Amstelveen Cobra Museum avoids closure thanks to municipal funding and new business plan

The Cobra Museum of Modern Art in Amstelveen has been temporarily saved from closure. On Friday, the coalition of Amstelveen mayor and aldermen announced in a statement that the municipality will contribute 1.4 million euros next year on the condition that the museum meets several specific requirements. According to the college, this financial support will prevent the museum from going bankrupt.

It was announced at the beginning of September that the museum was at risk of closing after the city council said it intended to heavily cut subsidies to the museum as its attendance has waned.

The Cobra Museum of Modern Art has been in trouble for several years, largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic and recent economic difficulties. The museum collects 60 percent of its operating capital from visitors, with the rest coming from Amstelveen.

A week later, art lover and prominent business owner Marius Touwen stepped up to provide the struggling museum with some desperately needed financing to allow it to remain open. He extended a credit facility to the museum to get it out of acute financial distress before a structural solution could be found.

The museum and the municipality have reached an agreement on a restart, requiring the museum to reorganize and develop a new business plan under certain conditions. The current board and management will step down, with Touwen set to become the chairman of the interim board. The municipality will oversee the selection of a new management and supervisory board. The Cobra Museum has one year to improve.

"Nobody wants to close a museum,” said Amstelveen's councilor for culture Herbert Raat. “The college is confident that this restart can lead to a future-proof museum with a well-founded business plan. In the coming year, the museum, the city council, and the municipality will work on this. This offers opportunities to bring a breath of fresh air into the museum."

Marius Touwen said he was “pleased that the negotiation result gives this beautiful museum another year of opportunity to prove that it is heading into the future fresh.” However, he noted that due to limited resources, the municipality and the public should not expect “spectacular exhibitions and major changes,” as they will focus on what will change after 2024.

The restart will ensure that the Cobra Museum stays open, its staff retains their jobs, and both the Cobra brand and the museum's important masterpieces are preserved.