Brutvan hired by Norton Museum

Cheryl Brutvan, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts' contemporary art curator since 1998, has been hired by the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida. The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research broke the news of her departure in July, but questions about why she was leaving and where she might go went unanswered. Now the Norton Museum has announced that Brutvan will begin work in January as the museum’s first full-time curator of contemporary art.

Related:
Our July report.

The full Norton Museum press release:

The Norton Museum of Art is pleased to announce the appointment of Cheryl Brutvan to the position of Curator of Contemporary Art. This new position, launched with funding by the Theodore and Ruth Baum Foundation, reflects the Museum’s strategic commitment to growing its contemporary art collections, exhibitions, and related programming. In addition to the Baums’ generous gift, Ralph and Muriel Saltzman have also made a significant gift to advance contemporary art through innovative exhibitions, program and audience development efforts, and outreach.

Ms. Brutvan will begin at the Norton in January 2009 and will be responsible for the development of the Museum’s collection of works by artists born after 1960 as well as the implementation of special exhibitions and programs. Cheryl Brutvan brings to the Norton extensive education and experience in the realm of contemporary art.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art History, with honors, from State University of New York at Buffalo and a Master of Arts in Art History from Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts. Ms. Brutvan has specialized in contemporary art at some of the nation’s leading institutions, including, most recently, 10 years as the Beal Curator of Contemporary Art and Head of the Department of Contemporary Art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, where she reinvigorated their contemporary art program through creative and appealing international exhibitions and acquisitions. Ms. Brutvan spent 13 years at the Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York, the last three years as the Senior Curator. She also worked as an Assistant Curator at the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston, Texas. Ms. Brutvan has worked on an impressive survey of exhibitions and publications during her nearly 30 years of experience, including the recent and nationally acclaimed exhibition Rachel Whiteread, the premiere of a recent installation entitled Place (Village).

Dr. Christina Orr-Cahall, Norton Museum Director, remarked, “The appointment of Cheryl Brutvan as the Curator of Contemporary Art is a milestone that demonstrates the Norton Museum’s strategic initiative for its contemporary collections, exhibitions and programs. The Theodore and Ruth Baum Foundation helped the Museum to fully realize this growth by launching this new position that we are fortunate to have the very experienced Cheryl Brutvan fill.”

Dr. Roger Ward, Chief Curator and Curator of European Art commented, “Throughout the extended search and interview process, Cheryl continuously impressed members of the Search Committee with her knowledge of the Contemporary art world. She knows the work of a remarkable array of artists from all over the world. The range of her network of fellow curators, collectors, and gallerists is both global and sophisticated. The Museum and its donors and collectors are ready to facilitate her efforts to engage the international community of contemporary art on behalf of the Norton and our community.”