ANTWERP | M HKA to introduce shared leadership structure

Antwerp’s contemporary art museum M HKA is moving to a shared leadership model, with a general director and an artistic director jointly responsible for the museum’s future. The two positions will form a single management team, with responsibility divided between artistic and organisational affairs.

The museum’s governing board has opted for a new management structure in which the general and artistic directors will jointly determine the M HKA’s direction. The artistic director will oversee the artistic vision, collection and programme, while the general director will be responsible for the museum’s organisational, financial and human resources.

The structure reflects the strategic course adopted by the board in July, which aims to develop the M HKA into an artistically ambitious network museum built around its collection and driven by partnerships and collaboration.

“The M HKA has everything it needs for a strong future,” said Yolande Avontroodt, chair of the governing board. “We now want to take the next step quickly and appoint the management team that can shape that future together with the staff and a broad network of artists and partners. We are building on the strength of our collection and Antwerp’s rich history in contemporary art, while strengthening the M HKA’s position in Flanders and internationally.”

New leadership follows turbulent year

The new structure comes after a turbulent period for the museum. In October 2025, the long-awaited plans for a new M HKA building were scrapped, while a wider Flemish museum reform also called the museum’s status into question.

Following broad support for the M HKA and protests from parts of the arts sector, the decision to withdraw its museum status was reversed this spring. The M HKA remains a museum and is now working on a transition process aimed at securing its long-term future.

The museum is due to submit a transition plan to the Flemish Government on 1 October 2026. The new directors will then have the task of drawing up a new policy plan for 2029–2034, which must be submitted in 2028.

Before that, the M HKA will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2027 with a programme developed together with partners from the arts sector. The anniversary programme will also offer an early indication of how the museum could operate from 2029 onwards.

Applications open until 1 November

The vacancies for general director and artistic director are being published in the week of 21 September. Candidates can apply until 1 November 2026.

Following an assessment and interviews with a selection committee, the governing board is expected to make its decision by the end of 2026. The new directors are due to take up their positions in spring 2027.

About M HKA

The M HKA opened in Antwerp’s South (Zuid) neighbourhood in 1987. The museum manages an internationally recognised collection, is a co-founder of the European museum network L’Internationale and plays a key role in the contemporary arts sector in Flanders and beyond.

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