ART: Roglán praised for scholarship, creativity

06:54 AM CST on Wednesday, January 18, 2006

By MIKE DANIEL / The Dallas Morning News

The Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University has found its new leader. Actually, it found him seven months ago.

After a nationwide search, Dr. Mark A. Roglán, 34, interim director since May 1, has been named to the post permanently. He succeeds Dr. Edmund "Ted" Pillsbury, who left after less than two years to pursue business interests.

"I'm honored that the university, the dean and everyone else think that I'm the best person for the job," Dr. Roglán said Tuesday. "I'm thrilled. I anticipate great things happening here."

Dr. Roglán has rapidly ascended the museum's hierarchy since arriving in October 2001 as an interim curator and an adjunct assistant professor of art history at SMU. He was put in charge of the museum's collections in January 2002 and was named senior curator, essentially second in command, by Dr. Pillsbury in June 2004.

An expert in 19th-century Spanish art, he was a curatorial fellow and researcher at Spain's largest art museum, the Prado in his native Madrid, before coming to Texas. His doctoral dissertation at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, "19th-Century Spanish Paintings in Public Collections in the United States," suggests his aptitude for his new post as head of one of the largest collections of Spanish art outside of Spain.

Dr. Roglán is chiefly responsible for two recent big exhibitions: "Prelude to Spanish Modernism," a large survey rife with major international loans that is on display through Feb. 26, and "Weaving the Legend of Don Quijote," the first sizable display of royal Spanish tapestries in the U.S. The latter drew record crowds last fall.

"His scholarship, creativity, energy and commitment have raised the museum's profile," said Carole Brandt, dean of the governing Meadows School of the Arts. "His collaboration with museums worldwide is enabling our institution to present some very exciting exhibitions that other museums can only dream about."

E-mail mdaniel@dallasnews.com