On 1 January 2024, the former curator of the Groeningemuseum, Dirk De Vos, passed away. As chief curator he played an important role for Musea Brugge.

Dirk De Vos (1943-2024) started working at the Groeningemuseum in 1969, first as deputy curator and later as chief curator until 1998.

During his career at the Groeningemuseum, De Vos organized several groundbreaking exhibitions, including Anonieme Vlaamse primitieven (1969) and the highly popular and much-discussed Hans Memling: vijf eeuwen werkelijkheid en fictie (1994). He also published several titles, including a catalogue of paintings from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries (1979) and a monograph on Hans Memling (1994), which is still considered a standard work. Rogier van der Weyden was also a favorite subject of his studies: on this artist he published an important article (1971) and an extensive monograph (1999).

In addition to being a curator at the Groeningemuseum, Dirk De Vos was also active as an artist, and as such was an important initiator for the acquisition of modern art at the Groeningemuseum. Most of the current collection of modern Belgian paintings was acquired by him.