Kanal Director Goldstein to Exit Right After Opening

Brussels' Kanal museum confirmed Yves Goldstein will depart on 30 November, immediately after the long-awaited museum's free opening weekend.

Yves Goldstein, director-general of Brussels' long-awaited Kanal (formerly Kanal-Centre Pompidou), will stand down on 30 November, immediately after the new museum's opening weekend. The Art Newspaper reports that in early May Goldstein had announced he would leave at the end of his second five-year term, remaining in post until a replacement was found in early 2027 — but under an agreement with Brussels minister-president Boris Dilliès, his exit now comes the day after the 28 November inauguration. A statement from the Brussels-Capital Region says 'the parties acknowledge a difference of opinion regarding the future of Kanal.'

The outlet also reports that earlier this month Dilliès attempted to dismiss Goldstein outright before the two sides settled on an agreed departure. Dilliès, who was sworn in only in February after a 613-day political deadlock in the Brussels-Capital Region, says the deal 'allows Kanal to turn the page in a calm atmosphere' while acknowledging 'budgetary imperatives known to all.'

The departure overshadows what is otherwise a triumphant launch. Travel Tomorrow reports Kanal opens 28 November 2026 with a fully free opening weekend, running continuously from Saturday 10:00 am to Sunday 10:00 pm with concerts, performances, films and workshops; entry to the ten opening exhibitions requires a free booked time slot. The Art Newspaper notes all 30,000 free exhibition tickets were reportedly claimed on the first day of release. The museum inhabits the 40,000 sq. m former Citroën garage at Place de l'Yser, transformed by noAarchitecten, EM2N and Sergison Bates under Atelier Kanal.

The reported conflict maps onto a shrinking budget. According to ArtNews as relayed by The Art Newspaper, Kanal was initially promised an annual €35m from the Brussels-Capital Region, a figure that has dropped to €28m this year and is expected to fall to €10m annually by 2029 under austerity measures — numbers a Kanal spokesperson confirmed, though the €10m figure still must be discussed by the government. The same report notes Kanal pays Centre Pompidou €2m annually until 2031 under their partnership deal, which Goldstein previously said 'would never be forever structurally.'

Kanal was conceived in 2017 as a structural partnership between Centre Pompidou, the Brussels-Capital Region and the Kanal Foundation, and Travel Tomorrow describes it as one of Europe's largest museums at 40,000 square metres, set to rival institutions like Tate Modern. Artistic director Kasia Redzisz frames the museum as 'a proposition' for a city whose contemporary scene has long flourished without a dedicated modern and contemporary art museum — making the leadership rupture at the finish line all the more consequential.

The Region says preparations for the 28 November inauguration 'are fully secured' and that Goldstein will fully exercise his duties until the agreed date. He will not join the search for his successor, whose selection begins without him. Travel Tomorrow notes some openings are delayed — the architecture centre and collections spaces will open later following a fire in July 2026 — and that before opening, Kanal will welcome nearly 5,000 children from 27 Brussels schools. The question an art reader will watch: whether Kanal's budget trajectory forces a smaller institution than the one Goldstein spent a decade building.