Rudi Fuchs (84), Former Director of Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Has Died
Art historian Rudi Fuchs (84) has passed away, as announced by his family to the Dutch newspaper Het Parool. He was considered one of the most influential art critics and museum directors in the Netherlands.
The former director of the Stedelijk Museum died yesterday evening in his hometown of Amsterdam at the age of 84. Fuchs served as director of the Stedelijk Museum from 1993 to 2003. "Throughout his working life, he dedicated himself to visual arts both at home and abroad," his family stated.
Rein Wolfs, Director Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam: "Rudi Fuchs was, without a doubt, one of the most influential museum directors and curators on the international stage over the last fifty years. He made his mark as director of the Van Abbemuseum; as artistic director of Documenta 7 in 1982—the only edition ever led by a Dutch person—he emerged as a champion of new painting; as director of the Haags Gemeentemuseum, he transformed the way Mondrian was perceived; and as director of the Stedelijk, he surprised audiences with unexpected juxtapositions and innovative modes of presentation. Fuchs brought a clear, uncompromising vision to Amsterdam, rooted in a fundamental belief in the autonomy of the artwork and the direct encounter between the viewer and the art. Through his acquisitions, presentations, and publications, Rudi made a significant contribution to the understanding of art; everything he did served as an encouragement to really look."
Fuchs was born in Eindhoven in 1942 and studied art history in Leiden. In 1975, he became director of the Van Abbemuseum, the museum for modern and contemporary art in his hometown.
He gained international recognition in 1982 as the artistic director of Documenta, the quinquennial international arts exhibition in Kassel, Germany.
From 1987 to 1992, Fuchs served as director of the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, which is now named Kunstmuseum Den Haag. In 1993, he left The Hague for Amsterdam to take leadership of the Stedelijk Museum.
Main Image: Rudi Fuchs (1982) Photo: Lothar Koch