Chris Bedford, the Henry and Lois Foster Director of the Rose Art Museum, will be leaving on July 31 to pursue a new position as the director of the Baltimore Museum of Art.

On Monday, May 2, Interim President Lisa Lynch emailed the Brandeis community to announce the bittersweet news.

Bedford arrived at the Rose in September 2012, previously having been curator for the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio. He arrived shortly after a complex moment in the Rose’s history: Three years earlier, in 2009, then-president of Brandeis Jehuda Reinharz and the trustees of the museum had considered selling the entire collection of artwork — including works by Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly and others — and closing the Rose in order to raise more money for the university.

This stirred up controversy among Brandeis faculty, alumni and the greater community. Upon his arrival, Bedford helped to revive the museum, overseeing new exhibits — exemplifying works by artists such as Mark Bradford and Lisa Yuskavage — and building a leadership team. Notably, he authorized Chris Burden’s sculpture “Light of Reason” (2014) to adorn the entrance of the museum.

In addition, Bedford ushered major donations to the museum, including a gift of 48 works by some of today’s contemporary artists from Baltimore businessman Stephen M. Salny and 41 works from philanthroist Peter Norton. He also played a part in launching Rosebud, a satellite gallery on Main Street in Waltham, which is an extension of the Rose and showcases works from the museum’s collection of video art.

“Chris has helped establish the Rose as one of the world’s premier university museums dedicated to 20th- and 21st century art,” Lynch said in her email. “He has integrated the museum with the university in ways that foster exhilarating and thought-provoking experiences for the Brandeis community and beyond.”

Recently, the Rose was selected to exhibit the works of Mark Bradford at the 2017 Venice Biennale. Even as he takes on his new position in Baltimore, Bedford will resume his role as the commissioner for the exhibition at the Rose, preparing for the event with Brandeis students and faculty. Deputy Director Kristin Parker will become the interim director of the Rose on Aug. 1, while the University begins scouting for a new director.

The University will be creating a search committee, composed of the Brandeis student body, faculty and staff, the Rose’s advisory board and the University’s Board of Trustees.

Though Bedford is leaving Brandeis behind, he is moving on to a fantastic opportunity at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA). The BMA was founded in 1914 and is home to over 90,000 works, ranging from ancient cultural pieces to modern art. Recently, the museum completed a $28 million renovation that revamped the galleries and exhibition spaces in the museum and utilized a new education center.

“Having a chance to direct the Baltimore Museum of Art is a wonderful, much-deserved opportunity for Chris,” Lynch said.

Bedford has helped the Rose to improve and move forward in the four years he has worked in Waltham. “We thank Chris for everything he has done to help us move farther along [this] trajectory and look forward to seeing all that he will accomplish in this next stage of his career,” Lynch wrote.