DIRECTOR BEATRIX RUF RESIGNS WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT AS DIRECTOR OF THE STEDELIJK MUSEUM

Announcement from the Supervisory Board of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam: 

Director Beatrix Ruf has decided to resign from her post as director of the Stedelijk Museum with immediate effect. Following speculations in the media over the past weeks that may have an impact on the Stedelijk’s reputation, Ruf feels that her resignation is in the best interests of the museum. 

The Stedelijk Museum has laid a strong foundation for its artistic continuity with an extensive programme that commences with the collection presentation STEDELIJK BASE on 16 December 2017. Featuring around 750 iconic artworks from the collection, the presentation traces the developments in fine art from the 19thcentury to the present day, with work by Van Gogh, Mondrian, Malevich and Rietveld, and from Warhol, Kiefer, Koons, Sottsass and Dijkstra to Dumas. 

The current Stedelijk Management Team, in conjunction with an interim business director to be appointed shortly, will be tasked with the business aspects of Beatrix Ruf’s directorate. In accordance with current employment legislation, after her departure Beatrix Ruf will continue to receive her salary for another three months.

“Having served the Stedelijk Museum for the past three years, I have come to know it as a wonderful institute. We brought extraordinary collections to Amsterdam and significantly deepened our relevance to society and our communities. I value the interests of this outstanding institution, and place the interests of the Stedelijk first, above my own, individual concerns. In light of that, I feel that this is an appropriate moment for me to step down. I wish the museum every success in the future because that is what the Stedelijk, its exceptionally dedicated staff, visitors, and supporters, wholeheartedly deserve.”

Commissioned by the Supervisory Board, an investigation into the Stedelijk Museum’s Governance will be carried out over the next few months. In the first instance an external, independent Governance expert will conduct a full review of the process that occurred at the time between the Supervisory Board and the director of the Stedelijk Museum, including the accompanying monitoring mechanisms. The expert will report his findings and make any necessary recommendations concerning improvements to the governance process.

Secondly, Jaap Van Slooten, professor of employment law at the University of Amsterdam and specialist in the field of remuneration, will evaluate whether the museum acted in compliance with the Dutch Executives’ Pay Standards Act [Wet Normering Topinkomens].

The results of both evaluations will be made publicly available.

NOTE TO EDITORS