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Stedelijk Museum criticised for 'irresponsibly high' subsidy demands

Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum is at the centre of a fresh funding row after the main body advising on subsidies criticised it for demanding ‘irresponsibly high’ amount of public money.

The museum, which is coming to the end of a €127 million renovation programme, has asked the city for a €15.5 million annual subsidy at a time when the arts are being severely squeezed by budget cuts.

In a report to the city council, The Amsterdam Arts Council (Amsterdamse Kunstraad/AKR) said: ‘The gap between the demand and the available budget is unbridgeable’.

Gerard de Kleijn, chairman of the AKR, told Het Parool: ‘The council now needs to say whether more money is coming or the museum needs to adapt its plans.’

The organisation says the museum should accept a smaller subsidy of €11.6 million and focus more on maintaining and exploiting its standing collections.

‘The extension of the Stedelijk Museum has placed far more emphasis on the one-off building costs than on structural running costs,’ said De Kleijn.

Patrick van Mil, the museum’s director of business affairs, said he was surprised by the AKR’s criticism.

‘We are being asked to cut back and take on an extra €2 million in running costs. That’s a double cut, which is strange.’

The museum is due to reopen on September 23 after an eight-year refit which has been blighted by delays and overshot its budget by €20 million.

The difficulties increased when the lead contractor went bust in 2011. Part of the museum reopened briefly last summer as The Temporary Stedelijk.

The newest section of the museum will open with an exhibition, Beyond Imagination, looking at Dutch art from an international perspective.

Source: Het Parool: Weer rel over geld Stedelijk

Photo by Radio Nederland Wereldomroep

Read previous story: Stedelijk Museum to reopen on September 23