Kunstinstituut Melly

What Kunstinstituut Melly does

Kunstinstituut Melly is a Rotterdam-based non-profit contemporary art institution founded in 1990, originally operating as Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art before completing a multi-year institutional transformation and rebranding in January 2021. The institution presents rotating exhibitions, commissions, and publications featuring contemporary visual artists (including Cecilia Vicuña, Douglas Coupland, Federico Herrero, and others), and operates the MELLY ground-floor public space with free admission dedicated to community engagement. It runs an annual work-study fellowship called Collective Learning for participants ages 17-23, a community outreach program called MELLY's Neighbours, and Melly TV, a streaming and broadcast program developed in partnership with Open Rotterdam.

The institution's technology footprint is minimal and intentionally non-commercial; its core capability is curatorial, editorial, and community programming rather than software or platform development. Its infrastructure includes a 19th-century gallery building at Witte de Withstraat 50, a microsite for the name change initiative (change.wdw.nl), online shop, and social media presence across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, YouTube, and SoundCloud.

Revenue is generated through a diversified non-profit model combining public subsidies (City of Rotterdam, Ministry of OCW), private foundation grants (Mondriaan Fund, Ammodo, Fonds 21, Turing Foundation, Henry Moore Foundation), tiered annual memberships (Friend €30 to Companion €1,500), sales of publications (€20-35) and limited-edition artworks (up to €3,630), individual and business donations (including US donations via KBFUS), and bequeathments. The institution operates under ANBI tax-exempt status in the Netherlands and complies with Code Cultural Governance and Code Cultural Diversity standards.

Name

Kunstinstituut Melly

Legal name

Witte de With Stichting

Website

https://fkawdw.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Kunstinstituut Melly is a Rotterdam-based non-profit contemporary art institution presenting exhibitions, publications, art editions, and community programming through its gallery, Collective Learning fellowship, and Melly TV streaming platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Subsidies and Foundation Grants: The institution receives funding from government agencies and private foundations including City of Rotterdam, Ministry of Education Culture and Science (OCW), Mondriaan Fund, Ammodo, Fonds 21, Turing Foundation, The Henry Moore Foundation, and others.
2. Membership Programs: Annual membership tiers including Friend (€30), Supporter (€250), Companion (€1,000), and additional Friend+ (€400), Supporter+ (€400), and Companion+ (€1,500) options providing access to special events.
3. Publications Sales: Sale of exhibition catalogs and publications including works on artists such as Cecilia Vicuña, Hans van Dijk, THEA SEGALL, and others ranging from €20-35.
4. Art Editions and Commissioned Artworks: Sale of limited edition artworks and commissioned editions including Douglas Coupland prints (€500-900), WDWXXV portfolio (€3,630), Federico Herrero monotypes (€2,500), and Adrián Chair (€750).
5. Donations: Individual and business donations supported through various programs including American Friends program via KBFUS for US donors.
6. Bequeathments and Legacies: The institution receives inheritances and legacy gifts as a registered ANBI foundation, benefiting from Dutch giving legislation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kunstinstituut Melly operates a contemporary art institution presenting rotating exhibitions and commissioned artworks, a curated publications program, and limited edition artworks sold through its shop. It runs a free public ground-floor space (MELLY), an annual work-study fellowship program for young people (Collective Learning), and a streaming/broadcast video program (Melly TV) developed in partnership with Open Rotterdam. The institution is funded through public subsidies, private foundation grants, tiered memberships, donations, and product sales.

Product overview

Kunstinstituut Melly (formerly Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art) is a Rotterdam-based contemporary art institution founded in 1990, located at Witte de Withstraat 50. The institution operates as a multi-faceted cultural organization offering: (1) rotating exhibitions and commissioned artworks presented in its gallery spaces, (2) publications documenting its exhibition history and artistic research, (3) limited edition art prints and artworks sold through its shop, (4) membership programs at various tiers, and (5) educational and community programming through its MELLY Space and Collective Learning fellowship initiative. The institution launched its new name in January 2021 following a multi-year institutional transformation initiative addressing its colonial namesake. Melly TV serves as the streaming platform for its artistic programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MELLY: A publicly-focused and socially oriented ground-floor space dedicated to inclusivity and community engagement, originally called 'Untitled' and renamed in April 2019.
• Melly TV

Products and services

• Publications Books, catalogs, and series documenting exhibitions and artistic research, sold through the institution's shop. Includes titles such as 'Cecilia Vicuña: Seehearing the Enlightened Failure', 'Hans van Dijk: A Life with Art in China', and the 'Rotterdam series', priced €20–€35.
• Membership Programs Tiered annual memberships including Friend (€30), Supporter (€250/€400), Companion (€1,000/€1,500), and additional + variants (Friend+, Supporter+, Companion+), providing access to special events, discounts, and supporting the institution's public programming.
• Art & Editions Limited edition art prints, portfolios, and unique artworks sold to support artist production. Includes the WDWXXV portfolio (€3,630, Edition of 15, 10 prints commemorating the 25th anniversary), Douglas Coupland's 'The Cloud Is The New Infinity' / 'Slogans for the Twenty-First Century' series (€500 unframed, €900 framed with ArtGlass), Federico Herrero monotypes (€2,500 each, or €2,000 when purchasing 3 or more; €300 extra if framed), and the Adrián Chair by Muebles Manuel (€750).
• Merchandise Branded merchandise sold via the institution's shop, including the 25th Anniversary Pin (€10) and Witte de With Tote bag (€4). Items branded with the previous name may be historical inventory.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96 people attended 15 weekly open lunch meetings in 2017 as part of the name change deliberation process
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Open RotterdamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2021Local Dutch television network broadcasting Melly TV content. Partnership developed for the institution's name launch celebration, streaming content on channel 36 (Ziggo) and 1349 (KPN, XS4ALL, Telfort).
• Lilith MagazineminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2021Consulting partner for the development of Melly TV program content.
• Brand New GuysminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2021Consulting partner for the development of Melly TV program content.
• Werkplaats Typografie (ArtEZ University of the Arts)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2021Collaboration for developing the institution's new visual identity and Collective Learning work-study program. Located in Arnhem, Netherlands. Six graphic designers worked with this partner and Wkshps to create the affective typography-based visual identity for Kunstinstituut Melly.
• WkshpscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2021Design firm based in Berlin and New York collaborating on the institution's new visual identity as part of the Collective Learning project involving Werkplaats Typografie.
• City of RotterdamcoreOthersGovernment funding body providing public subsidy to the institution as part of Cultural Plan 2017-2020.
• Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW)coreOthersNational government ministry providing public subsidy to the institution.
• Mondriaan FundcoreOthersDutch foundation for visual arts and cultural heritage providing funding support.
• AmmodocoreOthersDutch arts funding organization supporting visual arts programming.
• Fonds 21coreOthersDutch cultural foundation providing funding for arts and culture.
• Turing FoundationminorOthersFoundation supporting arts and culture initiatives.
• The Henry Moore FoundationminorOthersUK-based foundation supporting sculpture and visual arts.
• Goethe InstitutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman cultural institution providing support as part of the institutional supporter network.
• Institut FrançaisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench cultural institution providing support as part of the institutional supporter network.
• Esther Schipper (Berlin)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational art gallery listed as institutional supporter.
• Galerie Peter Kilchmann (Zurich)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational art gallery listed as institutional supporter.
• Mendes Wood DM (Brussels)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational art gallery listed as institutional supporter.
• Kavi Gupta Gallery (Chicago)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational art gallery listed as institutional supporter.
• kurimanzutto (Mexico City and New York)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational art gallery listed as institutional supporter.
• Jan Kaps (Cologne)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational art gallery listed as institutional supporter.
• Lehmann MaupinminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational art gallery listed as institutional supporter.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bonnefantenmuseum: Contemporary and old masters art museum in Maastricht, Netherlands. Directly comparable as a Dutch contemporary art museum receiving provincial and national subsidies; notably connected via Supervisory Board member Stijn Huijts (director of Bonnefanten).
• Kunsthal Rotterdam: Rotterdam exhibition hall hosting rotating contemporary art and culture exhibitions, located in the same city. Comparable as a Rotterdam exhibition venue with rotating programming, public funding, and similar visitor demographics.
• Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen: Major art museum in Rotterdam itself, sharing the same city and visitor economy. Directly comparable as a Dutch publicly-funded art institution in Rotterdam, with comparable exhibition programming and ANBI-related funding context.
• Van Abbemuseum: Contemporary and modern art museum in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Directly comparable as a Dutch contemporary art institution with public funding, international programming, and similar visitor scale — operating in the same national cultural-policy environment as Kunstinstituut Melly.
• Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam: Amsterdam's leading museum for modern and contemporary art and design. Comparable as a Dutch publicly-funded contemporary art museum with international exhibitions, publications, and a shop — though significantly larger and with broader historical scope.
• De Hallen Haarlem: Contemporary art exhibition hall in Haarlem, Netherlands. Comparable as a smaller Dutch publicly-funded contemporary art venue with rotating exhibitions and a focus on living artists.
• Centraal Museum Utrecht: Utrecht's municipal museum with collections across contemporary art, design, and city history. Comparable as a Dutch municipal contemporary art institution with public funding, publications, and membership programs.
• Fridericianum: Kassel, Germany's historic exhibition hall for contemporary art, host of documenta-related programming. Comparable as a publicly-funded European contemporary art exhibition venue with international artist commissions, publications, and a non-collecting model.

Emerging players

• W139: Amsterdam-based platform for contemporary art and theory. Comparable as a Dutch contemporary art organization with exhibition programming, publications, and a curatorial focus, though operating at smaller scale than Kunstinstituut Melly.

Regional players

• M HKA (Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen): Antwerp's contemporary art museum. Comparable as a publicly-funded contemporary art institution in the Benelux region, but operating primarily in Belgium rather than the Netherlands, limiting direct competition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/KunstMelly
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/KunstinstituutMelly
• Facebookfacebook.com/kunstinstituutmelly
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kunstinstituutmelly
• Instagraminstagram.com/kunstinstituutmelly

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kunstinstituut Melly