OTTERLO.- Benno Tempel (b. 1972) is to leave Kunstmuseum Den Haag. On 1 November 2023 he will take up his new role as managing director of the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo.

Tempel has been director of Kunstmuseum Den Haag, which includes The Hague Museum of Photography, KM21 and Escher in The Palace, for almost fifteen years. Under his leadership, the museum has evolved into the most visited Dutch art museum outside Amsterdam. He organised a host of exhibitions and enriched the museum’s collection – and also the Dutch national collection – with some sensational acquisitions of work by artists like Louise Bourgeois, Max Beckmann, Paula Rego, Nalini Malani and many others.

During his tenure Kunstmuseum Den Haag and its constituent institutions have continually staged a varied range of exhibitions, combining modern and contemporary art, photography, fashion, decorative arts and design. Tempel was also behind the museum’s permanent exhibits Mondrian and De Stijl and Delftware Wonderware.

In 2014, the courtyard garden of the museum was transformed into the Garden Gallery, which uniquely blends with the architecture of H.P. Berlage. Tempel also undertook the challenge of changing the museum’s name, and in 2020 Gemeentemuseum Den Haag became Kunstmuseum Den Haag. The new name makes clear that the museum is the leading museum of modern, contemporary and decorative arts in The Hague.

“I’ve had a fabulous time at the Kunstmuseum and I am proud to have focused, along with the team, on an active programme of exhibitions and acquisitions policy, entirely in keeping with the museum’s history, which has set the direction for the museum over the coming decades,” says Tempel. “With a strong team and some promising exhibitions in the pipeline, I’m leaving the Kunstmuseum in good hands.”

“The Kröller-Müller Museum is more than just a museum”, says Tempel. “Its setting in De Hoge Veluwe National Park and the sculpture park make it a fabulous place where nature, art and architecture interact. The adventurous collection really appeals to me, and I am of course keen to share its adventurous side with the public. The things that make the Kröller-Müller Museum so special to me are its attention to substance and the space for art. You can really get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life there.”