"No crisis: the Stedelijk Museum is doing well"

The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is not in deep crisis. The resignation of Artistic Director Beatrix Ruf more than a year ago has not damaged the museum's international reputation and has not seriously disrupted relations with sponsors. Museum staff also did not return to Ann Goldstein and Ruf, the last two Artistic Directors. And the city of Amsterdam has no official responsibility for the Stedelijk.

Jan Willem Sieburgh, acting director for nearly a year, approached the presentation of the annual program on Thursday to respond to the recently published opinion articles in . Het Parool and of Volkskrant

"Big words", according to Sieburgh, in which he could not recognize himself and that he "wanted strongly to contradict". In difficult times, the museum's "excellent staff" demonstrated "resilience and professionalism". In foreign countries, the director has known the strong reputation of the museum. Sieburgh: "I am amazed at the warmth I receive and what I receive in foreign museums for the Stedelijk."

Before the end of the year, the Stedelijk will probably have a full board again, Sieburgh said. In August, the board resigned after a disagreement with the interim director and the company committee about the new role Beatrix Ruf planned to play by the board. During the last month and a half, the Board of Directors was Truze Lodder, Acting President, and Jos van Rooijen, former supervisor of the museum.

"Procedural thinking" about the new art director has begun, Sieburgh said. After consulting with the management and the company committee, the supervisory board began to establish a profile for the new director.

According to Sieburgh, Lodder is also busy with "the completion of the Ruf case". The art director by level had made agreements with the supervisory board party. They will be "perfectly solved," said Sieburgh. The Stedelijk hopes to bring more clarity to the end of December

The museum will pay more attention to female artists in next year's program. Only 4% of the collection is made by women. But in 2019, Maria Lassnig, the Austrian artist who died in 2014, is the only major exhibition. On November 25, the solo opening of Raquel van Haver, young painter recently awarded the Royal Prize for Free Painting

. The crowd excursion of 2019 could be the exhibition announced in September on immigrant art in Paris in the first half of the 20th century. The artistic and social development, among others, of Chagall, Picasso and Mondriaan is illustrated in the light of a cultural and political climate in which freedom and cosmopolitanism oppose xenophobia and violence. Semitism. attract new audiences with educational programs. We are also working on more diversity among the staff.