The Brooklyn Museum has announced that its next director will be Anne Pasternak, making her the institution’s first-ever female chief. Founded in 1977, the museum is the second largest in New York City.
Pasternak is the former president and artistic director of Creative Time, an arts organization dedicated to staging free projects, events and exhibitions in New York. The Brooklyn Museum’s Board of Trustees selected her as the successor to Arnold L. Lehman, who is retiring after holding the post for almost 18 years. Elizabeth A. Sackler, chairwoman of the Board, told The New York Times that Pasternak “has created a very worthy cultural establishment [and] is ready to lead an institution.”
While Pasternak has never worked in a museum, her experience heading Creative Time more than convinced the Brooklyn Museum’s board of her qualifications.
“If there was one job I fantasized about, it was being director of the Brooklyn Museum,” Pasternak commented. “My mother is from Flatbush, and I grew up hearing stories about her weekend visits to the museum. I also know many contemporary artists who had their first art classes at the Brooklyn Museum. So this connection feels both personal and historical.”
Pasternak will take the reins on September 1.
[via The New York Times]
