The Van Gogh Museum has named Laurence des Cars, the director of the Louvre, as a member of its supervisory board, beginning 1 February 2023.
Des Cars, the first female director of the Louvre in its 228-year history, will serve as a member of the Van Gogh Museum’s supervisory board for a period of four years.
“It is an honour to join the Van Gogh Museum supervisory board, whose members I would like to thank for their trust,” said Des Cars.
“I look forward to fostering dialogue between European museums and sharing our experience, expertise and ideas.”
Des Cars is an art historian and curator. She became the president-director of the Louvre in 2021. She previously served as the director of the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de l’Orangerie.
Between 2007 and 2014, Des Cars oversaw the development of the Louvre Abu Dhabi. She studied art history at Paris-Sorbonne University and took her first position as a curator at the Musée d’Orsay in 1994.
In her role at the Louvre, Des Cars said her goal is to foster a “dialogue between ancient art and the contemporary world”, and to widen the appeal of the museum, particularly for younger audiences.
First female director of the Louvre
“It is an honour to welcome the director of the world-famous Musée du Louvre to the board,” said Jacobina Brinkman, the supervisory board’s treasurer.
Des Cars joins Brinkman, Jaap Winter, Maurine Alma, Hendrik Jan Roel and Marian Spier on the Van Gogh Museum‘s supervisory board.
Earlier this month, the Louvre announced plans to limit daily attendance to 30,000 in order to improve the visitor experience.
Images: Nicolas Guiraud / Van Gogh Museum
