. We intend to focus on this in the coming period, in consultation with our colleagues in Ghent and Ostend.

At the same time, as a global crossroads of the arts, Antwerp must more than ever remain the place where old masters, modern and contemporary artists engage in dialogue with each other. Contemporary artists and art deserve to remain firmly anchored in our city. Without them, the fine arts would lose their historical scope and perspective.

We look forward to writing this new chapter together with our colleagues in Antwerp, the wider professional field, policymakers and the public. Discussions with the museums in our cluster, in particular Museum Hof van Busleyden and Gaasbeek Castle, are already underway.