The Rijksmuseum announced the appointment of Pieter Roelofs as head of its Department of Fine Arts. He will succeed Gregor J.M. Weber, who is retiring this spring. The department incorporates collections of paintings and sculpture, decorative arts, and Asian art.
Roelofs began his career at the Rijksmuseum in 2006 as curator of 17th-century painting. In 2018, he took up the role of Head of Paintings and Sculpture. He was closely involved in the major refurbishment of the Rijksmuseum, which reopened in 2013, and in numerous acquisitions and exhibitions, including Vermeer (2023).
In 2015, Roelofs was a fellow of the Center for Curatorial Leadership in New York. His wide-ranging published work spans from the Middle Ages to the 21st century. From 2019 he headed the jury for three seasons of the Dutch television program Project Rembrandt. Roelofs is now a specialist and jury member on De Nieuwe Vermeer (‘The New Vermeer’), which currently airs on Dutch television.
Roelofs previously worked at Radboud University; the European Center at Emerson College in Boston; and Museum Het Valkhof in Nijmegen. He studied Art History and Classical Archaeology at Radboud University, Nijmegen, and the University of Amsterdam