After an international search for its next leader, the Clark Art Institute chose one of its own when it announced Thursday that Esther Bell has been named the institute’s next Hardymon Director.

Bell, who currently serves as the Williamstown museum’s deputy director and chief curator, will become the first woman to lead the Clark when she officially takes the reins on July 1. She succeeds Olivier Meslay, who announced his departure from the museum last fall.

Denise Littlefield Sobel, chairman of the Clark’s board, praised Bell’s work at the Clark and her “career of recognized excellence in the field.”

“She is a consummate professional, a collaborative member of the Clark’s senior staff, and has honed her directorial acumen,” Sobel said in a statement. “We look forward to her leading the Clark to even greater success in her new position.”

Bell, who will become the institute’s sixth director in its seventy-year history, originally joined the Clark’s staff in 2017 and was named deputy director in 2022. She has played a critical role in the care and growth of the museum’s collection, which recently received a major gift from the Aso O. Tavitian Foundation that included some 330 artworks alongside $45 million in associated funding.

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Bell first arrived at the Clark as a graduate student at nearby Williams College. As curator, she has organized numerous special exhibitions, including “Renoir: The Body, The Senses,” “Promenades on Paper: Eighteenth-Century French Drawings from the Bibliothèque Nationale de France,” and the upcoming “An Exquisite Eye: Introducing the Aso O. Tavitian Collection.”

“I am delighted to know that the Clark’s next chapter will be entrusted to Esther’s exceedingly capable hands,” Meslay said in a statement. “She is a respected museum leader, an impressive scholar, and a passionate advocate for the arts.”

In addition to her curatorial work, Bell has overseen an expansion of the museum’s public programming with the establishment of the Clark’s Division of Learning and Engagement.

Prior to her arrival at the Clark, she worked as a curator at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Cincinnati Art Museum.

Bell said she was honored.

“I look forward to being a part of an exciting future for the Clark as we dedicate ourselves to ensuring that the Institute will always be a welcoming place of contemplation, inspiration, and education for all,” she said in a statement. “As we continue to grow our campus and our collections, we recognize the significance of ensuring that we steward the Clark’s remarkable resources with care, consideration, and commitment to fulfill our mission of extending the public’s appreciation of art.”

Malcolm Gay can be reached at malcolm.gay@globe.com. Follow him @malcolmgay.