David van der Leer announced today that he is leaving his position with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum to join the Van Alen Institute as its new executive director.
Van der Leer served as associate curator at the Guggenheim, where he worked on such shows as "Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward" in 2009 and "Contemplating the Void" in 2010. With fellow associate curator Maria Nicanor, van der Leer curated the BMW Guggenheim Lab, a joint initiative between the Guggenheim and BMW Group. Van der Leer succeeds Jeff Byles, who was appointed interim executive director following the departure of former executive director Olympia Kazi in spring 2012.
The Van Alen Institute is a nonprofit architecture organization whose mission is to promote architecture and design and its role in civic life through debate, competitions, fellowships, publications, and other avenues.
