News — Jan 5, 2011

Guusje ter Horst and Willem de Rooij join the
Supervisory Board of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

On December 10th 2010, Guusje ter Horst and Willem de Rooij were appointed new members of the Supervisory Board of the Stedelijk Museum. The Stedelijk is delighted to welcome an experienced politician and a highly respected artist to the Board.

Guusje ter Horst (1952) succeeds Doekle Terpstra as chair of the HBO-raad (the umbrella organization of further education colleges) on 1 January 2011. From 2007-2010 she was Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, and Mayor of Nijmegen from 2001-2007. As a member of the Labour Party (PvdA) ter Horst served on Amsterdam city council; in 1994, she was appointed alderwoman responsible for spatial planning, traffic, historic buildings and healthcare. Ter Horst began her career as Associate Professor at the University of Amsterdam where she completed a PhD degree in social sciences.
Guusje ter Horst was formerly a board member of Holland Festival, chair of the Libris Literature Prize, of the university board of the University of Amsterdam and the Netherlands Foundation for Visual Arts, Design and Architecture.

Willem de Rooij (1969) is one of the most internationally acclaimed Dutch artists whose work explores the area of tension between critical and socially-committed art on the one hand, and the autonomous power of the imagination on the other. In 2006, the Stedelijk Museum presented the film Mandarin Ducks, in combination with work that De Rooij made in collaboration with Jeroen de Rijke as the duo De Rijke/De Rooij. Mandarin Ducks was also the widely celebrated Dutch contribution to the 51st Venice Biennale. De Rooij took part in several group exhibitions at the Stedelijk, including 20/20 Vision (2004) and Populism (2005). 18 Corners, an early work by De Rooij, is currently on view in the exhibition Taking Place at the Stedelijk Museum. Work by De Rijke/De Rooij is also held in the museum’s collection. De Rooij’s current solo exhibition, Intolerance, at Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie, runs until January 2nd.

Willem de Rooij has been a tutor at De Ateliers in Amsterdam since 2002; he was appointed Professor of Fine Arts at the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main in 2006. De Rooij previously served on the board of Witte de With Centre for Contemporary Art in Rotterdam.
Prior to this appointment, the Supervisory Board met with the Mayor and Aldermen of the city of Amsterdam and the Directors of the Stedelijk Museum, who expressed delight that both nominees have agreed to join the Board.

Alexander Ribbink, chair of the Supervisory Board of the Stedelijk Museum, says: “Guusje ter Horst
brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the political and social arena that will be invaluable for a museum like ours. In executive roles both at Amsterdam city council and at national level, she has always shown unwavering commitment to cultural affairs. Guusje’s vision and approach will help us realize our ambition of ensuring that the Stedelijk Museum is, and remains, open and accessible to all.”

The appointment of Willem de Rooij means that, after Jan Dibbets, the Stedelijk once more has an artist on board. Ribbink comments: “We are honored to welcome such a renowned artist as Willem de Rooij to the Supervisory Board. With his knowledge, reputation and long-standing relationship with the Stedelijk Museum, he is an asset to the board. Willem’s appointment underscores the Stedelijk’s ambition to place artists at the heart of the museum.”
As per December 10th 2010, the members of the Supervisory Board of the Stedelijk Museum are:
Yoeri Albrecht, Jacobina Brinkman, Rob Defares, Marry de Gaay Fortman, Mariá Hlavajová, Guusje ter Horst, Prince Constantijn van Oranje, Alexander Ribbink (chairman) and Willem de Rooij.