Glenn Lowry, the longest-serving director of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, is to step down from his post in September 2025.
Lowry, who has held the top post at the museum since 1995, told the New York Times that he will vacate his position next year.
“It’s the right moment to think about the future of the museum and I just thought, carpe diem. All the things I set out to do 30 years ago are either accomplished or in play in a very positive way. I didn’t want to be the person who stayed too long,” he said.
The publication reported that the MoMA board will start an international search for Lowry’s successor.
Marie-Josée Kravis, the museum’s chairwoman, said that Lowry’s decision to depart was “by mutual agreement”. His contract “could have been renewed”, she said.
During his time with MoMa, Lowry has overseen two major renovations and a $450 million expansion, as well as a merger with PS1, a contemporary art institution in Queens.
MoMA’s 2019 expansion added 40,000 square feet of gallery spaces. It was developed by MoMA with architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, in collaboration with Gensler.
International search for successor
“The real value of this expansion is not more space, but space that allows us to rethink the experience of art in the museum,” said Lowry.
Founded in 1929, MoMA looks after a huge collection of more than 200,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, objects and models. Highlights include Claude Monet’s ‘Water Lilies’, Vincent van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night’ and Pablo Picasso’s ‘Les Demoiselles d’Avignon’.
According to the latest figures, MoMA welcomes 2.7 million visitors every year, making it the third most-visited art museum in the US after the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
Images courtesy of MoMA, lead image credit: Peter Ross
