40 Years of Friendship

Shortly after M HKA was founded in 1985, the Friends of M HKA came into being. The friends’ association has now existed for 40 years. Chair Mathieu Pauwels, vice-chair Luc Wauters, board member Johan Alfasten and M HKA relationship manager Alexia look back — and ahead. ‘True friends stand by one another, in good times and in more difficult ones.’

Why was the friends’ association founded? And what exactly does it do today?

Luc: “The Friends are an extension of the museum. We get people excited about contemporary art and about what happens in and around M HKA. Members receive a guided tour with every major exhibition. There are also studio visits, visits to galleries, other museums and art fairs, lectures and afterworks … About two activities a month. They are often encounters you simply cannot arrange on your own.”

Johan: “The motivation often goes beyond the activities. Many people become Friends out of a sense of involvement: with the museum, the fantastic collection and the artists. You do it to support the museum. And you make new friends there too, people who, like you, care deeply about M HKA and contemporary art.”

Is that why you yourselves became members?

Johan: “I did it out of pure sympathy, because M HKA is a unique and inspiring museum. The rich collection and exhibitions by artists from all over the world stimulate, surprise and challenge you to keep broadening your perspective. What is more, it is particularly enjoyable to visit collectors and discover their private collections, or to step into the studio of artists who are both well-known and still unknown.”

Luc: “I had always been interested in Old Masters. I often found contemporary art harder to grasp. Until, about 25 years ago, I came across a monumental installation by Christian Boltanski. That was my introduction to contemporary art. And then there was Ernest Van Buynder, for a long time chair of M HKA and of the Friends. He lived opposite me, and we spoke regularly about the museum. Thanks to him, I found my way to the Friends.

Mathieu: “It was the same for me. I occasionally visited KMSKA or a classical museum on holiday, but I had never really been introduced to contemporary art. Until a good friend — Jasper, who also sits on the board — invited me to an activity in 2018: an exclusive guided tour of the private FIBAC collection in Berchem. It was a real revelation: a completely new world opened up to me. I can still recall everything vividly. I became a Friend straight away.”

Over time, you joined the board. What are your main challenges?

Mathieu: “The biggest challenge is rejuvenation. How do we attract new members, how do we engage them, and how do we keep current members enthusiastic as well?”

Alexia: “People have all sorts of things to do these days. Of course, you do not have to come to every activity, and there are also supporting members who are less active. But some then begin to doubt and perhaps feel it is money wasted. That is why they do not renew their membership.”

Johan: “One of our main challenges is understanding why people commit themselves today. Whereas unlimited museum access once still played a role, the Museumpas means that this is no longer a distinguishing advantage. We therefore focus on people who want to deepen their understanding and be actively involved. Anyone with a genuine interest in contemporary art will find with us not a passive membership, but a platform for knowledge, encounter and engagement.”

Luc: “Of course, we have a balance to maintain. We want activities that are engaging for art connoisseurs and non-specialists alike, for younger generations as well as older members. We visit the studios of renowned artists, but also those of young, emerging artists. Some prefer meeting well-known painters, others are curious about rising talent. We want to keep the programme attractive for all members.”

But rejuvenation is already under way. And for that you have an enormous asset: a very young new chair.

Luc: “Last year, chair Ernest retired. Many people thought I would succeed him as vice-chair. But I found it more interesting to give the younger generation a chance. We are fortunate to have someone like Mathieu: he is only 32, yet someone who is fully committed to it — an excellent new chair.”

Mathieu: “It all happened very quickly. They waited until I had successfully passed my notarial exam, in early 2024. Afterwards, Ernest and Luc invited me to ‘have a chat’ and made me the proposal. And honestly: if something interests me, I like to be involved in steering it. I used to be chair of the student association, I was and still am active in Rotaract, and I find it a great honour now to be chair of the Friends. Fortunately, Luc remains vice-chair; with his immense expertise, together we make a good team to lead the board of the Friends together.”

You have a big void to fill.

Mathieu: “I have heard that reaction many times already. Ernest made both the museum and the Friends what they are, and he also had a huge network. But he is now over 80 and wanted to give the Friends a future without having to act as a mother-in-law. We can always call him when we need him, though, and I am very grateful for that.”

Johan: “Ernest embodied a deep, consistent passion for art and built up an exceptionally broad network over the course of his life. From the back rooms of politics, in close relationship with artists and as manager of the art patrimony of the University of Antwerp, everything about him seemed to be in the service of art. With Mathieu, we are consciously taking a next step today: he opens the door to a new generation, including people who are curious about contemporary art but do not yet have a fixed frame of reference. It is precisely in the combination of continuity and renewal that we are determining our course today.”

Luc: “Mathieu has succeeded in bringing together a group of around 35 interested thirtysomethings around contemporary art. For these ‘youngsters’, up to the age of 39, we organise three to four separate activities each year. During those activities, we hope to encourage them to become Friends too.”

A great initiative! Are there any other new accents?

Mathieu: “Most activities are going well, so we are keeping them: collection visits, studio visits, guided tours … On top of that, I would like to organise weekends. In 2012, the Friends once travelled to documenta in Kassel. That is why last year we organised a weekend in the Ruhr region: first to Museum Folkwang in Essen, then to Insel Hombroich and Langen Foundation in Neuss. A successful experiment, worth repeating.”

Johan: “Alongside the classic initiatives, we also continue to focus on a broad and nuanced approach to contemporary art. To highlight one moment: the recent visit to the viewing room of auction house Phillips was particularly telling. Contemporary art is often approached through ideas, reflection and meaning, but there the economic workings of the market also became tangible. Precisely because this aspect of the art world usually remains behind the scenes, that transparent glimpse behind the curtain was particularly fascinating.”

Luc: “We are also more open to ideas that come from the group. For instance, one youngster suggested visiting the studio of a recently graduated Greek artist, right at the start of his career. It is wonderful that something like that can happen too. We want members to feel that they are not alone, that they can also expand their personal network, and make new friends here.”

Mathieu: “And we also dare to experiment. Our guided tour always takes place on a Sunday at 11 am, but that is not ideal for young families, so we tried a different time once: perhaps not a great success, but the idea was sound. Or we could provide childcare during an activity. I would also like to organise a dinner in a museum gallery one day, as KMSKA does and as used to happen here as well, but that involves much more organisation and money.”

Speaking of money: in some museums, fundraising lies at the heart of the friends’ association. How is that here?

Mathieu: “For fundraising, we have the Art Lovers (225 euros a year) and Art Promotors (650 euros a year). They have separate activities and also receive extra benefits. For the Friends, it is purely about passion for the museum and contemporary art. That is why we deliberately keep the membership fee low: just 45 euros for one member or 65 euros for two — inexpensive for so many exclusive activities.”

Alexia: “With the Art Lovers and Promotors, we are looking at how we can create an interaction with the Friends. In the end, they are all people who stand behind M HKA together. With the Friends, we want to remove as many barriers as possible, financial ones too. Many people love contemporary art but often cannot join a guided tour on their own or knock on an artist’s door by themselves. Here, that is possible.”

Luc: “Fundraising was never our greatest ambition. Even so, for a long time we purchased, every year, a work of art or a few smaller works worth 10,000 euros, which we donated to the museum. There were some very beautiful pieces among them, often because the artists made a gesture. Jan Hendrickx, for example, donated us a work of which another copy had been sold at auction for 100,000 euros.”

In October, a proverbial bomb went off at M HKA. What does this mean for the Friends? What are your ambitions in the coming years?

Mathieu: “The future of M HKA is uncertain, but as Friends we remain 100 per cent behind the museum. We focus on what we can influence, and that is our own work. That is why we want to keep growing, in order to broaden support for M HKA.”

Johan: “The events of October sparked a great deal of concern among the Friends, but also a strong sense of responsibility. We cannot remain silent about what is at stake: the continued existence of M HKA as a museum for contemporary art in Antwerp. Our ambition for the coming years is therefore clear and unchanged: to continue striving for the preservation of M HKA as a fully fledged museum, out of concern for the future — for artists, audiences and the city. We want to encourage a constructive dialogue with everyone involved and continue building a strong connection between the museum and the local and international arts community. At the same time, as always, we continue actively to support M HKA through substantive activities and engagement. We regard that more than ever as our task today.”

Alexia: “My personal ambition is to involve the Friends more closely in the museum’s operations. It would be good if more museum staff knew the Friends, and if the Friends were among the first to be informed of certain decisions. In the end, they are the museum’s ambassadors. We could also organise more behind-the-scenes guided tours.”

Luc: “Through their membership, the Friends make a statement that they regard M HKA — with the M of museum, the HK of contemporary art and the A of Antwerp — as significant. Through our work, which we maintain rigorously, we confirm that statement and emphasise the vital necessity of M HKA both for the city and for the art world. In that context, I look forward to welcoming new members and also wish to organise activities for that purpose.”

Mathieu: “This is something we are now doing with the youngsters and something I also believe in. That Aha-Erlebnis I experienced myself the first time, I wish for many others too, so that their eyes may also be opened and they may discover the fascinating world of contemporary art. For existing members, I hope we can strengthen the sense of togetherness even further, for instance by going out for a meal together after an activity. That always creates an even stronger bond.”