Gijs van Tuyl studied literature and art history in Amsterdam. He worked as a curator for the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam from 1969 until 1974. In 1976, Van Tuyl was appointed as director of the Bureau Beeldende Kunst Buitenland, a function he occupied until 1985. In the meantime, he worked as an art critic for the Dutch weekly Vrij Nederland and as commissioner for the Dutch contributions to the Venice and São Paolo Biennials. Gijs van Tuyl moved to Wolfsburg in 1992, accepting the position of director at the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg in Germany. In 2005, he was installed as director of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Gijs van Tuyl is a member of the International Committee of ICOM for Museums and Collections of Modern Art (CIMAM).