Starting August 15, the Baltimore Museum of Art will have a new director.
Christopher Bedford is currently the direct of the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University in Boston. He will be the 10th director in the BMA’s 100-year history.
“The Baltimore Museum of Art has been a pioneer in reinventing the museum experience for 21st-century
audiences,” Bedford said in a news release. “I look forward to building upon Doreen Bolger’s achievements,
working with the staff and board of the BMA as an advocate for their public mission, developing new ways to
engage the community, and generating appreciation of the crucial role that the BMA plays.”
Bedford succeeds Doreen Bolger, who served as BMA director from 1998 until her retirement in 2015. Her legacy includes overseeing a $28 million renovation, establishing free admission, and leading the museum during its centennial.
Bedford has been at the Rose Art Museum since 2012, and in his time there has developed a series of exhibitions, acquired new major works by contemporary artists, and built up the museum’s staff. During his leadership, the Rose also launched Rosebud, a satellite gallery in an empty downtown storefront that featured works from the museum’s video art collection.
A native of Scotland, Bedford was raised in the UK and the United States, and has received degrees from Oberlin
College and a joint program at Case Western Reserve
University and the Cleveland Museum of Art. He also studied in the doctoral programs in art history at the
University of Southern California and the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London, and worked with the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Los
Angeles County Museum of Art.
“The Baltimore Museum of Art is poised to enter an exciting new era under Christopher Bedford’s leadership,” Clair Zamoiski Segal, chair of the BMA’s Board of Trustees, said in a news release. “Chris brings a dynamic mix of
experience and energy . . . making him the right person to build upon the
BMA’s distinguished history and lead us into the future.”