Rush was the founding director of the museum, which opened in 2012. Eli and Edythe Broad gifted the university $28 million to the creation of the museum.

Wahler, a Swiss native, has served as director for Palais de Tokyo in Paris in addition to the Swiss Institute in New York.

"Marc-Olivier's international work to date, and the exhibitions that he's curated to date, will bring a particular flair, as well as his own personality," Broad museum curator and deputy director of curatorial affairs Caitlin Doherty said.

Doherty said the museum partnered with MSU to find a new director. She said it was an international search and candidates were at various levels. 

“I am honored to have been selected to serve as director of the Broad Art Museum at MSU," Wahler said in a press release. "The Museum’s mission of employing international contemporary art and ideas as a platform for education and experimentation resonates deeply with so much of the work I have undertaken throughout my career." 

Wahler has curated more than 400 exhibitions in the international sphere. He also served as chief curator for the Palais de Tokyo.

"His track record speaks volumes," Doherty said. "He has a vast array of wonderful experience, all at an international level."

After Rush's death, the museum's leadership team continued to run the museum while the application process and search took place, she said.

"We're all hugely excited to welcome Marc-Olivier to the Broad," Doherty said.

Wahler will begin his appointment on July 1.