Kim Oosterlinck appointed General Director of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts, Brussels

Kim Oosterlinck is a Professor of Finance at the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management (Université libre de Bruxelles). He holds degrees in business engineering, art history and archaeology, as well as a PhD in economics and management from the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). After completing his thesis, he pursued postdoctoral studies at Rutgers University (The State University of New Jersey) before accepting a full-time chair in cultural management at ULB from 2006 to 2011. His main research areas include the valuation of government bonds, financial history, and art market issues. His work on art encompasses the impact of discovering forgeries on the art market, art market responses to monetary reforms, art dealers' commercial strategies, banks' motivations to build art collections, art expertise, and the art market during World War II.

Kim Oosterlinck has published numerous articles on the Belgian, British, Dutch, French, and German art markets during World War II and is currently working on a book on this subject. He is currently co-chair of TIAMSA (The International Art Market Studies Association) and a board member of Wittockiana. Finally, since 2017, he has served as vice-rector in charge of forecasts and funding at ULB.

Thomas Dermine, Secretary of State, commented :"We are delighted that Kim Oosterlinck will be joining our nearly revamped team of directors at the Federal Scientific Institutes. The greatest challenge for the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium is to develop a new vision, both in the scientific research conducted by the museums and in how the collections are presented to the public. This will be significantly influenced by the renovation work the museum will undergo over the next ten years. The logistical, human, and economic challenges that this brings to the museums will need to be addressed without losing sight of our core mission: presenting our collections to as broad an audience as possible, both within and outside our walls.

"The team at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium has done excellent work over the past year. The programming continued uninterrupted, the Magritte Museum reopened without delay in October 2023, and the exhibition IMAGINE! was opened in February 2024 in celebration of 100 years of International Surrealism. This shows the resilience and constant dedication of the team. This positive evolution and recovery after the staff's loss of trust were initiated under the interim leadership of Sara Lammens. I would like to expressly thank her for her role, which she has fulfilled with talent and dedication for over a year."

Main Image :Kim Oosterlinck ULB/KMSKB