The Cobra Museum of Modern Art in Amstelveen is pleased to announce that Marius Touwen is willing to provide a credit facility. Touwen is a major shareholder of Serra Holding and the Red Cross Hospital Beverwijk, as well as a passionate art lover and collector. This development rescues the museum from its acute financial crisis and allows it to engage in a new dialogue with the municipality of Amstelveen. There is now more time and space to develop a structural solution for the museum’s long-term survival, with careful consideration of various future scenarios for their attractiveness and feasibility. This offers hope for the preservation of a museum of modern art in Amstelveen.
The Cobra Museum, a leading institution dedicated to the Cobra art movement and modern art in general, has faced financial challenges in recent years. The current economic conditions and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have increased financial pressure on all cultural institutions, including the Cobra Museum. The unique balance between a low municipal contribution (40%) and a high dependence on self-generated income from visitors and sponsors (60%) has come under strain. Last week, the city council proposed closing the museum. It doesn’t have to come to that now.
This commitment serves as a lifeline for the museum, stabilizing its finances in the short term. This enables the museum and the municipality of Amstelveen to develop a sustainable and viable strategy for the future.
This contribution is a testament to incredible support for the Cobra Museum and its management in the interest of art and culture in our community, said Stefan van Raay, director of the Cobra Museum. We are deeply grateful for Marius Touwen’s involvement, which secures the museum’s existence and allows us to work with renewed determination for the long term.