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María Belén Sáez de Ibarra will assume the directorship of MAMBO
María Belén Sáez de Ibarra will be the new artistic and executive director of the Museum of Modern Art of Bogotá (MAMBO), a responsibility she will officially assume on September 19, 2026, coinciding with the MAMBO Gala. The appointment comes after the departure of Martha Ortiz, who left the museum's directorship in April, amidst questions surrounding the institution's financial situation and the working conditions of its staff.
Sáez de Ibarra joins MAMBO after an extensive career in cultural management, curating, museums, and arts policy. Her appointment culminates a selection process that included candidates with diverse backgrounds and was supported by external experts and the international talent search firm Egon Zehnder, according to the institution.
The new director stated that she assumes the position with a strong sense of responsibility and with the aim of continuing the institutional renewal process developed over the last decade. During this period, MAMBO was first directed by Claudia Hakim and subsequently by Martha Ortiz.
Among its main objectives will be to strengthen the museum's position within the Colombian cultural landscape and expand its international dimension, placing artists at the center of the programming and generating new alliances with public institutions, companies, philanthropic entities and cultural networks in Colombia and other countries.
Sáez de Ibarra comes to MAMBO from the Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the National University of Colombia, an institution to which she has been linked since 2007. Her most recent stage at the university has been marked by a renewal of curatorial approaches and by the desire to bring its cultural spaces closer to new audiences.
During her time at the National University, she directed the institution's Art Museum from 2010 onwards, and previously headed the National Directorate of Cultural Outreach, responsible for programming and managing spaces such as the León de Greiff Auditorium. In these roles, she promoted exhibitions and projects that helped connect the university with the contemporary Colombian art scene.
Among the projects developed during this period, highlights include the exhibition dedicated to photographer Jesús Abad Colorado at the Cloister of San Agustín and the first exhibition in Colombia dedicated to the artist Óscar Murillo. The program has also featured the work of artists such as Miguel Ángel Rojas, Vicky Neumann, Luz Lizarazo, Luis Camnitzer, and Ryoji Ikeda.
His most recent work also includes the design and curation of the musical program Presencias – Sonidos & Ecos , a proposal that transcends the traditional format of a concert series to explore ceremonial, ancestral and mystical dimensions.
Before establishing her career at the National University, Sáez de Ibarra worked for six years at the Colombian Ministry of Culture, where she held responsibilities related to the National Salon of Artists and the Regional Salons. From this position, she spearheaded their revitalization and relaunch, with a programmatic structure focused on establishing long-term objectives.
Trained as a lawyer, art critic and independent curator, Sáez de Ibarra completed postgraduate studies in London, including a master's degree in Environmental and International Law at SOAS, University of London, as well as studies in art planning and policy at Birkbeck College.
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