Boston scholar to join Minneapolis museum

In another hiring coup, its fifth for the year, the Minneapolis Insitute of Arts announced Friday that it has nabbed a senior curator from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts to head its prints and drawings department.

Thomas Rassieur will be the museum's John E. Andrus III Curator of Prints and Drawings starting January 5. The fancy title indicates that the position comes with special financial support, similar to an endowed chair at a university.

Museum director Kaywin Feldman cited Rassieur's "extensive knowledge of the art market" and expertise in Old Master prints and drawings. He and two associate curators will oversee the museum's world-class collection of 40,000 works on paper, ranging from 14th century illuminated manuscripts to a major cache of Rembrandt etchings and works by Picasso, Matisse, Jim Dine and other 20th century masters.

Since Feldman arrived at the museum in January, she has filled vacancies in the museum's top ranks with leading scholars from around the world:

• Jan-Lodewick Grootaers, a Belgian-born curator with extensive research in Africa, arrived in May as head of the department of African, Oceanic, and Native American Art.

• Elizabeth Armstrong left the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach, Calif., to join Feldman's executive team in August as assistant director responsible for exhibitions, programs and contemporary art.

• David E. Little will become photo curator in January after giving up an associate directorship at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and.

"Kaywin Feldman and her team convinced me that we can realize tremendous potential as an inspiring, fascinating and just plain fun place to go," said Rassieur in a prepared statement.

Rassieur (pronounced "Rasher") worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York before moving to Boston as assistant curator in 1999. Earlier this year he was named Pamela and Peter Voss Curator. During his tenure he organized or co-curated 10 shows, including "Rhythms of Modern Life: British Prints 1914-1939," now on tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

His career highlights include contributions to a major Rembrandt show that debuted in Boston and traveled to the Art Institute of Chicago in 2003. He has an M.A. from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University and a B.A. from Princeton University.

Two curatorial vacancies remain at the Minneapolis museum, in the decorative arts and textile departments. Plans are to fill them by spring, said museum spokesperson Anne-Marie Wagener.