According to the New York Times, Glenn Lowry who has led the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for three decades will step down as director of the New York institution next September. His contract was set to be renewed in June. “It’s the right moment to think about the future of the museum and I just thought, carpe diem,” said Lowry, who turns seventy this month. “All the things I set out to do thirty years ago are either accomplished or in play in a very positive way.”
Since taking on the role in 1995, Lowry has overseen two major renovations and facilitated the museum’s merger with the former P.S. 1 Center for Contemporary Art—now MoMA PS1—in Long Island City, Queens. Under his leadership, MoMA’s endowment grew from around $200 million to approximately $1.7 billion, and its annual operating budget more than tripled, increasing from about $60 million to roughly $190 million. He has worked to diversify the museum’s collections, exhibitions, and staff; guided it through the Covid-19 crisis, which temporarily closed it just months after a costly new expansion; and managed the controversy surrounding the former MoMA board chair Leon Black’s connection to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
MoMA board chair Marie-Josée Kravis commended Lowry for expanding the museum’s collection and introducing new ideas, stating, “He’s broadened the whole discussion on the role of the arts and the role of a public institution like MoMA in the community at large.” “Our responsibility as a work in progress is to learn how to tell multiple stories about modern art,” Lowry told the Times, “not the story of modern art.” He added, “When I look back at who came to the museum when I was appointed and who comes to the museum today, it is a sea change both in terms of race, ethnicity, and age. That’s something the institution should feel collectively proud of.”
Sayart / Amia Nguyen, amyngwyen13@gmail.com
