Stockholm, 16-18 June 2024

Lessons Learned: Looking Back at Reinstalled Permanent Collections in the Past Decade

The 25th CODART Congress took place in Stockholm from 16 to 18 June 2024. In collaboration with the Nationalmuseum and other partners, we organized a three-day event during which we reflected on the theme: “Lessons Learned: Looking Back at Reinstalled Permanent Collections in the Past Decade.”

In 2018, the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm reopened after five years of renovation and reconstruction. This institution is one in a lengthy list of museums with sizeable collections of Dutch and Flemish art that reopened in the past decade with a renewed installation of its collection: from the Rijksmuseum in 2013 to The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 2021 – and last year the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Others will be added to the list over the next few years: examples include M Leuven, which will be opening its new collection installation to the public in 2024.

CODART 25 provided a good opportunity to look back at the past decade. The world has changed in many ways and museums are swept along in currents of social trends. How are museums in different countries dealing with this – and how do you respond to these changes when making decisions on your permanent collection presentation? Who participates in discussions on the permanent collection and what choices are made? Above all, what lessons have been learned in the past decade?

We are grateful to all the partners and hosting institutions for their hospitality and kind cooperation during CODART 25. In particular our thanks goes out to: