Billionaire art collector and patron Maja Hoffmann will be the next president of the Locarno Film Festival. She has been appointed to replace Marco Solari, who has held the position for 23 years.
A well-known figure in the visual arts world, Hoffmann, founder of the LUMA Foundation in Arles, France, will be the first woman to take on the role, the festival in a statementExternal link on Monday.
“Maja Hoffmann is a great personality” in the world of the visual arts, internationally recognised and with an extensive cultural network, Solari said at a press conference in Locarno on Monday. The festival’s board of directors unanimously approved the selection committee’s choice.