After an impressive 26-year tenure as the director of the New Museum, Lisa Phillips has announced that she will retire in April 2026, as confirmed in a press release from the Lower Manhattan institution on September 25.
Phillips’ retirement comes just as the New Museum approaches the much-anticipated reopening of its doors to the public following a significant $82 million expansion project and nearly a year of closure. While the specific reopening date has yet to be announced, museum officials shared with the New York Times that it is expected by the end of this year. The search for Phillips’ successor will commence this month, as noted in the museum’s announcement.
In a statement to Hyperallergic, Phillips expressed that her decision was not made lightly, emphasizing that it comes at what she considers a “natural transition point” aligned with the museum’s reopening. She noted, “After much thought and consideration, I have decided that it will then be the right time for me to step down after 26 years at the helm and pass the baton to the next generation of leaders who will chart the course of this next chapter.”
Lisa Phillips’ leadership has been characterized by significant growth and transformation at the New Museum. Since her initial appointment in 1999, succeeding the late founder Marcia Tucker, she has helmed the museum as it evolved from an experimental arts venue with temporary quarters and a modest staff of 25 to a major contemporary art institution on the Lower East Side’s Bowery, attracting approximately 450,000 visitors annually with a staff of about 150. Over her distinguished career, Phillips has curated over 200 exhibitions, featuring prominent artists such as Simone Leigh, Jeffrey Gibson, Faith Ringgold, and Wangechi Mutu, including the launch of the New Museum Triennial, which focuses on international early-career artists.
However, her time in the role has not been without controversy. In recent years, Phillips has faced criticism over labor practices within the museum, as staff accused the management of creating poor working conditions, engaging in unfair labor practices, and leading stalled contract negotiations. The unionized staff has raised concerns over wage disparities between employees and top executives. Notably, Phillips’s compensation was reported to be nearly $900,000 in the museum’s 2024 tax filings.
The situation escalated during the pandemic in 2020 when the museum laid off 18 staff members, a move that was criticized as targeting union supporters. This resulted in a complaint being filed with the National Labor Relations Board by the union alleging discriminatory layoffs. The New Museum denied these allegations, maintaining that they did not believe the claims had merit.
Responding to inquiries about Phillips’ impending departure and the forthcoming director search, a representative from Local 2110 UAW, which represents the New Museum Union, shared that they are “eager to build a positive collective bargaining relationship with the new Museum leadership and to negotiate further improvements in working conditions and economic status for union members.”
Phillips’ retirement announcement comes amid a wave of leadership transitions at other significant museums across the city. Recently, Shamim M. Momin, co-founder of Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND), took on her role as the new director of the Bronx Museum. Simultaneously, Christophe Cherix, previously the chief curator of drawings and prints at the Museum of Modern Art, has begun his tenure as the seventh director of MoMA, following Glenn Lowry’s departure last year.
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