With Kanal opening in 2026, Brussels gets a spectacular art museum for the 21st century

Transforming a century-old garage into a state-of-the-art museum requires far more than cosmetic renovation. For Brussels newest art museum Kanal–Centre Pompidou, architectural teams embraced an Art Deco industrial heritage while reshaping it into a contemporary cultural hub designed for openness, participation and exchange.

Situated in the iconic Citroën garage by the canal, just a short walk away from Brussels historic center, it is a 40,000 m2 meeting place that brings together artists and the public. The project preserves the building’s original structure and atmosphere, while implementing strict technical and climate-control standards required of a major museum.

The design builds on the horizontal layout of the former workshops, integrating existing inner avenues, levels and circulation paths. The open industrial architecture encourages visitors to make the spaces their own.

Openings on all façades connect the museum to the surrounding city, the canal and nearby Maximilien Park, reinforcing the guiding idea of “Making Kanal a Stage for Brussels.” Conceived as a welcoming, lively and dynamic place, the museum aims to make all residents and visitors feel at home.

An ambitious project for a 21st century art museum

With a conversion budget of €125 million (US$145 million), Kanal is among the most ambitious cultural projects ever undertaken in the Belgian capital. The international architecture competition was launched on 28 March 2017 by the Urban Development Corporation of the Brussels-Capital Region and later taken over by the KANAL Foundation. From 92 submissions, seven teams were shortlisted with the winning project announced in March 2018.

Central to Kanal’s identity is its long-term cooperation with the Centre Pompidou, France’s largest institution for modern and contemporary art. The partnership provides Kanal with access to one of the world’s leading modern and contemporary art collections and extends at least into the early 2030s.

Around 250 to 300 works from the Pompidou collection will be shown, complemented by Kanal holdings and strategic loans. Curatorial teams from both institutions collaborate closely on collection displays, temporary exhibitions and exhibition production.

The collection embraces all media, from painting, sculpture, drawing and prints to photography, film, video, installations and performance to archive material.

Rather than following traditional chronological or Western art-historical narratives, the displays are organized thematically. The inaugural presentations draw inspiration from the Brussels canal itself as a connector between north and south, and a symbolic divide within the city.

Local communities to be involved

Beyond exhibitions, Kanal positions itself as a shared civic resource. With more than 20,000 square meters of public space, the museum draws inspiration from the concept of the commons—resources collectively shared and managed through agreed rules.

In 2024, Kanal launched Learning from the Commons, a three-year initiative exploring how this approach can inform museum governance, daily operations and relationships with local communities.

To broaden access, Kanal is developing the Open Kanal User System, a platform designed to facilitate shared use of its spaces, furniture and equipment. This philosophy also informs the museum’s sustainability-driven food and beverage strategy, including cooperation with local producers.

As an interdisciplinary museum of 20th- and 21st-century art, architecture and urban culture, Kanal will host up to 15 exhibitions per year, alongside year-round collection displays, live arts and research-based programs. With a brasserie, restaurant, bakery and rooftop bar, which will be a major attraction for tourists.

The full exhibition program is scheduled to be unveiled in January 2026. Official opening will be on November 28, 2026.