STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN.- Pontus Hulten, the former head of the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, 82, died. Pontus Hulten was born in Stockholm and studied art history at Stockholm University. He was curator at a small art gallery during the 1950s. He was named head of the Moderna Museet in 1960 and remained there for 13 years. During that period, exhibitions including artists such as van Gogh, Klee, Magritte, Pollock, Kandinsky, Sven Erixson, Bror Hjorth and Sigrid Hjerten were orgaized at the Moderna Museet.

Carl-Johan Malmberg, an art critic, stated, "He understood what good art was way before others did, and was therefore way ahead of his times."

From 1974 to 1981 Pontus Hulten headed the Centre Pompidou in Paris. He later worked for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, Palazzo Grassi in Venice and Museum Jean Tinguely in Basle, Switzerland. Pontus Hulten was also an avid art collector. Pontus Hulten donated his private collection of 700 works to the Moderna Museet in November 2005.