In consultation with Thomas Dermine, Secretary of State for Science Policy, and Arnaud Vajda, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO), Michel Draguet has indicated that he wants to give a new direction to his career and will therefore leave the direction of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts on April 30th, the date on which his mandate expires.
The selection process for the new general management of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts will start as soon as possible. Meanwhile, at the request of the Secretary of State and the Chairman of the Executive Committee of BELSPO, Sara Lammens, the General Director of the Royal Library of Belgium, has agreed to act as interim General Director of the institution pending the outcome of this process. Michel Draguet will continue to make his expertise available to federal science policy as a senior heritage researcher at BELSPO. His mission will be to develop transversal projects for the valorization of the federal collection in execution of the strategic plan.
Thomas Dermine, Secretary of State for Science Policy: "Since May 2005, during his successive mandates, Michel Draguet has made his mark on the Royal Museums of Fine Arts. I think in particular of the creation of the Magritte Museum and the Fin-de-Siècle Museum, which undoubtedly increased the national and international visibility of the institution. Under his impetus, the Royal Museums experienced a significant increase in the number of visitors and multiplied partnerships with other institutions, both in Belgium and internationally. Finally, I want to thank Sara Lammens for her willingness to take on the interim management of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts so that the institution can meet the challenges of the coming months."
Arnaud Vajda, Chairman of the Executive Committee of BELSPO: "Michel Draguet has always played an active role in the Executive Committee of BELSPO. He ensured that the institution was able to achieve good results despite the successive external crises of recent years. Although the last few months have been difficult, both for the staff of the Royal Museums and for Michel himself, I would like to point out that the evaluation process, which I completed on March 23, did not provide any material evidence of the accusations of racism, homophobia or sexism reported in the press. Now that this chapter has been closed, I am pleased to be able to rely on Michel Draguet's expertise for the implementation of the many projects offered by the department's strategic plan, particularly in the area of valorization of federal heritage."
Image : KMSKB
