Melissa Chiu Departs Smithsonian to Head up Guggenheim New York

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Melissa Chiu will depart her long-term role as director of the Smithsonian-run Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and take up the same title at the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum in New York, the foundation announced this week.

Chiu, who will start her new position in September, becomes the latest in a string of Smithsonian directors to leave their posts during the past two years, following the Trump administration’s review of all 21 of the organisation’s museums and cultural spaces.

In a statement, the Solomon R Guggenheim Foundation’s director and chief executive, Mariët Westermann, said she was “thrilled” with Chiu’s appointment. “She transformed the Hirshhorn with the international and local disposition that is so special to our institution,” Westermann added.

During her time at the Hirshhorn, which is known for its collection of modern and contemporary art and is located on Washington DC’s National Mall, Chiu increased fundraising by 75 percent. 

She doubled attendance within three years and secured the two largest gifts in the museum’s history. In addition, she spearheaded the revitalisation of the Hirshhorn’s sculpture garden, which is set to open in October.

In a statement, Chiu said it was an “honour” to take up her new role at a “singularly iconic institution”.

“I am delighted to join Mariët Westermann along with my colleagues in Bilbao, Venice and Abu Dhabi as we build the Guggenheim of the future together,” she said. “I look forward to ensuring that the Guggenheim in New York remains a place of joy and learning about art and artists for all who visit.”

Prior to her time at the Hirshhorn, Chiu spent 13 years at Asia Society, where she built a contemporary art collection alongside the institution’s historic holdings. She also spearheaded significant exhibitions, including Iran Modern (2013) and Art and China’s Revolution (2008).

Her new appointment completes the restructuring of Guggenheim’s global leadership team, which now spans museums in New York, Venice, Bilbao, and the forthcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.