Axel Rüger

Director Royal Academy of Arts, London

Axel Rüger was born in 1968 in Dortmund (Germany). He studied Art History at the Free University of Berlin (Germany), the University of Cambridge (UK) and Queen's University (Kingston - Ontario, Canada).

Rüger was scholarship recipient at various museums in Atlanta, Detroit and Washington D.C. before being appointed curator of department of Netherlandish Paintings (1600-1800) at the National Gallery in London in 1999.

At the National Gallery he curated several international exhibitions, and contributed to the catalogs of these exhibitions, as well as writing and lecturing on various aspects of 17th century Dutch art.

In 2006, Rüger became director of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the De Mesdag Collectie Museum in The Hague.

At the museum, he has been the principal manager of artistic direction and public relations. In addition to initiating and fill in several projects for research, such as the new complete edition of Van Gogh's letters (2009), he has directed the new exhibition of the collection, as well as other exhibitions and acquisitions.

Beyond the artistic aspects, Rüger helped the museum grow with the construction of a new conservation studio and a new entrance hall. During his tenure at the museum, the issue of visitors has increased from 1.4 million to some 2.2 million. The museum has also made a commitment to development of its digital offerings. The website now has 6.5 million visits per year and on social media the museum has more than 7 million followers and the highest interaction rate of any museum in the world.

In February 2019, Rüger was appointed secretary and director executive of the Royal Academy in London. He will begin his duties in that capacity in June this year.

Rüger also holds various external advisory positions and appears regularly on television and radio.