The Museum of Modern Art in New York is promoting Christophe Cherix, the chief curator of its drawings and prints department. It will be his first time leading an institution.
The Museum of Modern Art in New York is promoting Christophe Cherix, the chief curator of its drawings and prints department. It will be his first time leading an institution.
The Museum of Modern Art in New York is promoting Christophe Cherix, the chief curator of its drawings and prints department. It will be his first time leading an institution.
One of the world’s most important art museums has selected a new leader from within.
The Museum of Modern Art announced to its staff on Friday morning that its next director will be Christophe Cherix, 55, a quiet curatorial strategist behind some of the institution’s most critically praised exhibitions. In September, he will take over the leadership position from Glenn Lowry, who has guided the New York museum for almost 30 years.
It will be Cherix’s first time leading an institution. The museum — which has a sister institution, MoMA PS1, in Queens — is one of the biggest in the art world, with an endowment of nearly $1.7 billion.
The appointment was unveiled in a letter from the museum’s chair, Marie-Josée Kravis, and its president, Sarah Arison. The board, which was anxious about leaks to the news media, summoned its members to a hastily called meeting on Friday morning for a vote to appoint Cherix; among those who attended, the approval was unanimous.
“In all categories Christophe came out with flying colors,” Kravis said in an interview, citing “his strategic vision of the museum, his knowledge of art history” and “his deep and passionate interest for contemporary art and his management skills.”
In an interview, Cherix said he was both humbled and excited for the opportunity. “There is a long road ahead but an exciting one,” he said, adding that he wanted to broaden MoMA’s audience and help visitors get closer to the art.