FAIRFIELD, CONN.- Lynn Babington, Ph.D., RN, Fairfield University’s senior vice president for academic affairs, announces Linda Wolk-Simon, Ph.D., a veteran curator at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, as the new director of the Bellarmine Museum, Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery and University curator. The appointment is effective on February 2, 2015. Wolk-Simon was selected at the conclusion of a thorough national search conducted by the Arts Consulting Group.

Dr. Wolk-Simon comes to Fairfield after 25 years at the gold standard of museums, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where, from 1986 to 2011 she served in many posts, including curator, Department of Drawings and Prints. Prior to that she was the assistant curator of the Robert Lehman Collection at the Metropolitan, a diverse collection of paintings, sculpture, textiles, glass, ceramics and old master drawings. While at The Met, she organized a highly attended Raphael exhibition and was co-curator of the well-received Art and Love in Renaissance Italy.

“We are so pleased to welcome Dr. Wolk-Simon to Fairfield,” said Dr. Babington. “Her deep experience and expertise will play an integral role in developing and implementing an exciting new vision for the arts programs across the campus and in the community.”

A Scarsdale, N.Y., resident, Dr. Wolk-Simon specializes in European art of the 15th-19th century with a concentration on the Italian Renaissance, and has published extensively in her field. She is a highly sought-after speaker, having lectured at museums around the country and spoken at conferences in Europe and the United States. She was also an associate editor and reviews editor of the quarterly scholarly journal Master Drawings for several years. Most recently, she spent two years as the Charles W. Engelhard Curator and Department Head at The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City, where she organized a critically acclaimed exhibition on Degas, and was responsible for implementing and directing the Morgan Drawing Institute, a research center devoted to fostering scholarship in the field of old master and modern drawings.

In addition to her curatorial expertise, Dr. Wolk-Simon has a strong teaching background, having conducted and co-taught numerous undergraduate and graduate seminars and classes at the Metropolitan and the Morgan on Italian Old Master Drawings and other topics, and lectured extensively on Italian art in various adult education programs.

Dr. Wolk-Simon holds a Ph.D. in history of art and a B.A., summa cum laude, both from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

“I am deeply honored to have been selected to lead the Bellarmine Museum at this exciting time in its young history and look forward to continuing and elevating its already strong program of exhibitions, curricular engagement, and community outreach in collaboration with colleagues throughout the university,” said Dr. Wolk-Simon.