Margriet Schavemaker will become general director of Kunstmuseum Den Haag, Fotomuseum Den Haag, KM21 and Escher in Het Paleis from 1 June 2024.
She succeeds Benno Tempel, who took over as director at the Kröller-Müller Museum late last year. Schavemaker is currently artistic director of the Amsterdam Museum and professor of Media and Art in Museum Practice at the University of Amsterdam. Before that, she worked for many years as Manager Education, Interpretation and Publications and Curator at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, among others.
Jet de Ranitz, chairman of the Supervisory Board: “With Schavemaker, Kunstmuseum Den Haag reinforces and broadens its position as a leading museum for modern art, locally, nationally and internationally. From a great knowledge of modern art, she tells new stories with which she appeals to a wide social audience. She links this to reflection on art practice from her chair at the University of Amsterdam. We are confident that under Schavemaker’s leadership, the museum will break new ground and thus remain relevant, challenging and appealing to future generations.”
Paul Broekhoff, business director Kunstmuseum Den Haag, is also looking forward to Schavemaker’s arrival: “As a linchpin in The Hague’s cultural field and the home of the municipal art collection, Kunstmuseum Den Haag strives to establish a deeper connection with the city and all its residents. Our ambition extends beyond the museum walls. By even more actively seeking surprising collaborations with initiatives from The Hague, we aim to develop new cultural offerings. Programmes that also appeal to those for whom visiting a museum is not self-evident. I am convinced that in Schavemaker we have found a good booster to enter this new phase.”
Prof Marieke de Goede, dean of the Faculty of Humanities, University of Amsterdam: “Margriet Schavemaker is highly valued as endowed professor of Media and Art in Museum Practice within the faculty and beyond because of, among other things, the way she brings the academic and museum worlds together and allows projects within the museum, for example, to serve as a basis within her teaching. I look forward to our continued collaboration and deepening the cooperation with the Kunstmuseum Den Haag.”
Margriet Schavemaker: “Kunstmuseum Den Haag is one of the most iconic museums for modern and contemporary art in the world. I want to build on the signature of the museum where you can enjoy the unparalleled building, the versatile top collections and appealing exhibitions by big names like Paula Rego, Hilma Af Klint and Nicole Eisenman. At the same time, together with the team, I want to explore how the Kunstmuseum, Fotomuseum Den Haag, KM21 and Escher in Het Paleis can grow into accessible and connecting places of reflection and deepening on topics that are at play in our society today.”
Photos: Anne Claire de Breij
Zestee 