The Drents Museum in Assen will have a new general manager. Robert van Langh succeeds Harry Tupan on 1 November, who will retire in September. Van Langh comes from the Rijksmuseum, where he was head of Conservation & Science for years.
The new director has a solid background in art and science. He previously collaborated with museums in New York, Florence and Los Angeles, and was at the cradle of the Nicas research institute. He also studied in Antwerp and obtained his PhD at TU Delft.
Van Langh has been interested in the Drents Museum for some time. It started in 1997, at an exhibition about Zilveren Sleverenmakers in Drenthe, which he visited because of his interest from his training for a gold and silversmith. “Since then I look pleased with what happens here,” he says in the announcement. “I feel honored that I can build on what has been put down.”
The Supervisory Board has faith in the new director. Chairman Alexander Pechtold calls Van Langh someone with a broad background and a strong network. “He knows the museum world and knows how important the bond with the region is.”
Until Van Langh starts in November, business director Annelies Meuleman temporarily takes over the task of general director. She does that from September, when Tupan leaves.
With the departure of Harry Tupan, a long period of familiar leadership comes to an end. He has been working in the management of the museum since 2008 and became general director in 2017. Under his leadership, the museum grew in fame and ambition, both in Drenthe and beyond.