TILBURG.- Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen will be the new director of De Pont Museum in Tilburg. As of 26 August he will succeed Hendrik Driessen, De Pont's founding director who has been running the museum for thirty years. Van Nieuwenhuyzen has a great deal of museum experience, is a versatile exhibition maker and has a reputation for scouting young talent. Since 1991 he has been employed at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, where he has curated many talked-about exhibitions. From 1999 to 2006 he was director of Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam, the former experimental project space of the Stedelijk. In 2005 he curated the Dutch Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. From 2000 to 2003 he was Associate Director of Exhibitions at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London.

About being hired as the new director of De Pont Museum, Van Nieuwenhuyzen says: "From the start De Pont has had a special place in the Dutch museum landscape due to its transformation from a wool-spinning mill into a sublime space for art. The collection has been developed by Hendrik Driessen in terms of depth, and the exhibition program takes shape in close collaboration with the artists. That corresponds to my own 'artist-driven' practice. I'm looking forward to adding a new chapter to De Pont's remarkable history in collaboration with the team. Continuity and innovation will be key aspects of this. Artists will be returning with current work, and new names will give rise to other, sometimes abrasive experiences."

Taco Dibbits, chair of De Pont Museum's board: "Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen is an all-round museum man who has great artistic curiosity and an excellent network. We are convinced that he will continue to develop and draw attention to our beautiful museum in Tilburg in an interesting manner."