The M HKA Case
This page brings together the actions and initiatives that unfolded between 6 October 2025 and 2 February 2026 in relation to the case of the Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp (M HKA). It documents the interventions of CIMAM, alongside those of numerous national and international actors from the contemporary art sector, reflecting a collective effort of solidarity in response to the situation faced by M HKA.
By tracing this sequence of events, the page records the outcome of these combined actions and offers a reference framework for broader debates on museum governance, collections, and the public mission of contemporary art museums.
On 6 October 2025, the Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp (M HKA) was formally notified by the Flemish Government of a decision that envisaged the removal of its status as a museum, its conversion into a Kunsthalle, and the full transfer of its collection to another institution, the S.M.A.K (Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Ghent).
Following this announcement, CIMAM reacted immediately. On 9 October, the organisation published a statement entitled “M HKA Caught in the Crosshairs: What Is the Museum’s Future?”, expressing serious concern about the decision adopted by the Flemish Government and highlighting its implications for the museum’s institutional integrity and public mission.
Subsequently, on 13 October, CIMAM sent an official letter to the Minister of Culture, reiterating its opposition to the decision and arguing that, in accordance with the ICOM Definition of a Museum, a museum cannot be stripped of its collection without fundamentally compromising its status as a museum. As outlined in CIMAM’s statement, the removal of a collection undermines a museum’s ability to research, collect, conserve, interpret, and exhibit heritage, and weakens its historical, cultural, and civic relationship with its community.
Throughout this period, numerous actors from both the national and international art scenes mobilised to challenge and seek to reverse the Flemish Government’s decision. In parallel with CIMAM’s statement, L’Internationale issued its own public declaration and launched a petition on Change.org calling for the suspension of the proposed measures.
At the same time, the collective Save the Museum | Museums at Risk emerged specifically in response to this situation. Since its formation, the group has played an active role in denouncing the decision and organising a range of public actions, which can be consulted via the relevant links.
On 15 October 2025, ICOM Belgium/Flanders published an open letter stressing that museum collections must be managed in close consultation with the communities that surround them. In the case of M HKA, the letter argued that artists, cultural professionals, experts, and engaged audiences constitute a legitimate “community of origin” and therefore have the right to be consulted. ICOM Belgium/Flanders urged the Flemish Minister to respect international agreements and to enter into dialogue with this community in order to jointly develop a sustainable, contemporary, and responsible collections policy.
On 29 October 2025, CIMAM launched a global advocacy campaign directed at its international membership, calling on members to articulate why collections are integral to a museum’s identity, integrity, and public mission, and to reflect on the ethical and governance risks that arise when political authorities seek to reallocate or remove a museum’s collection. This call generated 29 contributions from museum directors and curators in 21 countries worldwide, offering a plural and transnational perspective on the essential role of collections within contemporary museums.
Based on these contributions, CIMAM sent a second letter to the Minister of Culture on 28 January 2026, attaching all statements received and reinforcing its position from a collective, international standpoint. The campaign was initiated not only to demonstrate solidarity with M HKA, but also to draw attention to a form of institutional vulnerability that could affect museums in other contexts around the world.
Finally, on Monday, 2 February 2026, Belgium Scrapped Plans to Dismantle Its Oldest Contemporary Art Museum and announced that M HKA would retain its status as a museum, alongside the launch of an ambitious transformation project, referred to as M HKA 2.0, intended to redefine the future of the institution.
The Museum at Risk website provides a comprehensive and detailed chronology of events and actions. The Actions and News section brings together a wide range of initiatives and activities developed since October 2025 by different actors in support of M HKA.
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