Bart van der Heide, Chief Curator of Stedelijk Museum Under Beatrix Ruf, Named Director of Museion in Italy -ARTnews

After a stint as the chief curator and head of research at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Bart van der Heide has been appointed the director of the Museum for Modern and Contemporary Art, Museion in Bolzano, Italy. He will take up his position on June 1, 2020, after its current director, Letizia Ragaglia, departs her post. (Ragaglia’s contract could not be renewed “for statutory reasons,” according to a release put out by the museum.) Van der Heide will begin research for his program in September.

In a statement, Marion Piffer Damiani, the Museion’s president, said, “Bart van der Heide won over the board due to his successful experiences in other renowned art institutions but also because of his vision for the future development of Museion, with new exhibition formats and particular attention to the social and public aspects of the museum.”

Van der Heide was chief curator of the Stedelijk from 2015 to 2018. His departure from the museum came amid controversy. Beatrix Ruf, the Stedelijk’s former director, was accused of conflicts of interest during her tenure in 2017, and was cleared of such allegations less than a year later. Around that time, three board members left the institution.

Before joining the Stedelijk, where he organized shows about Metahaven, Jana Euler, Jordan Wolfson, and many more, van der Heide was the director of the Kunstverein München in Germany. He has also served as curator of Cubitt Gallery in London and the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Van der Heide said of his new position in a statement, “The Museion has a sound reputation of exhibitions, new productions and acquisitions that reach far beyond the region. At the same time, it provides a specific generative environment for visitors to encounter contemporary art and artists to experiment and to be ambitious. I look forward to working with the team and Board in developing a new chapter for the institution, remaining close to artists and their perspectives on the world.”