Brussels’ Bozar arts centre to lose Flemish subsidies in surprise budget cuts

The Belgian capital’s flagship arts centre, Bozar, is reeling following the announcement that it will lose all Flemish subsidies from 2027.

Benefitting from a €762,000 subsidy in 2025, the financial loss will have a serious impact on future programming, said Bozar’s director Christophe Slagmuylder.

He broke the news at a press conference for the opening of the arts centre’s new exhibition dedicated to Belgian painter Jean Brusselmans on Thursday morning.

In an emotional speech, he said the financial cut was “very alarming for culture in general,” and he did not know if Bozar would be able to stage such an exhibition again.

“The scale of the announced budget cuts forces us to rethink our upcoming programming, just as other cultural institutions have had to do in recent years,” added the director in a statement. “All of this undermines the promotion of local culture and the visibility of the capital and Belgium as a whole.”

Bozar was informed about the withdrawal of the subsidy from the Flanders region on Wednesday. This financial contribution was destined for special projects and programming promoting Flemish culture.

Said Slagmuylder (pictured above): “How ironic that we hear this at the opening of a major retrospective exhibition of the Flemish artist Jean Brusselmans and just when the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra is playing in our main hall tonight."

Bozar boasts an extensive multidisciplinary programming, from major national and international arts exhibitions, to music of all genres, performance, festival, cinema, literature and high-profile talks. In 2025, it attracted a total audience of over 750,000 visitors.

As a federal institution, its financing is complex as it receives subsidies from the federal government as well as the regions. This status is reserved for Bozar, La Monnaie/De Munt and the Belgian National Orchestra, which has its home at the Victor Horta-designed arts centre that was built in the 1920s.

The budget cut from the Flemish Region follows the loss of other subsidies, including one from FPS Foreign Affairs.

Between 2019 and 2026, Bozar’s public funding was reduced by €1.9 million out of an €8 million artistic budget, it detailed in a statement. “Further cuts totalling €1 million have already been announced for 2027. These are substantial amounts that will undoubtedly impact programming and the national and international visibility of Belgian artists.”

Photos: (main image) Bozar ©Marin Driguez; Christophe Slagmuylder ©Saskia Vanderstichele; Bozar Cine Concert ©Marin Driguez