The new museum opened to the public on 7 May 1999. The collection concentrates on international developments in art after 1945, and was based upon works collected by the
Contemporary Art Museum Association (created on 8 November 1957 at the instigation of ) and the
Museum voor Hedendaagse Kunst (set up in 1975 as the first Belgian museum devoted to contemporary art, housed in the Museum of Fine Arts, with
Jan Hoet appointed as director). After
Jan Hoet retired from the museum on 1 December 2003,
Peter Doroshenko was in charge. After a trial period of one year, he was dismissed. The dismissal of Doroshenko caused much commotion. Artists and curators, headed by
Luc Tuymans, feared for the future and independence of the museum. A petition was handed to the Chairman of the Board of Directors; culture vessels Sas Van Rouveroij. The dismissal was not reversed, but there were some changes in the organizational structure of the museum. Thus, Jan Hoet gave up his seat on the board of directors. Current directors are
Philippe Van Cauteren (art director) and
Philippe Vandenweghe (business director). ==See also==