The new Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp (M HKA) in Antwerp will be twice the size of the current building and also stand considerably taller. The museum, which today stands on the new Zuidpark, will move to a brand-new building to be built on the site of the former court of appeal. The city authorities hope the new museum can open within 6 years. What the plans are for the current M HKA building, is as yet unclear.
Antwerp’s new contemporary art museum to rival Tate Modern and Centre Pompidou
Colin Clapson
Published:
In 2023, the Flemish government announced it was releasing a huge budget of 130 million euros for a new Museum of Contemporary Art in Antwerp. Several candidates were selected to design a new museum. Eventually Antwerp firm ‘Bovenbouw Architectuur’ and the Swiss architects of ‘Christ & Gantenbein’ emerged as the winners.
The plans for the new M HKA have now been announced. The design envisages a large tower on a plinth. ‘Actually, we had to start from an inverted T-shape,’ says architect Dirk Somers. ‘We decided on a stack with layers of differing lengths and widths.’
Bread and circuses
At ground floor level you will find the entrance hall and a café, above that an events space and a temporary exhibition space will be located. In a cube above that will be the museum's permanent collection. The upper floors will serve as a restaurant and also house several multipurpose public spaces. Plans even include a cinema.
The current museum no longer meets today’s standards. ‘It exudes something of an impregnable fortress,’ says Flemish culture minister Caroline Gennez (socialist Vooruit). ‘The new museum will be an open house, where you can walk inside like Tate Modern's Turbine Hall or the Centre Pompidou's forum. A new building is really important for accessibility.’
Covering 18,500 square metres, the new building will be double the size of the current museum. The M HKA will also be a lot higher, up to 80 metres. ‘In this way, we are going to be able to present our masterpieces to the general publicin a much better way,’ says Ms Gennez. ‘It really will be an iconic landmark.’
By the end of this year, the final plan should be approved. Planning permission will be applied for during 2026. The exact opening date of the new museum is not clear. ‘At present, we are aiming at 2031,’ Bart De Baere, director of the M HKA, explains.