Bas Hendrikx appointed new senior curator of De Pont Museum

Bas Hendrikx will join De Pont Museum in Tilburg as senior curator on 1 October 2026. Together with Maria Schnyder, who will assume the position of director and chief curator on the same date, he will be responsible for the further development of the museum’s exhibition programme and collection.

Hendrikx is currently a curator at Kanal-Centre Pompidou in Brussels, where he has been developing exhibitions, new commissions and audience engagement programmes since 2022. Previously, he worked at P/////AKT in Amsterdam and at the artist residency Hotel Mariakapel in Hoorn. Long-term collaboration with artists is central to his practice, with a consistent focus on new productions developed in direct dialogue with artists. He is particularly interested in presentation formats that are shaped by the specific nature of an artist’s practice.

Maria Schnyder, director and chief curator of De Pont Museum from 1 October:

'Bas Hendrikx combines artistic vision and strategic insight with a deep commitment to artists. It is precisely this close connection to artistic practice that aligns perfectly with De Pont Museum’s artist-first approach. Hendrikx stands out for his ability to combine a distinctly artist-centred way of working with a keen understanding of audiences and participation. Starting from the artist’s practice, he seamlessly creates meaningful connections with diverse audiences and makes contemporary art relevant to them. I look forward to working with him to further develop the museum’s artistic profile.'

Bas Hendrikx on his appointment:

'What a dream! De Pont Museum is not a stop along the way but a destination – a museum that is truly unique in the Netherlands because of its artist-centred approach and the depth of its collection. I have always admired the museum for its combination of solo exhibitions, collection presentations and in situ works that capture the imagination. Free from dogma or fixed formulas, De Pont Museum embraces plurality emerging from artistic practice. I am delighted to draw on my experience in audience-focused artist projects to further build on the strong profile that De Pont Museum has developed in recent years, with a focus on live programming, film and performance. I cannot wait to begin the next chapter of De Pont Museum together with Maria Schnyder and the team.'

Bas Hendrikx completed the De Appel Curatorial Programme and has curated and organised numerous exhibitions and public programmes for organisations including the ULAY Foundation (Ljubljana), Inter/Access (Toronto), NeMe (Limassol), Het Nieuwe Instituut (Rotterdam) and POST (Arnhem). He is the editor of Authenticity? Observations and Artistic Strategies in the Post-Digital Age (Valiz, 2017) and Queer Exhibition Histories (Valiz, 2023). He will conclude his tenure at Kanal-Centre Pompidou with the opening of a solo exhibition by Joshua Serafin and a community print room by WERKER.

About De Pont Museum

De Pont Museum is an international museum for contemporary art, housed in a former woollen mill in Tilburg. The museum is renowned for its artist-focused programme of exhibitions and a collection that prioritises depth over breadth, with works from Anish Kapoor, Marlene Dumas, Kara Walker, Ragnar Kjartansson, Kasper Bosmans, Laure Prouvost, Steve McQueen and many more.

Portrait of Bas Hendrikx in the garden of De Pont Museum, photographer: Roos Pierson