Director of the Van Abbemuseum

Job Opening: Director of the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven

The Van Abbemuseum is looking for an inspiring and dynamic leader to serve as its new director!

The Van Abbemuseum was founded in 1936 and is one of the first public museums of contemporary art in Europe.

The Van Abbemuseum aims to be meaningful to and connected with the city of Eindhoven. At the same time, it also seeks to be of national significance and relevant to the international art ecosystem. The museum places great value on engaging and attracting a diverse audience. Many of the programs conceived in and for the museum have been developed in collaboration with audience groups.

The collection consists of more than 3,600 works of art and includes major works by artists such as 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 Van Abbemuseum is also a member of L'Internationale: a confederation of European museums, art organizations, and universities. Other member institutions 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).

The museum examines its own role in society, both through works from its collection and through (educational) programs. It encourages visitors (and itself) to reflect on how the past relates to the present. It does so by upholding core values such as openness and hospitality, and through the exchange of knowledge.

The museum director, together with the executive director, leads the museum. The museum director is responsible for the artistic direction of the museum’s programs and the further development of the collection. In addition, the director is committed to maintaining the museum’s strong international reputation and to developing the significant role the museum aims to continue playing in the national and international contemporary art scene. In parallel, they will work to strengthen the museum’s connection with the city and its residents, as well as with the city’s cultural life.

We are seeking a specific candidate: an inspiring, dynamic leader with a strategic vision, an international reputation for curatorial excellence, and a strong international network. Someone with the persuasive ability to inspire the Van Abbemuseum team (creatively). Someone who contributes effectively to the broader cultural sector at the national level, maintains strong relationships with artists and other institutions within the art world, and can represent the museum in this capacity.

An inspiring and inclusive leader with an eye for the opportunities and challenges that the present and the future bring. With the museum’s 90th anniversary just around the corner, we are looking for someone who wants to build on the Van Abbemuseum’s legacy and position the museum for what lies ahead.

We offer a gross salary ranging from €6,829 to a maximum of €9,734. This does not include the 17.05% flexible spending allowance. All other terms and conditions of employment are outlined in the candidate package.

For more information and an application package, please contact Debra Young at Purple Light Consulting. Or send an email to: debra@purple-light.co.uk or call (+44) 20 8458 5460.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Sunday, February 2, 2025