TEFAF names Dominique Savelkoul as new director general amid turmoil

The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) has appointed Dominique Savelkoul as its new director general, the fifth person to hold the position in four years. Savelkoul previously directed Mu.Zee in Ostend, Belgium, where she increased attendance and raised international profile. She also served as advisor in the Flemish Ministry of Culture, board member of the Festival of Flanders, communications director at the National Gallery of London, and for the German Ruhr Triennial. TEFAF chairman Hidde van Seggelen praised her unique knowledge in fundraising, audience engagement, and visitor experience. The appointment follows the resignation of Bart Drenth in June 2023 after controversial tweets targeting leftists, Muslims, and woke people, which were translated and published by Artnet News. Drenth was also criticized by his predecessor Charlotte Van Leerdam (deceased July 2024) for revealing her cancer diagnosis to the press. Additionally, TEFAF's board appointed two London-based dealers: Adrian Sassoon (Belgravia gallery specializing in contemporary art and 18th-century French porcelain, also on the International Council of the Metropolitan Museum of Art) and Valentina Vico (director of Benappi Fine Art in Mayfair, specializing in Old Master paintings and sculptures, and on the board of the Italian Antiques Association).