National Gallery appoints director

THE NATIONAL Gallery of Ireland yesterday announced the appointment of Seán Rainbird as a successor to its current director, Raymond Keaveney, who retires at the end of January next.

The announcement followed a story in the German newspaper Stuttgarter Zeitung on Wednesday which said Mr Rainbird would be leaving his position as director of the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart to take up a new post in Ireland.

The paper quoted an arts ministry spokesperson as pointing out that Mr Rainbird’s contract at the Staatsgalerie runs until October 2012, but that it respects his decision to leave before then.

The National Gallery of Ireland says he will take up his new position “in the first half of 2012”. Born in Hong Kong in 1959, Mr Rainbird is a specialist in contemporary German art.

He studied art history and German in London, Freiburg and Berlin. From 1987 he was assistant keeper then, from 2003, senior curator at the Tate Gallery and at Tate Modern from 2000.

At the Tate, he concentrated on the acquisition of 20th century works, especially German art.

He became director of the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart in November 2006. There he oversaw substantial renovation works and was an advocate of a free admissions policy. His exhibitions programme concentrated on highlighting and reorganising the permanent collection, a strategy that generated some heated debate.

The incoming director will have to deal with staff shortages, budgetary restrictions and the revival of a plan to amalgamate the gallery with the Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Crawford Art Gallery, Cork.

In a statement, Mr Rainbird said that “during this period of rebuilding and transition there will be many challenges ahead in these uncertain times” but he was looking forward to the challenge.