MINNEAPOLIS, MN.- The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) today announced the appointment of Thomas E. Rassieur as its new John E. Andrus III Curator of Prints and Drawings. In this capacity he will lead the MIA’s Prints and Drawings Department, a collection of some 40,000 prints and drawings ranging from 14th century illuminated manuscripts to works by contemporary artists. Rassieur comes to the MIA from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), where he began as an assistant curator of Prints and Drawings in 1999, and served most recently as the Pamela and Peter Voss Curator since 2008. He will begin his appointment at the MIA on January 5, 2009. Rassieur’s appointment is the fourth new curatorial hire this year made by director Kaywin Feldman, who joined the MIA in January. Jan-Lodewijk Grootaers was appointed in May as Curator of African, Oceanic, and Native American Art (AONA); Elizabeth Armstrong was hired in June as Assistant Director For Exhibitions and Programs and Curator of Contemporary Art; and David E. Little was appointed Curator of Photographs in September.

“Thomas Rassieur’s experience at the Museum of Fine Arts and his extensive knowledge of the art market well position him to lead our excellent team of curators in the Prints and Drawings Department at the MIA,” stated museum director Kaywin Feldman. “Tom’s expertise in Old Master prints and drawings—including those by Rembrandt—perfectly complements the strengths of the museum’s collection.”

In Boston, Rassieur curated or co-curated ten exhibitions including, most recently, “Rhythms of Modern Life: British Prints 1914-1939,” which opened in Boston earlier this year and is now showing as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. He was also involved with the major exhibition “Rembrandt’s Journey: Painter, Draftsman, Etcher,” which premiered at the MFA in 2003 and subsequently traveled to the Art Institute of Chicago. Prior to the MFA, Rassieur was the curatorial assistant in charge of the study room in the Department of Prints and Photographs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Rassieur holds an M.A. from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and a B.A. from Princeton University.

“Minneapolis is a dynamic city, and I’m truly excited about the MIA. It is a great institution with splendid collections that are beautifully presented,” said Tom Rassieur. “Kaywin Feldman and her team convinced me that we can realize tremendous potential as an inspiring, fascinating, and just plain fun place to go. I can’t wait to be part of it.”

“Tom is well respected as scholar and connoisseur—he spent a year in London examining prints in the British Museum’s venerable collection—and is deeply committed to making prints and drawings available to all museum visitors,” observes Matthew Welch, Assistant Director for Curatorial Affairs. “Tom’s passion for works on paper is infectious and I’m certain that he will quickly turn us all into print enthusiasts—if not collectors—in short order.”