Well-known art world figure Maxwell L. Anderson was selected as the new director of the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) in late October after a months-long search following the retirement of noted director Bonnie Pitman. Since 2006, Anderson has directed the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), one of the nation’s largest museums in terms of space.

But not many people are as aware of his heavy Houston ties.

“I’ve worked with Maxwell Anderson on a committee for the American Association of Museums,” said Bill Arning, director of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. “He’s truly an incredible speaker, particularly about museums and the role of public art institutions.”

With an encyclopedic collection spanning five thousand years, the Dallas Museum of Art encompasses works ranging from ancient Indonesian artifacts to European decorative art to contemporary American installation pieces.

“Maxwell’s an amazing authority on a variety of art,” Arning said. “He’s an absolutely perfect fit for the DMA.”

Along with his wife Jacqueline Buckingham Anderson — a Houston-area native, actress (in raunchy comedies such as Half-Baked and Intimate Affairs) and much-discussed socialite during the couple’s time in New York City — Anderson will relocate to Dallas later this year in advance of his new position, which he'll officially begin Jan. 9.

"We're excited to be close to family again," Anderson told the Indianapolis Star. Those in the Indianapolis art world wondering why Anderson would take a position at a museum with little more than half of the endowment of the Indianapolis Museum of Art (the IMA's is $340 million while the DMA's endowment is a reported $128 million), may find a clue in those words.

Then again, the 55-year-old Anderson has often defied convention.

Starting in 1998, he spent five rocky years as director of the Whitney Museum of American Art, where a high-profile Rem Koolhaas expansion project tested the patience of board members and a series professional practice changes clashed with the museum’s work culture. Anderson’s resignation came in 2003, a month after the museum board shelved the Koolhaas addition.

In his directorial post at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Anderson set about to raise the institution’s national profile, expanding its modern and contemporary holdings and curating a string of widely-regarded shows. Reaching out to the public, he implemented Internet-driven tools like the online video site ArtBabble and a real-time dashboard IMA statistics. He dropped general admission charges in early 2007.

During Anderson’s five-year tenure, IMA attendance more than doubled to 450,000 annual visitors.

Excited about his upcoming post, notable art collector and chair of the DMA’s search committee Cindy Rachofsky spoke of Anderson in a recent statement as “a scholar and populist,” referencing his academically-thoughtful exhibitions and ability to reach a broad public audience.

“The DMA has some some legendary directors over the years. Museum directors across the country look up to [outgoing DMA director] Bonnie Pittman,” Arning said. “Especially in her ways of engaging the public.”

Over the last decade Pittman acquired more than 3,500 works to bolster the permanent collection, which serves as the basis for the museum’s public programming. She also founded the Center for Creative Connections, an innovative artist-centered educational environment very much in line with Anderson’s Internet-based public programs.

“Every city has a different art scene,” Arning noted. “Dallas has a very stylish scene, compared to Houston’s, which is a little more casual. Maxwell will be a wonderful new addition for Dallas and we welcome him to Texas.”