Melissa Chiu is stepping down as director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden after a decade-long tenure to lead the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. Appointed by Guggenheim Foundation CEO Mariët Westermann, Chiu will officially assume her new role on September 1, while deputy director Aaron Seeto takes the interim helm at the Hirshhorn.
Melissa Chiu has been appointed as the new director of the Guggenheim Museum in New York, departing her long-standing role at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Starting September 1, Chiu will report to Mariët Westermann, CEO of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, effectively splitting the leadership responsibilities previously held by Richard Armstrong. During her decade-long tenure at the Hirshhorn, Chiu was known for staging massive blockbuster exhibitions, including the record-breaking Yayoi Kusama "Infinity Mirror Rooms" show, though she also faced criticism for commercial ventures like a reality TV competition.
Arne Glimcher, the 87-year-old founder of Pace Gallery, opened a satellite gallery called 125 Newbury in Tribeca in 2021 after his son Marc, Pace's CEO, told him he would have to wait three years for a show slot. The gallery, named after Pace's original Boston address, operates under Pace's umbrella but focuses on experimental, scholarly exhibitions that often feature artists not represented by Pace. Glimcher recently mounted a Kiki Smith show pairing her 1990s paper mannequins with bronze birds, and he continues to take risks, such as funding a pond for Max Hooper Schneider's exhibition. Despite the gallery not being self-sustaining, Glimcher remains committed to supporting original art and connoisseurship.
Rhona Hoffman, the 90-year-old Chicago gallerist, is closing her eponymous gallery at the end of May 2025 after nearly five decades in operation. The final group show, “Not Just A Pretty Picture,” ends April 26. Hoffman, who opened her gallery in 1976, gave early platforms to artists like Sol LeWitt, Mickalene Thomas, and Carrie Mae Weems, and is especially known for championing women artists such as Cindy Sherman, Barbara Kruger, and Jenny Holzer. She was also made an honorary member of the Guerrilla Girls after documenting her exhibition history of women artists. Hoffman plans to remain in Chicago, curating shows and working with artists, but will not use the term "pop-up" for her future activities.
Racquel Chevremont, a curator and collector who recently appeared on the Real Housewives of New York, was brought in by the producers of the Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That… to build the art collection for the character Lisa Todd Wexley. Chevremont selected works by Black artists including Carrie Mae Weems, Deborah Roberts, Barkley Hendricks, Gordon Parks, Mickalene Thomas, Derrick Adams, and Alma Thomas to adorn the Wexley family home, carefully choosing each piece to reflect the character's identity as a successful Black documentarian and mother. In an interview with ARTnews, Chevremont explains how she researched the character's background to curate a collection that feels authentic, and describes the process of licensing images for reproduction on set rather than borrowing original works.