Newfields Appoints Kenneth Brummel as Curator of European Art

The Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields is pleased to announce the appointment of Kenneth Brummel as the new Curator of European Art, following an international search. He will begin his new role on January 12, 2026.

Brummel joins Newfields from the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, New Zealand’s largest public art museum, where he has served as Curator of International Art since 2023. At Auckland, he oversaw a collection of more than 7,000 works spanning the late medieval through modern periods and was curatorial lead for The Robertson Gift: Paths through Modernity, an exhibition celebrating the transformative $200 million donation from philanthropists Julian and Josie Robertson of modern European masterworks by artists including Cezanne, Gauguin, Matisse, and Braque.

“Kenneth’s blend of scholarly depth, strategic vision, and inclusive approach makes him the ideal curator to guide Newfields’ European Art program into its next chapter,” said Belinda Tate, Melvin and Bren Simon Director of the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields. “His ability to illuminate European art through fresh research and meaningful community dialogue will strengthen Newfields’ work in powerful ways.”

Previously, Brummel spent eight years at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in Toronto as Assistant and then Associate Curator of Modern Art, where he co-curated the acclaimed exhibition Picasso: Painting the Blue Period in collaboration with Dr. Susan Behrends Frank, Curator Emerita of The Phillips Collection. The project combined conservation science, new scholarship, and socially conscious interpretation and was named one of the world’s top exhibitions of 2022 by The Washington Post.

Earlier in his career, Brummel held curatorial positions at Joslyn Art Museum, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Cincinnati Art Museum. He has a Master of Art History with work towards a doctorate at The University of Chicago and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

“I’m honored to join Newfields at such an exciting moment,” Brummel said. “European art offers a powerful lens for exploring shared human stories. I’m eager to work with colleagues, collectors, and communities to bring new energy and diverse perspectives to these extraordinary collections.”

At Newfields, Brummel will oversee the European Art collection of approximately 1,000 works, including the renowned Clowes Collection, and will lead forthcoming gallery reinstallations emphasizing inclusive storytelling, global connections, and accessibility. Brummel, an American citizen, will relocate from Auckland to Indianapolis later this year, following the November 2025 opening of his final project in New Zealand.

Brummel’s hire culminates an international search that began earlier this year and was conducted by Dan Yaeger, Senior Search Consultant for Museum Search & Reference, an executive placement firm specializing in the North American museum field.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.