Beatrice Leanza is the new executive director of the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT). A curator and art critic, born in Italy and with a solid career since 2002, Beatrice Leanza was selected by invitation after a process involving interviews to several candidates.

With this selection, EDP Foundation opted for a profile with a renowned career in the areas of contemporary art, design and architecture, as well as a vast experience in project and team management. The Foundation has also decided to make a change to MAAT’s organisation chart, which will now have an Executive Director and a Curatorial Board.

With an MA (Master in Arts) in Asian Studies from Ca’Foscari University of Venice, and a thesis on contemporary art in China, Beatrice Leanza began her career as a curator at CAAW (China Art Archives and Warehouse), the alternative art space created by the artist Ai Weiwei.

She also founded the BAO Atelier – a think tank that actively promotes the relationship between China and Europe in the fields of visual arts, design and architecture – and was chief curator of the research programme Across Chinese Cities, shown in 2014, 2016 and 2018 at the Venice Architecture Biennale.

Between 2013 and 2016, she was the creative director of Beijing Design Week – the most important and prestigious architecture and design event in the region.

In 2018, Beatrice Leanza co-founded B/Side Design, an international organisation responsible for the creation of the first independent design and research institute in China, The Global School.

She is currently a board member of Design Trust (Hong Kong) and has been selected for the Young European Leader Class 2018, a think tank promoted by the Friends of Europe Foundation, based in Brussels.

Beatrice Leanza’s articles and projects regularly appear in publications such as Artforum, Abitare, CNN Style, Domus, Dezeen, Disegno magazine, The Guardian, Frieze, Frame, Flash Art Intl’, Blueprint Magazine, Metropolis, T Magazine (The NYTimes), IDEAT, Liberation/NEXT, The Good Life, Il Sole 24 ore, Il Corriere della Sera, among many others, including specialised Chinese publications.

EDP Foundation believes that Beatrice Leanza’s knowledge in the areas of contemporary art, design and architecture, as well as her experience in implementing cultural strategies involving the community, will be crucial to the continued assertion of MAAT as an internationally-recognised cultural institution.

MAAT’s new executive director will begin her role today, 2 September, and the members of the Curatorial Board will be announced soon.