At the end of 2001, the KMSKA, MSK Ghent and the Groeningemuseum (Musea Brugge) elected for an extensive collaboration within the VKC. By combining forces the three partner museums wanted to create a complement to the Dutch organisation RKD. For the purpose of increasing the international presence of the Flemish collections, they received support from the Flemish government. Later, Mu.ZEE and M Leuven became members of the organisation.
The mutual communication amongst the museums stimulated not only joint initiatives and fluent loan transactions, but also the positive collaboration amongst the museums. VKC simultaneously formed a bridge to policy via research, memoranda, collective lobbying and international promotion.
In the context of international promotion, the VKC gradually placed the focus on the digital disclosure of the collections. This originally occurred via a collective presentation of collections and thematic websites on the Flemish Primitives, Bruegel, the Baroque, Ensor, George Minne and Abstract Modernism. Later, a partitioned technical infrastructure was created for the museums, which emerged as a blueprint for future infrastructures of museums and other collection proprietors. The keystone of the operations is a collections’ portal where the collections of the VKC partner museums are combined onto one platform.
In anticipation of the ultimate integration, the current VKC engagements regarding digitalising for the museums shall be continued. In the future, you will still be able to browse the joint collections of the fine arts museums. In addition, the organisation of the Summer Course for the Study of the Arts in Flanders shall temporarily be housed with meemoo.
