The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) has appointed Brittany Webb as curator in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, effective late summer 2025. Webb joins from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), where she served as the Evelyn and Will Kaplan Curator of 20th-Century Art and the John Rhoden Collection since 2018. At PAFA, she organized several exhibitions including a comprehensive retrospective of sculptor John Rhoden, and added over 200 works to the permanent collection. MFAH Director Gary Tinterow praised Webb's passion, community connections, and track record of thoughtful exhibitions of American and African American art.
This appointment matters because it brings a curator with deep expertise in African American art and community engagement to one of the largest encyclopedic museums in the United States. Webb's work at PAFA, particularly her stewardship of the John Rhoden Collection and her focus on under-recognized artists, signals MFAH's commitment to diversifying its modern and contemporary holdings and programming. Her arrival also strengthens the museum's ties to Houston's diverse communities and its global curatorial ambitions.