Ido Bruno will take over after Eran Neuman's very short reign.
By AMY SPIROUpdated: OCTOBER 26, 2017 04:02Ido Bruno, the new director of the Israel Musem(photo credit: Courtesy)
The Israel Museum on Wednesday named Prof. Ido Bruno of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design as its new director.Bruno, a designer and lecturer who has been at Bezalel since 1993, was selected “unanimously” by the museum’s board and will begin his work in the coming weeks after the requisite government approval He will replace Ayelet Shilo Tamir, who has been serving as the museum’s interim director for six months after the most recent director, Eran Neuman, backed out of the job just weeks into the position. Neuman had replaced James Snyder, the American art historian who served as director for almost two decades.Wednesday’s announcement from the Israel Museum did not refer to either Neuman or Snyder. When Neuman stepped down in April, differing accounts circulated as to the reason for his rapid exit. Those close to the museum speculated that Neuman was not prepared for the scope and intensity of the work, while other sources said Snyder, who became the museum’s international director, sought an outsized and interfering role in the museum’s management.Tamir will remain on as deputy director, the post she has held since last year.Bruno has curated several major exhibitions at the Israel Museum, most notably the recent “Herod the Great: The King’s Final Journey.” His works and exhibitions have been shown at museums across the country and around the globe, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Mudac design museum in Lausanne, the Design Museum in London and the Triennale in Milan, Italy.“I would like to thank the board of directors, headed by Yitzhak Molcho, for choosing me, and I am excited to take on the responsibility of managing such a magnificent museum as the Israel Museum,” Bruno said in a statement. “I was asked to take part in formulating the museum’s vision for the coming years and that is a uniquely exciting and challenging mission.”Molcho said Bruno has “demonstrated uncompromising professionalism” over his lengthy career. “I am convinced that Ido’s exceptional creativity, energy and achievements are suited to the rate of development and excellence which characterize the Israel Museum, and under his leadership the museum will be able to reach new heights for the benefit of visitors from Israel and abroad.
