Europe’s first Museum of Digital Art closes permanently due to coronavirus

It’s sad times. Severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic, Europe’s first physical museum dedicated to digital arts, the Museum of Digital Art in Zurich, has revealed it will close for good at the end of July.

“It is with a heavy heart that the Museum of Digital Art announces today its untimely closure at the end of July 2020,” a MuDA rep wrote in an announcement. “Left with high rental costs, the non-profit project is forced into a premature end.”

In March, museums across Switzerland were forced to temporarily shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike most other museums in the country, MuDA didn’t rely on public funds to run, and instead operated on paid admissions and private donations. Without any revenue during peak season and sparse visits since museums reopened in May, MuDA’s rent costs quickly melted its reserves.

“A chapter is closing, but our passion for digital art prevails,” MuDA founders Caroline Hirt and Christian Etter wrote in a statement. “We are extremely proud of what we have achieved, and thank all the people who believed in this project and supported us in many different ways during the past five years.”

The Museum of Digital Art was a digital phenomenon through and through. It was founded after a successful crowdfunding campaign, raising exactly $111,111 on Kickstarter.

Those interested in visiting MuDA while it’s still open can do so on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays from 11AM to 7PM.