Christopher Bedford, chief curator of exhibitions at Ohio State University’s Wexner Center for the Arts, has been named the Henry and Lois Foster Director of Brandeis’ Rose Art Museum.
A native of Scotland who grew up in England and the United States, Bedford has risen rapidly through the ranks at the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Wexner, acquiring along the way a reputation as a visionary thinker about the engagement of art and the role of museums in society.
At 35, Bedford will be among the youngest museum directors in the United States when he takes over at the Rose on Sept. 15. He comes to Brandeis promising bold steps to open a new era in the museum’s history and to more thoroughly integrate the Rose into the life of the campus.
“Chris’ appointment demonstrates Brandeis’ commitment to strengthening the Rose as a center of innovation and excellence in the study and exhibition of the visual arts,” said Brandeis President Fred Lawrence. “He understands the breadth of our ambition for a great museum as part of a great university.”
Bedford said he was delighted that his first directorship would be at a university museum. “I am committed to the idea that art is integral to life, and university art museums are a perfect platform to demonstrate that commitment,” Bedford said in a recent telephone conversation from California, where he spent the first part of the summer at the Getty Leadership Institute for museum directors and curators.
“It is essential that the community be drawn into the museum socially and intellectually, and that the collection be integrated into the curriculum of the university,” he said. “This is not just a matter of service to the community—it will be an enrichment both of the community and of the museum. Ideally, it’s a mutually beneficial relationship.”
Bedford said he feels it is essential to begin thinking about expanding the Rose Art Museum and making it a destination point for social activity both on campus and in the region.
Brandeis Provost Steve A.N. Goldstein, who appointed Bedford in consultation with members of a search committee of faculty, students, alumni, and staff, said that “Chris Bedford understands the potential for art to impact society, the importance of art to help us understand the human experience, and the ability of art to change us.
Both Bedford and Goldstein said that the new Rose director is coming on at a moment of golden opportunity for the Brandeis museum.
“The campus is ready and excited about embracing the materials, using art as a springboard for education and scholarship,” Goldstein said. “That’s only the beginning. Combined with the creative, entrepreneurial spirit of Brandeis, we can bring the world of modern and contemporary art to campus and serve as a place for international discussion of the meaning of that art.”
Mark Bradford, a leading contemporary artist with whom Bedford has worked extensively, said that “for me, he has been the best of two worlds. He has the capacity to think professionally and maturely and get the job done, and at the same time he has the capacity to be flexible. He really, really believed in what I was doing. He really has integrity. He has a lot of faith in the artists he works with and the institutions he works for.”
Charline von Heyl, a German artist who is currently working on a show with Bedford, said of him: “I like the way that his eye works. He is one of those guys who has vision that is stubbornly true to his taste. That sounds like a no-brainer, but it is not so often that you meet that in the art world.”