Elvira Dyangani Ose is stepping down as the director of the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA) in April, months before her contract was set to expire. Her resignation follows a conflict with the MACBA Consortium, which ruled that her new appointment as director of the Abu Dhabi Public Art Biennial was incompatible with her leadership role in Barcelona. Dyangani Ose, who became the first woman and first person of color to lead the institution in 2021, had requested to balance both positions, but the governing body denied the proposal.
This departure marks a significant leadership shift for one of Spain’s most prominent contemporary art institutions during its 30th-anniversary year. The situation highlights the increasing tension between high-profile curators seeking global portfolios and the rigid administrative requirements of public-private museum consortiums. Dyangani Ose’s tenure was noted for its focus on Pan-Africanism and diversity, and her move to Abu Dhabi underscores the continued migration of top-tier European institutional talent to the rapidly expanding art hubs of the Middle East.