Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, one of the top attractions for visitors and locals alike, is warning that it may need to close down if it doesn’t get serious funding from the Dutch state for needed large-scale renovations.
Director Emilie Gordenker told the New York Times in an interview that “If this situation continues, it will become dangerous for the art and dangerous for our visitors. This is the last thing we want—but if it comes to that, we will have to close the building.”
The museum, which is just over fifty years old and draws as many as 2 million visitors a year, was created when Van Gogh’s family transferred its holdings of the painters’ work to the Vincent Van Gogh Foundation in return for a promise by the Netherlands to build and maintain a museum where they would be permanently preserved and accessible to the public.
Gordenker told the Times that after 50 years of heavy use, many systems are outdated and difficult to maintain, and that the buildings no longer meet modern standards for sustainability, safety and climate control. A three-year renovation plan estimated at €104 million is due to start in 2028, but that is in doubt because of the funding issue.
Under the plan, the museum would use its funds and reserves to cover income lost during partial closures. But, the museum says, it needs an annual commitment of €11 million from the state to fund the renovation and ensure future maintenance; the current government, which is facing new elections next month, has not only offered only €8.5 million, but has also planned to raise the tax on museum visits from 9% to 21%, potentially reducing income for museums.
Photo by Ömer Gülen/Pexels.com
