Art museum curator brings wordly perspective to La Salle

By Christina Katsifas
Collegian Staff
March 1, 2006

La Salle University’s Art Museum expects to continue a successful program with its new director, Margaret Viljoen, Ph.D.

Viljoen, an educated and cultured professional, assumed leadership of the museum in August after the museum’s former director, Br. Daniel Burke, Ph.D., F.S.C., retired.

“Br. Daniel did a wonderful job of creating a collection for the museum,” Viljoen said. “He was a humble man who created an outstanding asset for the University. It is going to be hard to fill his shoes.”

A native of Pretoria, South Africa, the daughter of South African diplomats has traveled to various countries such as England, Scotland, Germany and Greece. She has an extensive lexicon that includes words from the French, Greek and Dutch languages.

After obtaining her undergraduate degree at Cape Town University, where she double-majored in English and art history, Viljoen took a year off from school to intern as a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

“I particularly loved working at the Metropolitan,” Viljoen said. “It was a great experience where I was able to give my opinion on certain matters.”

In 1992, Viljoen entered graduate school at Princeton University. She completed her dissertation on Italian renaissance print-making in the 16th century. During her time there, she worked at the museum located on campus as a tour guide.

Before coming to La Salle, Viljoen performed a fellowship at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and worked on the Salvador Dali exhibition. She began her work at La Salle as an assistant curator and was named curator six months later.

“I am grateful to be in a place like La Salle,” she said. “The University as a whole is a wonderful community and a great place to work.”

Her choice of a favorite work varies, but she particularly enjoys Temptation of St. Anthony by Dorothea Tanning, a surrealist painter of the early 20th century.

A typical workday for Viljoen is chaotic.

“Because the museum is very small, without many departments, I have a lot of roles to fill. I am usually busy either upgrading labels, fundraising, planning exhibitions or getting publicity pieces out,” she said.

When she is not at work, Viljoen likes to cook, garden and do activities around the house.

“I can’t wait until I can start working in my garden again,” Viljoen said. “I am counting down the days, because I love it so much.”

Having much experience in the field, Viljoen said that she is interested in every period of art.

“I feel that a good principle to have is that if you say that you do not like something, don’t say it out of ignorance,” she said. “Try to experience it and see if it is something you really do not like, because there have been many instances where I thought I did not like something until I actually tried it out for myself.”

katsifasc1@lasalle.edu