Bart van der Heide appointed director of Museion Bolzano

Bart van der Heide, a Dutch curator and art historian, has been appointed as the new director of Museion in Bolzano, Italy. He will officially assume the role on June 1, 2020, but will begin preparatory work in autumn 2019. Van der Heide succeeds Letizia Ragaglia, whose double mandate expired in May 2019 after ten years (including two as interim). The search for a successor began a year earlier with an open call, which initially failed to find a suitable candidate. The selection process then shifted to direct invitations. Van der Heide was chosen for his successful experience at renowned institutions and his vision for Museion's development, including new exhibition formats and a focus on social and public engagement. Previously, he served as chief curator at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam from 2015 to November 2018, where he oversaw exhibitions, collection presentations, and conservation. Before that, he was director of the Kunstverein Munich, where he organized numerous solo shows and thematic exhibitions. He also worked as a curator at Cubitt Gallery London and Witte de With Rotterdam. Marion Piffer Damiani, President of the Museion Foundation, praised van der Heide's qualifications. Van der Heide expressed eagerness to work with the team and board to write a new chapter for the institution.