Massimiliano Gioni has been appointed as the new director of the New Museum in New York. Taking effect on August 1, the appointment places Gioni in the role officially titled the Toby Devan Lewis Director, where he will oversee the strategic vision, daily operations, and international relations of New York’s sole museum entirely dedicated to contemporary art.
Two Decades of Curatorial Leadership at the New Museum
Gioni brings a twenty-year history with the institution to his new executive post, having first joined the museum as a curator in 2006. Over the following two decades, he advanced through several leadership positions, serving as Associate Director, Director of Exhibitions, and—beginning in 2014—as the Edlis Neeson Artistic Director. In taking the helm, Gioni succeeds Lisa Phillips and follows in the footsteps of the museum’s founder, Marcia Tucker.
During his tenure, Gioni organized numerous monographic and group exhibitions. His exhibition history includes solo shows for contemporary artists such as John Akomfrah, Judy Chicago, Tacita Dean, Nicole Eisenman, Theaster Gates, Hans Haacke, Camille Henrot, Carsten Höller, Sarah Lucas, Carol Rama, Faith Ringgold, Pipilotti Rist, Anri Sala, Nari Ward, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. His major group projects include After Nature in 2008, Ostalgia in 2011, Here and Elsewhere in 2014, The Keeper in 2016, and Grief and Grievance: Art and Mourning in America in 2021—a project originally conceived by Okwui Enwezor alongside Naomi Beckwith, Glenn Ligon, and Mark Nash. Additionally, Gioni founded the New Museum Triennial in 2009 with Younger Than Jesus, alongside curators Lauren Cornell and Laura Hoptman, and recently curated New Humans: Memories of the Future, which marked the first exhibition to occupy the museum’s newly expanded OMA-designed campus.
Steering the Museum Into Its Newly Expanded Era
The leadership transition coincides with a physical transformation for the institution following the recent opening of its new architectural wing designed by OMA / Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas, which doubles the museum’s available exhibition space. James-Keith Brown, president of the board of trustees, highlighted Gioni’s instrumental role in the institution’s international growth through innovative exhibitions and global institutional collaborations.
Gioni addressed his appointment by emphasizing collaboration and institutional stability:
Gioni described the appointment as an extraordinary honor, noting that he follows in the footsteps of figures such as Marcia Tucker and Lisa Phillips. He stated that he considers the nomination not so much as a recognition of his personal work, but as a vote of confidence in the entire institution and its staff.
As executive director, Gioni’s responsibilities include managing the institution’s financial and organizational sustainability, guiding upcoming curatorial programs, and strengthening partnerships across the international art community as the museum operates out of its newly enlarged facility.
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