Is this doable?': why political paralysis threatens an ambitious Brussels arts complex

"A year before its scheduled opening on 28 November 2026, building works at Kanal, a new contemporary art museum in Brussels, are running on time. Housed in a remodelled former Citroen garage on the north-western edge of the city centre, the centre is 95% complete. Curators are putting the finishing touches to an opening show that will feature works by Matisse, Picasso and Giacometti on loan from the Centre Pompidou in Paris."

"Trilingual wall texts in English, Dutch and French have already been signed off. With 12,500 sq metres of exhibition space over five floors, an architecture centre, restaurants and live performance venues, the museumwill be bigger than Tate Modern in London, the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and the Guggenheim Bilbao. The investment reflects a will to turn the administrative capital of Europe into a cultural destination in its own right. But in recent weeks, the conversation around Kanal's opening has moved from when to if."

"The only certainty seems to be the predicted austerity measures and mooted plans to slash Kanal's budget by more than half. We never anticipated that 12 months before opening, and 18 months after the election, there would be no government, said the museum's director, Kasia Redzisz. If there isn't a decision on the budget, we risk having to stop construction, threatening the entire project's future."

Kanal is a new contemporary art museum in Brussels housed in a remodelled former Citroen garage and is 95% complete a year before its planned 28 November 2026 opening. Curators are finalising an inaugural show with loans from the Centre Pompidou and trilingual wall texts have been approved. The complex offers 12,500 sq metres of exhibition space across five floors plus an architecture centre, restaurants and performance venues, making it larger than several major European institutions. Political stalemate in the Brussels-Capital region risks deep budget cuts that could force construction to stop. Brussels has long lacked a major collecting institution, leading to important Belgian collections being acquired abroad.

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