MoMA hires Ann Temkin as Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture

In the NYTimes, Carol Vogel reports that the Museum of Modern Art has chosen one of its own curators, Ann Temkin, to succeed John Elderfield, who retired as chief curator of painting and sculpture in July. “Ms. Temkin said that one of her priorities would be to ‘change our viewers� experience in many ways,’ especially by integrating painting and sculpture with other mediums. The Modern and many other museums still have separate departments for painting and sculpture, film and video, and prints and drawings. Ms. Temkin called that approach outdated. She said that she planned to ‘reflect the way artists work today, where these divisions are far less prevalent.’ She also intends to change the works in the permanent galleries more frequently. ‘I�d like to mix the foundation of the collection in new ways, to animate those galleries so they are constantly full of unexpected revelations,’ she said. Unlike Mr. Elderfield, whose chief scholarly interests ranged from artists like Bonnard, Picasso and Matisse to postwar artists like Bridget Riley and Richard Diebenkorn, Ms. Temkin is more firmly grounded in postwar and contemporary art, keeping up with many notable figures working today.” Read more.

Related posts:
Tyler Green’s three-part interview with Temkin from September 2007. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.
Culturegrrl miffed.