Marie-Claude Beaud, the former director of the Mudam modern art museum, has died aged 78. RTL reported on Sunday that she died peacefully surrounded by her family.
Beaud was regarded as one of the great personalities of the art world over the last fifty years. “We have lost a great laureate of contemporary art,” former French Minister of Culture, Jack Lang wrote on social network X.
Beaud was appointed to lead the foundation that was setting up the Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean (the official name of Mudam) in January 2000, but had to wait until 2006 until the museum finally opened. She remained director until 2008 and was succeeded by Enrico Lunghi, who controversially left the job in 2016 following accusations that he physically attacked an RTL reporter.
She was made an Officer of the Order of Civil and Military Merit Adolphe de Nassau in 2008 and Commander of the Order of the Grand Ducal Oak Crown in 2012, for her services to the development of Mudam.
Marie-Claude Beaud and Grand-Duc Jean in July 2006 at the opening of Mudam © Photo credit: Guy Jallay
After studying art history, Beaud was curator and then director of the Musée de Grenoble from 1969 to 1978. She then headed the Musée de Toulon until 1984. She went on to head the Fondation Cartier from 1984 to 1994, and then the American Center until 1996.
After her time at Mudam, Beaud became the director of the New National Museum of Monaco from 2009 to 2021, after which she retired from professional life.
In addition to the honours she received in Luxembourg, she was also received titles in France, including the Chevalière de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres and Chevalière de la Légion d’honneur, as well as the Commandeur de l’ordre du Mérite Culturel de Monaco.
(This article was first published by Virgule. Translated and edited by Duncan Roberts)