Two leading museum organizations, CIMAM (International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art) and L'internationale, have sharply criticized the Flemish government's decision to transfer the collection and mission of Antwerp's M HKA to a newly formed museum in Ghent by 2028. In a statement dated October 10, CIMAM's Museum Watch Committee expressed profound concern, calling the plan based on "false administrative logic" and urging the Flemish minister of culture to reverse the decision. L'internationale also published a statement condemning the lack of transparency and consultation, noting that the plan was announced without input from M HKA's leadership or stakeholders. The building housing M HKA will be renovated into a Kunsthalle, and the government has canceled a planned $151 million new building for the museum.
This matters because M HKA is a respected European contemporary art museum with a major collection anchored in Antwerp's post-World War II avant-garde scene, including works by artists like Marcel Broodthaers, Luc Tuymans, and Gordon Matta-Clark. The decision threatens to dismantle a site-specific collection that has been built over 40 years and reflects Antwerp's role as a hotbed of artist activity. The controversy highlights broader tensions between cultural policy and institutional autonomy, as well as concerns about government transparency and the preservation of regional art heritage in Flanders.