Bart van der Heide appointed Director at Museion, Bolzano

The Governing Board of Bolzano’s Museum for Modern and Contemporary Art, Museion, has appointed Bart van der Heide as Director. Mr. Van der Heide, until recently Chief Curator and Head of Research at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, will assume his new role on June 1st 2020 and will succeed current Director, Letizia Ragaglia, whose contract can no longer be extended for statutory reasons. Mr. Van der Heide will start his research for Museion’s future program in the fall of 2019.

The nomination of Bart van der Heide is the result of a selection process in several parts, the latter phase of which consisted of direct calls to possible candidates. “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” states Marion Piffer Damiani, President of Museion.

Mr. Van der Heide underlines that “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.”

Bart van der Heide is an internationally renowned art historian and exhibition maker. He joined the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam as Chief Curator in 2015, where he oversaw the museum’s extensive programming of exhibitions, collection displays and public programs. During his appointment, he established urgency and relevance for the collection by generating visibility, research, conservation and restoration for works with limited exposure in the Netherlands, such as the paintings by Agus and Otto Djaya and CC Hennix. In the same period, the Stedelijk Museum programmed ambitious solo exhibitions by artists such as Seth Price, Rineke Dijkstra, Jordan Wolfson, Metahaven, Günther Förg, Magali Reus, Mohamed Bourouissa, Jon Rafman, Bernadette Corporation, Zanele Muholi, Jana Euler and Stefan Tcherepnin. Its extensive public program featured numerous new productions together with international partners, including performances by Cally Spooner, Ei Arakawa, Maria Hassabi and Keren Cytter.

Before the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam Mr. Van der Heide was Director of the prestigious Kunstverein München, which underwent ambitious growth under his directorate. Also at Kunstverein München he programmed numerous debut exhibitions and new productions by upcoming and established artists as well as thematic exhibitions that reflected on contemporary human conditions.