Illustrator Philippe Geluck is backing out of an agreement made in 2014 to establish a museum in Brussels centred on his comic strip character Le Chat, saying that after years of delays and ballooning costs, the project is no longer financially viable for him. “It has been a difficult decision, but I’m relieved,” Geluck, who is also a comedian and actor, told Bruzz. “Over the past 10 years, my team and I have worked hard to make this a success. Seven years after the original
opening date, the structural completion of the site has still not been achieved.” The latest deadline for this was 31 March 2026, Geluck said. The building where the Le Chat museum was to be located lies between the BIP, the Musical Instrument Museum and Bozar. The exterior works are the responsibility of the Regional Urban Development Company (MSI) while the interior design and scenography works are the responsibility of Geluck via his non-profit organisation Fidalian. “The costs for the interior work were estimated at €4.5
million at the start of the project,” Geluck said. “That covers everything, from electricity, plumbing and infrastructure to security. Almost 10 years later, that cost has risen to €7.5 million. That’s no longer feasible for us.” According to Geluck, no public funding or grants were available and all of the costs had to be covered through private funding, which he was working to raise. Discussions are currently under way with the office of Brussels minister-president Dilliès (MR) to find a new partner for the project.
“I inherited this project, but I fully intend to see it through to completion to showcase Brussels, at no extra cost to the people of Brussels,” Dilliès said. “With or without Philippe Geluck, there will be a world-class museum.” For his part, Geluck sees no way the museum could ever open before 2028, especially considering that the building site has not yet been handed over. “Once the shell of the building is handed over, you have to add at least another year and a half
before it can open as a museum,” Geluck added. “The building has been designed in such a way that it could also be used for other purposes. There are other artists interested, and I will help the region find a new partner for the project.” In the meantime, Geluck hopes to find a new home for a Le Chat museum, ideally in Brussels but at the very least in Belgium. “I was offered the chance to set up this museum in the south of France,
in a town between Aix and Avignon. I was offered the chance to do it in Paris or Geneva, under very favourable terms,” he said. “But I always said no, thank you. Because I was born in Brussels, I live in Brussels, Le Chat is Belgian, and I think it’s only right to give back to all my fellow citizens this sort of artistic luck and joy that I’ve experienced over the past 50 years. “I’ll do everything I can to find a solution for
us and still offer something to the people of Brussels and my country.”
Philippe Geluck, Le Chat museum, Brussels, Fidalian, MSI, Dilliès, MR, museum project, comic strip, costs