BRUSSELS, 28/06/2024 - Kim Oosterlinck will officially be the new General Director of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, starting from July 1st. Today, he informally met with the institution's staff. He succeeds Sara Lammens, who has been serving as the interim General Director of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium since May 2023.
On Friday, June 28, interim General Director of the RMFAB Sara Lammens invited the 220 members of the RMFAB staff for a convivial breakfast. At the end of her mission, she symbolically handed over the keys of the prestigious institution to her successor, Kim Oosterlinck, who introduced himself to the teams.
Vice-Rector in charge of Prospective and Financing at ULB, Professor of Finance at the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, and Art Market Specialist, Kim Oosterlinck successfully passed the selection process organized by "travaillerpour.be" (formerly Selor) last April.
In collaboration with the museum teams, he aims to develop a human and inclusive vision for the institution, both in managing its collections and showcasing them, while maintaining a balance with the mission of a scientific research establishment. To this end, he has begun consultations with all departments to assess the needs of the field actors. This consultation phase will help build and finalize a new strategic plan in line with the vision of the Federal Science Policy and the new museum definition approved by ICOM in 2022 
. Kim Oosterlinck aims to present this plan and his overall vision on September 26, during the RMFAB staff day.
Kim Oosterlinck took advantage of this first contact to thank all the staff and volunteers. He particularly thanked Sara Lammens for her unwavering commitment during this transitional year and for her invaluable help in preparing for his arrival.
"My appointment as head of the RMFAB is an honour that I associate with great responsibility. Without you, the museums would not exist, and it is therefore essential for me to ensure that the enthusiasm to carry out your work, which I have noticed in many of you, remains, and if possible, grows. I have been very impressed by the dynamism and the number of activities organized by the museums. Through my initial interactions, I have already observed your motivation and professionalism, and I am convinced that together we will overcome the challenges facing the RMFAB.
The strategic vision in which I propose to frame the museums will reaffirm their societal mission, paying particular attention to issues of diversity, equality, inclusion, accessibility and sustainability. This vision, which I intend to develop in dialogue with all of you, should guide us for the years to come. I believe it is essential that it ensures each of us, who are part of these magnificent Royal Museums of Fine Arts, has a vital role to play."
- Kim Oosterlinck, General Director of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium as of 07/01 -
A business engineer, with a degree in art history and archaeology, and a PhD in economics and management from the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Kim Oosterlinck completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Rutgers University before holding a full-time chair in cultural management at ULB from 2006 to 2011. His main research areas include sovereign bond valuation, financial history, and the art market. His work on art particularly focuses on the impact of fake discoveries on the art market, the art market's reactions to monetary reforms, the business strategies of art dealers, the motivations of banks to create art collections, art expertise, and the art market during World War II.
Kim Oosterlinck has published several articles on the Belgian, British, Dutch, French, and German art markets during World War II and is currently working on a book on this subject. He is currently co-chair of TIAMSA (The International Art Market Studies Association) and a board member of the Wittockiana. Finally, since 2017, he has been the Vice-Rector in charge of Prospective and Financing at ULB.
The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium are a federal scientific institution that is part of the Federal Public Service for Science Policy Programming. They consist of various museum entities distinct by the nature of their exhibits and located at different sites in the city of Brussels: the Musée Old Masters Museum, the Musée Modern Museum, the Musée Wiertz Museum and the Musée Meunier Museum, the Musée Magritte Museum and the Musée Fin-de-Siècle Museum.
Hélène Lebailly
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