COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA.- Columbia Museum of Art deputy director and chief curator, William B. Bodine, Jr. announced his resignation after eight years with the museum. Bodine has accepted the position of executive director of the Frick Art and Historical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.



Bodine, who has most recently served as interim executive director of the Columbia Museum of Art, has nearly three decades of experience as a curator and museum professional at such institutions as the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the National Endowment for the Arts.



The Frick Art & Historical Center consists of the Clayton estate, the restored 19th-century home of renowned industrialist and art collector, Henry Clay Frick; The Frick Art Museum; Car and Carriage Museum; Visitors' Center and Museum Shop; The Café at The Frick; and Greenhouse - all located on five and a half acres of landscaped lawns and gardens. Highlights of the art museum's permanent collection are a distinguished group of Italian early Renaissance works, a collection of Baroque bronze sculptures, a large portrait by Rubens, and a group of French 18th-century genre paintings, portraits, and furnishings.



Betsy H. Watkins, chairman of the board of trustees of the Frick Art & Historical Center, states, "We feel very fortunate to have been able to attract someone of Mr. Bodine's calibre to the Frick Art & Historical Center. He has broad expertise in the museum field, an exceptional aesthetic appreciation, and a passion for what the museum experience should be."



In discussing his appointment as executive director, Mr. Bodine said, "The Frick embodies the high ideals and standards to which all museums should aspire. From my first visit, I was conscious of the dedication of the staff and trustees to making it a place where visitors from all walks of life can experience art and culture of the highest level."



Mr. Bodine will assume his new position on July 1, 2002. Frick trustee Danforth P. Fales states, "Because the Frick offers so much in terms of fine and decorative arts, early automotive history and Frick family history of regional and national importance, the opportunities are boundless. Mr. Bodine's background is particularly well-suited for the diverse nature of this organization, and we look forward to his leadership as the Frick enters its next successful public phase."