After 20 Years at the New Museum, Massimiliano Gioni Becomes Director

Massimiliano Gioni has been appointed the next director of the New Museum following an eight-month international search.

The appointment marks the culmination of two decades of work for Gioni, who joined the New York City institution as a curator in 2006 and has led its exhibition programme since 2014. In that time he has shaped many of the museum’s defining projects, from co-establishing the New Museum Triennial in 2009 to curating the ongoing New Humans: Memories of the Future, the first exhibition to occupy the museum’s expanded campus and the largest in its history.

The appointment signals a commitment to continuity as the New Museum enters a new phase following its expansion. Gioni described the role as both an honour and a responsibility, acknowledging the legacy of the institution’s founder Marcia Tucker and former director Lisa Phillips. “I think of this appointment less as a recognition of my work than a vote of confidence in our entire institution and its staff,” he said.

Board President James-Keith Brown highlighted Gioni’s two decades of contributions to the museum, noting that he had played “an essential role in the museum’s evolution as a leading international destination for contemporary art” through the exhibitions he conceived, the mentorship he provided to colleagues and the relationships he built around the world.

Beyond New York City, Gioni has established himself as one of the most influential curators of his generation, directing the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013 and organising major exhibitions and biennials across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas. While he will continue to curate upcoming exhibitions by Diego Marcon and Arthur Jafa at the New Museum later this year, his transition into directorship raises questions about how his curatorial practice will evolve within the demands of institutional leadership.