Seeking Director

The Van Abbemuseum was founded in 1936 and is one of the first public museums for contemporary art to be established in Europe. Working with the collection and education programmes, among others, we question and perform our role in the presentation of art in society, encouraging visitors and ourselves to consider how the past relates to the present with openness and hospitality and through knowledge exchange. In understanding the collection as cultural memory and the museum as a space for the public, the Van Abbemuseum seeks to be meaningful and connected to Eindhoven while being of national interest and relevant to the international art ecosystem that is engaged with art’s role in society. The museum attaches great importance to involving a diverse public in terms of origin, education, ability and social position. Its programmes are developed in collaboration with its publics. The museum’s collection of over 3,600 works of art includes key works and archives by Joseph Beuys, Marc Chagall, René Daniëls, Marlene Dumas, Sheela Gowda, Patricia Kaersenhout, Gülsün Karamustafa, Iris Kensmil, Oskar Kokoschka, John Körmeling, El Lissitzky, Paul McCarthy, Pablo Picasso, Martha Rosler, Piet Mondrian and Lidwien van de Ven. The new building, which includes a 27-metre high tower was designed by Able Cahen and was inaugurated in 2003.

The Van Abbemuseum is a member of L’Internationale, confederation of European museums, arts organizations and universities, which include Museo Reina Sofía (Madrid, Spain), MACBA (Barcelona, Spain), M HKA, (Antwerp, Belgium), MSN (Warsaw, Poland), Salt (Istanbul, Turkey), Institute of Radical Imagination (Naples, Italy), tranzit.ro (Bucharest, Cluj and Iaşi, Romania, and HDK-Valand (Gothenburg, Sweden).

Leading the Museum alongside the Managing Director, the new Museum Director will provide artistic direction for the museum’s programmes and the development of its collection and continue to develop the museum’s fine international reputation and occupy an important place in the contemporary art scene nationally and internationally. Parallel to this will be the drive to ensure greater connection with the city and its inhabitants and to position the Van Abbemuseum at the centre of the cultural life of the city.

With the 90th anniversary of the museum approaching, the Van Abbemuseum seeks an outstanding candidate, an inspirational, dynamic leader with strategic vision, an international reputation for curatorial excellence and with a good international network. A leader with the stature and credibility to nurture and add value to the team at the Van Abbemuseum and to contribute effectively to the broader cultural sector nationally. They will combine strong relationships with artists, other institutions and the art world in general, with the ability to represent the museum in the public arena. An inspiring and inclusive leader, attuned to the opportunities and challenges of the next decade, they will have the confidence and flexibility to capitalise on what has gone before and to position the Van Abbemuseum for what is to come.

Salary: Scale, from 81,948–116,808 EUR plus an additional annual payment of 17 percent of salary, plus generous package.

For more details and a candidate pack, please contact Debra Young at Purple Light Consulting, the appointed search firm for the Van Abbemuseum via email to: debra [​at​] purple-light.co.uk or phone (+44) 20 8458 5460.

Closing date for applications: 11:59pm on Sunday, February 2, 2025.