Group of international museum organizations send an Open Letter to Caroline Gennez, Flemish Minister of Culture

16 October 2025 – Open letter

A group of leading international museum directors and cultural figures have expressed deep concern over reports that the Flemish Government intends to close the Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp (M HKA). In the following open letter, they call upon Minister Caroline Gennez to reconsider this decision and to ensure the continued support of one of Europe’s most respected institutions for contemporary art.

Dear Minister Gennez,

It is with great dismay that we have learned through the press of your reported decision to close the M HKA (Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp).

M HKA plays a crucial role internationally — both through the quality and significance of its exhibition program and through the active lending of its collection to institutions worldwide.
The museum is an important ambassador for contemporary art in Flanders and makes a vital contribution to the cultural reputation of Belgium as a whole.

At a time when public interest in contemporary art continues to grow, and the number of museums is expanding internationally, the closure of a museum such as M HKA would represent an irreparable loss — not only for Antwerp, but for the entire cultural field.

We therefore wish to express our deep concern and strong objection to this proposal. We sincerely hope that it is merely a preliminary consideration, and that this decision will not be carried out.
We urge you to preserve and continue to support M HKA as a cornerstone of both the Flemish and international art landscape.

With respect and sincere concern,

Laurent Le Bon, Director, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
Jean Hubert Martin – Honorary Director, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
Paris Yilmaz Dziewior – Director, Museum-Ludwig, Köln
Rein Wolfs – Director, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
Taco Dibbets, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Margriet Schavemaker, Director, Kunstmuseum, Den Haag
Maria Finders – Chief Curator, LUMA, Arles
Roland Wetzel – Director, Tinguely Museum, Basel
Felix Krämer – Director, Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf
Manuel Borja-Villel – Former Director, Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid
Stijn Huijts – Artistic Director, Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht
Olivier Varenne – Chief Curator Museum of Old and New Art, Geneva
Hobart Anne De Haij, Director, Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam
Bart Rutten – Director, Centraal Museum, Utrecht
Andres Pardy, Vice President, Tinguely Museum, Basel
Ann Demeester, Director, Kunstmuseum, Zürich
Sarah Lookofsk, Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo
Maria Balshaw, Director, Tate Modern, London