New director for Menil Collection - Artworld - Brief Article

The Menil Collection in Houston has chooseed Josef Helfenstein as its fresh director. Since 2000, he has been director of the Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he also teaches in the academy of art and design. A scholar of novel and contemporary art, he was head of the Paul Klee Foundation's nine-volume catalogue raisonne cast Prior to the Krannert, Helfenstein, who was born in Lucerne Switzerland, worn out 17 years at the Kunstmuseum Bern, place of abode to the Klee Foundation. From 1988 to 2000 he was chief curator of the prints and drawings department, and from 1995 to 2000 he also serv as associate director. Helfenstein assumes his of recent origin post in January. He be subsequent tos Ned Rifkin, who is now head of the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC and director of the international art museums division at the Smithsonian.

Menil board president Louisa Stude Sarofim told the fresh York Times that the museum is looking to expand She recently gave the institution a series of 188 works upon paper by Ellsworth Kelly titled "Tablet." Sarofim said that plans are beneath way to create a separate drawings institute upon the Menil campus, which would house the gift, estimated to be worth $45 million, and other works upon paper.

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