Contemporary Art Museum Kiasma has been living beyond its means

Profits from Ateneum’s hugely successful Picasso exhibition will be used to fund Kiasma’s ARS11 show in 2011

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Last year the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma exceeded its operating allowance by about EUR 200,000, which is a record in the museum’s 12-year history.
      For Kiasma’s parent organisation, the Finnish National Gallery, the overspending came as a surprise at the end of the year.
      An even bigger disappointment for the National Gallery was the fact that Kiasma’s proceeds fell EUR 80,000 short of what had been expected.
      Kiasma forms a part of the Finnish National Gallery, as do Ateneum and the Sinebrychoff Art Museum.
     
Kiasma plans to settle the cost overrun by saving from this year’s expenses.
      Mainly because of last year’s negative balance, the museum has had to cancel the coming autumn’s Isaac Julien exhibition, which was meant to be the museum’s main show for this year.
      The roughly EUR 200,000 loss posted from last year will be away from this year’s exhibition and other operations, for which Kiasma now has just over EUR 900,000.
      In all, Kiasma’s operating allowance for last year was in the region of EUR 3.6 million, the bulk of which was spent on staff salaries.
      According to Kiasma financial secretary Tarja Grönberg, the museum exceeded its means across the board.
      According to the Finnish National Gallery Director General Risto Ruohonen, Kiasma has been given stern directions not to live beyond its means this year.
      In 2011, however, Kiasma looks likely to benefit from Ateneum’s Picasso success from last year. The Picasso exhibition, which was visited by more than 310,000 people, was Ateneum’s biggest hit of all time.
      Now plans have been laid to use around EUR 200,000 of Ateneum’s Picasso exhibition’s returns to part-fund Kiasma’s ARS11 exhibition next year.
     
Kiasma has more money for acquisitions this year than for some time, as the government has slightly increased its budget for the Finnish National Gallery.
      This year Kiasma can spend EUR 455,000 to add to its art collections.
      Three years ago the corresponding figure was only EUR 318,000.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Kiasma to cancel Isaac Julien exhibition (9.2.2010)
  Ateneum Picasso exhibition stole visitors from Helsinki´s other art museums (9.2.2010)

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