New York, March 8. The Whitney Museum in New York, specialized in contemporary art from the United States, on Wednesday appointed its current number two and chief curator, Scott Rothkopf, as its new director, who will occupy the position on November 1, replacing Adam Weinberg.
In a statement, the board of trustees described Weinberg, 68, who has led the Whitney for two decades, as “a once-in-a-lifetime director,” while it considered Rothkopf, 46, a “change agent” who It has already had an impact on the institution.
According to The New York Times, the outgoing director has a long career and is close to retirement age, but his departure is part of a generational change that is taking place in important museums around the world and that anticipates changes in the landscape. artistic.
Weinberg, who has worked at the museum for a total of 30 years and oversaw the move of the Whitney from its former location on Manhattan’s Upper East Side to its new home in the Meatpacking Quarter in 2015, will become director emeritus and honorary patron. , according to the note.
The board welcomed the internal promotion of the “best fit possible” and anticipated a “seamless transition” as Rothkopf, the new director, has been working for Weinberg for the past 13 years.
Under the leadership of the outgoing director, the note indicates, the Whitney multiplied its annual audience to 1.2 million people (before the pandemic), its members to 50,000 and its funds to 400 million dollars, in addition to requesting staff up to 400 employees and make it more diverse.
Rothkopf, a graduate in history of art and architecture from Harvard University, began his career as a curator in the museums of the prestigious center while publishing reviews and articles in art media, and at the Whitney he has organized more than a dozen exhibitions.
Earlier Thursday, unionized workers at the Whitney reached an agreement with management for the first time on their contracts after more than a year of negotiations. EFE
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