Van Gogh Museum claims it will be forced to shut if Dutch government does not fund renovation

According to Dutch government, the Museum is paid a fixed amount that is corrected for inflation on an annual basis

3 min readNew DelhiAug 29, 2025 12:30 PM IST

After Vincent van Gogh died, a large portion of his art and collection remained within the family. (Photo: www.vangoghmuseum.nl)

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam — home to several of the Dutch post-impressionist’s most acclaimed works, including Sunflowers, The Potato Eaters, Irises, The Bedroom, Cornfield with Crows — has announced that it will be forced to close if the Dutch government does not fund its much-needed renovation, which it had planned to start in 2028, and was scheduled to continue for three years.

Noting how the maintenance work is unavoidable, in a press release issued, the museum stated, “The buildings are in poor condition, requiring substantial investments to keep them safe and suitable for public access. Most technical installations have reached the end of their operational lifespan, are conceptionally outdated, and increasingly difficult to maintain due to a lack of spare parts. As a result, ongoing maintenance is no longer feasible, and the systems must be replaced.”

The museum has approximated the total cost of the Masterplan 2028 to €104 million. “The museum is unable to finance Masterplan 2028, because the government has not provided sufficient subsidy for the Van Gogh Museum’s buildings and facilities,” added the release.

van gogh museum, Sunflowers, Sunflowers van gogh

The Sunflowers are among Van Gogh’s most famous paintings. (Photo: http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl)

Revealing that since the museum opened in 1973, it has attracted almost 57 million visitors, with a highpoint of 2.6 million people in 2017 — a footfall that the building was not designed to accommodate — the release also cites a promise the Dutch government made to the artist’s heir, Engineer VW van Gogh.

“After Vincent van Gogh died, a large portion of his art and collection remained within the family. V.W Van Gogh and the Dutch government made an unprecedented agreement in order to prevent the collection from being dispersed. V.W van Gogh transferred ownership of the entire collection — over 200 paintings, 500 drawings and 900 letters, as well as artworks by Vincent’s contemporaries that were collected over the years — to the Vincent van Gogh Foundation, established specifically for this purpose… In return, the Dutch State committed itself to providing sufficient resources for the construction and maintenance of a new museum where the collection would be permanently preserved and displayed to the public.”

According to an article in The New York Times, “the museum has filed a legal complaint against the state that is likely to lead to a court hearing in the next several months”. It notes that the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science has stated, “The subsidy for the housing of the Van Gogh Museum is a fixed amount that is corrected for inflation on an annual basis. The subsidy is calculated according to a methodology which is used for all national museums… the use of this methodology and its outcome for the Van Gogh Museum do not constitute a violation of the 1962 agreement.”

Vandana Kalra

Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice. With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India. Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale. She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters. Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory. The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions. Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović). Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India: 1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival "At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors. "Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers. "At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025). "Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention. 2. M.F. Husain & Modernism "Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum. "Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025). 3. Art Market & Records "Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million. "All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025). "What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork. 4. Art Education & History "Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025). "A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art. Signature Beats Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More

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