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Critics Are Fuming About the New MoMA Head
A camp of critics and curators hoped for a bold new direction. They say the new chief looks a lot like the old.
There was an all-star class of female candidates: as Arthur Cohen, a strategist for some of the biggest art institutions in the U.S., put it, “a new generation of women leaders who are really plugged into the Zeitgeist and extremely well positioned to navigate a transformative moment in society.” Many more observers wanted someone with a distinct, progressive vision for the museum’s future and for a clear break with Lowry’s reign. Artists have called for MoMA to cut ties with Ronald Lauder, a Republican megadonor and pro-Israel activist who funded a group responsible for xenophobic ads during the 2016 presidential campaign; Marie-Josée Kravis, whose husband’s private-equity firm is heavily invested in fossil fuels; and Paula Crown, whose wealth is in weapons manufacturing. Securing the cash the museum needs and wants is likely to get harder in the coming years: Younger donors — the recipients of the impending $124 trillion great wealth transfer — so far don’t rank arts patronage high on their list of priorities; social causes currently take precedence over cultural ones.
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