Kim Sajet, former director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG), has been appointed as the new director of the Milwaukee Art Museum, starting September 22. She left the NPG in June after a high-profile clash with President Donald Trump over diversity initiatives and funding. Sajet brings extensive experience from museums in the Netherlands and Australia, and during her 12-year tenure at the NPG, she doubled attendance and raised $85 million. She replaces Marcelle Polednik, who departed in May after nine years.
This appointment matters because it places a seasoned museum leader with a track record of growth and international perspective at the helm of a major regional museum during a period of transition. The Milwaukee Art Museum is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Bradley Collection, a gift of nearly 400 Modern artworks by artists like Kandinsky, Picasso, Rothko, and Warhol. Sajet’s arrival also highlights ongoing tensions between arts institutions and federal policy, as her departure from the NPG stemmed from ideological conflicts with the Trump administration over DEI programs and Smithsonian funding.