At a forum in Washington, D.C. last weekend, Brooklyn Museum director Anne Pasternak voiced concern about what she sees as a troubling pattern in museum leadership. In light of recent museum leadership reshuffles, she argued that male museum directors often retire, while women more frequently get fired, the Financial Times reported.
Pasternak was speaking at the Making Their Mark Forum alongside guests including Jodie Foster, Christophe Cherix of Museum of Modern Art, Chelsea Clinton, and artists such as Joan Semmel and LaToya Ruby Frazier. Pasternak said she’s worried about the direction of leadership in both the country and the museum sector.
Her concerns echo those of other museum leaders. Interviews conducted for the Burns Halperin Report, a study on representation in the art world, found that many women working in the field raised the issue of a potential backlash against female leadership. None of the men interviewed brought it up.
According to Susan Fisher Sterling, director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., periods of uncertainty can prompt institutions to become more cautious. During such times, she said leaders who were appointed more recently, often women or people of colour, can face greater scrutiny, particularly if they are trying to push through significant changes.
Over the past decade, many museums have publicly committed to appointing more women to leadership roles, often highlighting the need to broaden audiences, diversify collections, and modernize institutions. However, some observers are questioning how strong that commitment really in the wake of several high-profile departures from major museums in the US and Europe.
Of course, the circumstances behind these exits vary. Some leaders were axed, others resigned, and some left following disputes over governance or performance. Still, many in the sector claim to see a recurring pattern, arguing that women hired to transform institutions sometimes appear to receive less support when the tough gets going.
Several recent cases have drawn scrutiny. Sasha Suda was dismissed three years into her contract as director and chief executive of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She was quickly replaced by Daniel Weiss, who had been advising the museum’s board. Suda has alleged wrongful termination, which the museum denies, and the matter is currently being handled through private arbitration.
In Washington, D.C., Kim Sajet stepped down last June after 12 years as director of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Her resignation came right after Donald Trump said on social media that he intended to fire her, accusing her of being overly partisan and supportive of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Sajet has since become director of the Milwaukee Art Museum.
Over the Atlantic in Paris, Laurence des Cars resigned last month as director of the Louvre Museum following a series of challenges, including a high-profile jewel smash-and-grab that exposed longstanding security problems. She had previously warned French authorities and the media about infrastructure issues at the museum. She was replaced by Christophe Leribault.
Some cases have also raised questions about the intersection of race and gender. In February, hundreds of cultural figures, including author Salman Rushdie and artist Isaac Julien, signed an open letter objecting to the departure of Devyani Saltzman from the Barbican Centre in London. Saltzman had been director of arts and participation and was one of the few leaders of South Asian heritage in the institution’s history. She left after the appointment of new chief executive Abigail Pogson. The letter said that Saltzman’s departure had implications beyond a routine staffing change.
At the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA), director Elvira Dyangani Ose, the first woman and first person of African descent to spearhead the museum, is stepping down early after taking on a role with the Abu Dhabi Public Art Biennial. The museum’s board said the event conflicted with her duties.
Leadership changes have appeared elsewhere too. Colette Pierce Burnette, the first Black woman to lead the cultural campus Newfields, which includes the Indianapolis Museum of Art, left after about 15 months in the role.
Research suggests leadership diversity can affect institutional outcomes. The 2022 Burns Halperin Report found that the four major US museums acquiring the most works by women artists were all led by women. As Kymberly Pinder, dean of the Yale School of Art, noted at last weekend’s Making Their Mark Forum, representation in leadership can help reshape ideas about who belongs in those roles.
At the same event, Sandra Jackson-Dumont discussed her departure from the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art after the role was split, with George Lucas taking over content direction. Philanthropist Jennifer Soros said similar debates about women in leadership are occurring beyond the arts, including in US universities.
Pasternak concluded that openly discussing these pressures is important, warning that silence could have wider consequences for the sector.
