MoMA names Christophe Cherix its new director

The Swiss-born curator has worked in the Museum of Modern Art’s drawings and prints department since 2007

christphe cherix
(Image credit: © 2021 The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Photo: Peter Ross)

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York has announced that it is promoting curator Christophe Cherix to be its new director.

The announcement follows a six-month international search after the museum’s current director, Glenn Lowery, announced that he would step down from MoMA’s top post after leading the museum for three decades.

christophe cherix

Ed Ruscha and Christophe Cherix in 2023.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Cherix joined MoMA—one of the world’s most powerful arts institutions— in 2007 after serving as curator of the prints at the Musée d’art et d’histoire in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2013, he was named MoMA’s Robert Lehman Foundation chief curator of drawings and prints. During his 18-year tenure at MoMA, the Swiss-born curator has overseen important acquisitions and mounted exhibitions including last year’s critically-acclaimed ED RUSCHA / NOW THEN, as well shows on the work of Betye Saar, Adrian Piper, Marcel Broodthaers, Yoko Ono and Jasper Johns.

MoMA’s board unanimously confirmed Cherix’s appointment, which was announced to staff today, according to the New York Times.

‘Christophe’s brilliant curatorial leadership in modern and contemporary art, deep insight and passion for MoMA’s collection, and reputation for steady stewardship stood out as indispensable qualities to meet the moment as the museum’s next director,’ board chair Marie-Josée Kravis said in a press release.

The directorship will mark Cherix’s first time leading an arts institution. He will officially start as director in September, the month Lowry planned to step down.

‘MoMA has long been a leader in embracing new forms of expression, amplifying the voices of artists from around the globe, and engaging the broadest audiences onsite and online,’ Cherix said in a statement.

‘As the museum approaches its centennial, my highest priority is to support its exceptional staff and ensure that their unique ability to navigate the ever-evolving present continues to thrive.’

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U.S. Editor

Anna Fixsen is a Brooklyn-based editor and journalist with 13 years of experience reporting on architecture, design, and the way we live. Before joining the Wallpaper* team as the U.S. Editor, she was the Deputy Digital Editor of ELLE DECOR, where she oversaw all aspects of the magazine’s digital footprint.