It was in 2015 that the Brussels Region and the comic strip artist reached an agreement to open a “museum of cats and humorous drawings”, an idea he had been toying with for several years. The location was ideal. In the museum district, a building from the 1930s, adjoining Place Royale and unoccupied for fifteen years, would be replaced by a contemporary building with 7 floors, three of which are underground, with a surface area of 3,000 m².
From the start, the project came under criticism, some arguing that it was oversized, that such a project had no place in a district dedicated to “high-end” museums (Royal Museums of Fine Arts, Museum of Musical Instruments, Bozar, etc.), but the designer and the Region held firm. After numerous delays, the building was scheduled to be made available for September 2026.
On a project initially estimated at 4.5 million euros, subsequently reassessed at 15 million, the Region says it paid out 14. The designer, for his part, was supposed to finance everything that was not the structural work, namely the interior fittings, elevators, toilets, electrical infrastructure… To this end, Philippe Geluck produced imposing bronze statues of the Cat, which were exhibited on the Champs-Élysées in Paris in 2021. The problem is that from postponement to postponement the price of materials has almost doubled, bringing the bill to 7, even 8 million euros, which the designer says he can no longer afford.
The claws between the two parties are still muffled. The lawyers discuss. The Region affirms that Geluck would be liable for compensation in the event of a breach, which the designer disputes, ensuring that he can benefit from a suspensive condition provided for in the agreement. “With or without Philippe Geluck, there will be a first-rate museum”, assures Boris Dilliès, Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region, without giving further details for the moment.
