Beatrix Ruf to Lead New Hartwig Art Foundation Museum in Amsterdam
Beatrix Ruf, the former Stedelijk Museum director who left in 2017 amid conflict-of-interest allegations, has been appointed to lead a planned private museum by the Hartwig Art Foundation. The foundation, established in 2022 by billionaire Rob Defares, initially aimed to acquire and donate art to Dutch state collections. Now Defares is building his own venue, having secured permission to convert a former courthouse in Amsterdam's Zuidas district. Ruf was cleared of wrongdoing after the Stedelijk controversy and later worked with Moscow's Garage Museum of Art, leaving after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Key facts
- Beatrix Ruf appointed director of planned Hartwig Art Foundation museum
- Foundation established in 2022 by electronic trading billionaire Rob Defares
- Defares originally aimed to buy and donate art to Dutch state collections
- Permission secured to convert old court building in Zuidas, Amsterdam
- Ruf left Stedelijk Museum in 2017 over conflict-of-interest concerns
- Ruf was later cleared of any wrongdoing
- Ruf worked with Garage Museum of Art in Moscow
- Ruf did not renew contract after Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Entities
Artists
- Beatrix Ruf
Institutions
- Hartwig Art Foundation
- Stedelijk Museum
- Garage Museum of Art
Locations
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Zuidas
- Moscow
- Russia