Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen has lost its director. Ina Klaassen died on Sunday, 11 October 2026, at the age of 57, the Rotterdam museum announced on its own news page. The museum confirmed her death in a statement on its website. She had stepped back from the role in May 2026 after falling ill, and her death came less than five months later.

Klaassen's tenure was defined by one of the most ambitious building programmes in the Dutch museum world. She joined Boijmans in 2013 as its business director. From 2019 she led the museum jointly with Sjarel Ex, and in 2022 she became general director. Under her leadership the museum pressed ahead with the renovation of its historic main building on Museumpark, which has been closed for years, while completing and opening the Depot — the publicly accessible art storage facility that has made Boijmans an international reference for open collection practice.

Her departure in May had already marked a turning point for the institution. Deputy director Sandra Kisters took over as acting director, a position she still holds. Klaassen received a rare public farewell: on 21 August 2026 the city of Rotterdam honoured her with De Rotterdammert, a civic distinction for services to the city, presented only weeks before her health deteriorated further.

The museum's announcement paid tribute to her commitment during a period of extraordinary transition. With the main building's renovation still under way, the institution she helped reshape will reopen without the director who shaped the decade leading up to it.