Taco Dibbits, the Rijksmuseum's longstanding head of collections, has been promoted to become the director general of the Dutch national museum of art and history. He takes over from Wim Pijbes in July, having worked closely with the outgoing director to modernise and redisplay the Amsterdam museum as well as expand its collection, best known for works of the Dutch Golden Age.
Under Dibbits, who is an expert in 17th century painting, the Rijksmuseum has built up a substantial photography collection as well as worked with leading contemporary artists and designers. Last year, he co-organised Late Rembrandt with the National Gallery in London, one of many high-profile exhbitions on his CV. Helping negotiate the joint acquisition of two portraits by Rembrandt with the Louvre was another remarkable international achievement.
He is committed to increasing the Amsterdam museum's international profile and digital outreach, now at an all-time high. "The treasures of the Rijksmuseum and its Dutch art are not just Dutch history but world heritage. It has the power to unite people," he says. Referring to the institution's social role today and the Netherlands' history of global trade, he adds: "We should look for common ground in the past."
In a statement, Jaap de Hoop Sceffer, the chairman of the Rijksmuseum board, said that Dibbits is already a "figurehead" for the museum, adding that he is "eminently capable of shaping the process of innovation and development necessary to inspire and surprise the museum visitor again and again".
Dibbits joined the Rijksmuseum in 2002 just before its renovation and modernisation began, which took a decade to complete. Visitor numbers have more than doubled to more than 2.5 million a year since the museum reopened in 2013 to widespread critical acclaim for its mix of chronological and collection-based displays.
