Maria Schnyder appointed new director of De Pont Museum

Tilburg, 20 April 2026 — Maria Schnyder (1986) has been named De Pont’s new director by the board of the museum. Schnyder will succeed Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen, who is retiring as of 1 October 2026.

Schnyder is a Swiss art historian who has previously worked as an independent researcher and author for institutions including S.M.A.K. in Ghent. She has been part of the De Pont team since 2013, serving as deputy director and curator for the past four years. In that role, she has made vital contributions to developing the exhibition programme and reinforcing the museum’s position.

Taco Dibbits, Chairman of the Board of De Pont Museum:

‘De Pont is a museum which – first and foremost – thinks and works from the artist’s point of view. Maria Schnyder is the ideal person to do this and, therefore, to lead De Pont into the future. She knows the museum inside out and, over the years, has grown into a curator with a keen eye for artistic practice and an emphatic kinship for the fantastic space of this former woollen mill. In an era in which societal and audience-driven agendas are increasingly setting the tone in the museum sector, the commitment to artists remains more relevant and urgent than ever.’

In response to her appointment, Maria Schnyder says:

‘De Pont is an “artist first” museum, steadfast and uncompromising in its dedication to artists and their vision – a key motivator for me. I am looking forward to working with the artists who are already affiliated with De Pont and to introducing new voices who continue to challenge and expand our understanding of art. To my mind, we have the crucial task of enabling visitors to discover how freeing and enriching it can be to fully immerse oneself in an artist’s world.’

Maria Schnyder was born in Switzerland, where she studied French Literature & Linguistics and Art History at the Université de Fribourg. She moved to the Netherlands in 2009 to pursue a Research Master’s in Art History at the University of Groningen. Schnyder has worked for various international institutions and has lived in Brabant for over a decade.

About De Pont Museum
De Pont Museum is an international museum for contemporary art, housed in a former woollen mill. 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, Thomas Schütte, Kara Walker, Ragnar Kjartansson, Laure Prouvost, Steve McQueen and more.