Kanal (museum)

Kanal, formerly KANAL – Centre Pompidou, is a museum for modern and contemporary art located in Brussels, Belgium, near the Brussels–Charleroi Canal, in the former Citroën Garage buildings. The opening is scheduled for 28 November 2026. During the renovations, the museum remains open at its temporary location K1, at 1, avenue du Port/Havenlaan. Building The building, which is included in the inventory of architectural heritage of the Brussels-Capital Region, is a former garage built for the Citroën company between 1933 and 1934 under the direction of the French architect Maurice-Jacques Ravazé with the Belgian architects Alexis Dumont and Marcel Van Goethem. It was modified in 1954 by Louis Hoebeke. The building occupies most of the block that is enclosed by the Square Sainctelette/Sainctelettesquare, the Quai des Péniches/Akenkaai, the Quai de la Voirie/Ruimingskaai and the Quai de Willebroeck/Willebroekkaai. The former showroom, on the corner of the Square Sainctelette and the Place de l'Yser/Ijzerplein was a single, 21-metre-high (69 ft) volume with a glass facade. In the 1950s, several floors were added to the showroom. On 28 March 2017, the Urban Development Corporation (SAU-MSI) of the Brussels-Capital Region launched an international design competition for the €125 million conversion to a museum. The jury selected a proposal, A Stage for Brussels by noAarchitecten, EM2N and Sergison Bates architects. History Plans for a museum by the Brussels–Scheldt Maritime Canal were first proposed in 2014. The Brussels-Capital Region purchased the former Citroën Garage from PSA Group on 29 October 2015 for €20.5 million. After failing to obtain works from the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, the region negotiated a ten-year partnership with the Centre Pompidou, formally approved on 7 December 2017 and signed on 18 December 2017. An international architectural competition was launched on 28 March 2017, attracting 92 submissions. Seven teams were shortlisted, and on 21 March 2018, the KANAL Foundation, established in September 2017, awarded the contract to Atelier KANAL, a consortium of noAarchitecten, EM2N, and Sergison Bates architects. Their project integrated a museum of modern and contemporary art, CIVA, and new public cultural spaces. The site pre-opened in May 2018 with an event called KANAL Brut, curated by Bernard Blistène. The fourteen-month programme included works from the Centre Pompidou collection and a film studio designed by Michel Gondry, alongside exhibitions, performances, workshops, and community events. KANAL Brut closed in June 2019 for renovations. Exhibitions KANAL Brut From 5 May 2018 to 30 June 2019, KANAL Brut presented an experimental programme and exhibitions occupying the various spaces of the former garage. Experimentation was the guiding principle of this "brut" year. The initiative aimed to innovate, explore new ways of presenting different art forms, and discover approaches to make the space more accessible to a broader audience beyond the usual museum visitors, while simultaneously reimagining and opening up the museum environment. Exhibitions during KANAL Brut where: 05.05. – 07.07.2018: The Site of Film, artists: David Haxton and, Anthony McCall 05.05. – 12.11.2018: Walk The Chair, artist: La Ribot 05.05.2018 – 06.01.2019: Object: Administration, artists: Haim Steinbach, Fischli & Weiss, Jenny Holzer and, Marcel Broodthaers 05.05.2018 – 06.01.2019: Sheet steel, artists: Robert Rauschenberg, Julio Gonzalez, Antoine Pevsner and, César 05.05.2018 – 30.06.2019: Public Area, artists: Pascale Marthine Tayou and, Jean Tinguely 05.05.2018 – 30.06.2019: Station to Station, artists: Jean Prouvé, Toyo Ito and, Ross Lovegrove 05.05.2018 – 30.06.2019: As found: Prospective heritage, artist: Atelier KANAL 05.05.2018 – 30.06.2019: Le lion, sa cage et ses ailes (1975-1976), artist: Armand Gatti 31.05.2018 – 30.06.2019: House 3, artist: AlICe 01.07– 31.08.2018: Student projects, artists: Students from European architecture and art schools 12.07.2018 – 30.06.2019: RE-BUILDING CASS: The little city inside the building, artists: Florian Beigel and, Philip Christou 12.09. – 04.11.2018: Between Art & Design, The Belgian Sscene, artists: Alain Berteau, Anne Marie Laureys, Ben Storms, Bram Boo, Brut Collective, Casimir, Charles Kaisin, Damien Gernay, Danny Venlet, De Vylder Vinck & Taillieu, Erwin De Muer, Jean-François D’Or, Julien Carretero, Kaspar Hamacher, Laend, Lionel Jadot, Maarten De Ceulaer, Marie-José Van Hee, Muller Van Severen, Octave Vandeweghe, Ola-Dele Kuku, Pierric De Coster, Pieter Stockmans, Raphael Charles, Sep Verboom, atelier lachaert dhanis, Studio Job, Sylvain Willenz, MdSt, Unfold, Vincent Van Duysen, Vladimir Slavov, Hans Weyers and, Xavier Lust. 12.09.2018 – 06.01.2019: Identity and Alterity: Shifting representations, artists: Andy Warhol, Vito Acconci, Joan Jonas, Eleanor Antin, Martha Rosler, Sonia Andrade, Chantal Akerman, Rineke Dijkstra and, Assaf Shoshan 12.09.2018 – 06.01.2019: The Five Elements, artist: Viswanadhan 12.09.2018 – 19.05.2019: Children’s Games, artist: Francis Alÿs 12.09.2018 – 30.06.2019: Red and White, artist: Ron Arad, Gae Aulenti, François Azambourg, Günter Beltzig, Achille Castiglioni, Pier Castiglioni, Luigi Colani, Pierre Charpin, Joe Colombo, Jonathan de Pas, El Ultimo Grito, Anna Castelli Ferrieri, Gérard Fromanger, Hans Hollein, Patrick Jouin, Xavier Lust, Jasper Morrison, Olivier Mourgue, Ora-ïto, Josh Owen, Walter Papst, Verner Panton, Marcello Pietrantoni, Roberto Lucci, Pierluigi Spadolini, Paolo Felli, Marco Zanuso and, Richard Sapper 20.09.2018 – 30.06.2019: The facade of the Hotel Aubecq, artist: Victor Horta 19.12.2018 – 20.01.2019: The Colours of Human Rights: A DRAWING FOR EACH RIGHT, AN EXHIBITION FOR ALL, artist: Cristobal Gabarron 23.05. – 16.06.2019: The HISK Connection, artists: Loukia Alavanou, Laure Cottin Stefanelli, Hadassah Emmerich, Vincent Geyskens, Hamza Halloubi, Pepa Ivanova, Clare Noonan, Meggy Rustamova, Sarah & Charles and, Benjamin Verhoeven 01.06. – 29.06.2019: The home movie factory, artist: Michel Gondry 15.06. – 30.06.2019: La Cambre: All in one, artists: La Cambre master's students 22.01. – 19.05.2019: one, two, many, artist: Manon de Boer 23.01. – 30.06.2019: MERE CONSTRUCTIONS, artists: Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel, Carl Andre, Dan Flavin, Sol Lewitt, Larry Bell and, Haegue Yang 23.01. – 30.06.2019: PHANTOM OFFICES, artists: Archizoom, Ron Arad, Gae Aulenti, Martine Bedin, Pieke Bergmans, Marc Berthier, Harry Bertoia, Osvlado Borsani, Eugenio Gerli, Marcel Broodthaers, Achille Castiglioni, Pier Castiglioni, Centro Progettitecno, Joe Colombo, Hans Coray, Matali Crasset, Robin Day, Guido Drocco, Ffranco Mello, Alain Gilles, Patrick Gingembre, Hartmut H. Esslinger, Paul Facchetti, Jean-Claude Farhi, Hervé Fischer, Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini, Franco Teodoro, Willy Guhl, Vittorio Introini, Jonathan Ive, Kinetura, Reed Kram, Yonel Lebovici, Rolf Liebermann, Raymond Loewy, Michele De Lucchi, Roberto Lucci, Paolo Orlandini, Robert Mallet-Stevens, Enzo Mari, Ingo Maurer, Alessandro Mendini, Olivier Mourgue, Muller van Severen, Oki Sato, Nicola l., Normal Studio, Eliot Noyes, Pierre Paulin, Gaetano Pesce, Quasar, Philippe Rahm, Bernard Rancillac, Gino Sarfati, Ettore Sottsass, Pierluigi Spadolini, Studio 65, Studio ggsv, Superstudio, Philippe Starck, Martin Székely, Lars Tunbjörk, Maarten van Severen, Woody Vasulka, Marcel Wanders and, Clemens Weisshaar. 23.01. – 29.04.2019: Miscellaneous Folies 23.01. – 19.05.2019: The Super-8 Trilogy, artist: Ericka Beckman 23.01. – 30.06.2019: As Seen: Architecture photographs, artist: Philippe De Gobert 23.03. – 14.04.2019: ACA: Biënnale van de Fotografie van Molenbeek, artist: Omar Aitjeddig, Caroline Baudoin, Laurent Cabirol, Thomas Claus, Sophie Collette, Yves Houtmann, Maïté Justin, Nina Lombardo, Lina Manousogiannaki, Catherine Nagly, M(uze)Moon, Maroussia Prignot, Valério Alvarez, Santiago Raneros, Jean-Jacques Sagehomme, Marie Wardy, Anne Warnier, Wivine Van Binst, Agnès Van Den Bosch and, Daniel Zduniuk 15.05. – 30.06.2019: SISTER SHIP, artist: Maxime Rossi 21.06. – 30.06.2019: ARCHITECTURE + ACTIVISM, artist: Cinéma Jolia See also Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art List of museums in Brussels History of Brussels Culture of Belgium References External links Media related to KANAL at Wikimedia Commons Official website