Kim Sajet to Lead Milwaukee Art Museum
242Sept. 5, 2025
Dutch curatorKim Sajet, who this past June stepped down as longtime director of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, after President Donald Trump attacked her as “a strong supporter of DEI,” has been named director of theMilwaukee Art Museum. Sajet will step into her new role on September 22. She replaces Polish-born curator Marcelle Polednik, who left the role this past July after nine years at the institution’s helm.
“I’ve been doing American art and history for over two decades,” Sajet told theNew York Times. “I was really excited to go to an international collection.”
The Nigeria-born Sajet brings a wealth of experience to the role. Appointed director of the National Portrait Gallery in 2013, she was the first woman to lead the institution since its founding in 1962. Attendance doubled under her tenure, during which she raised $85 million for the institution’s operations and endowment. Prior to her arrival there, she spent six years as president and chief executive of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Earlier roles included those of senior vice president and deputy director of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, and director of corporate relations at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In the 1990s, she served first as curator and then as director of two Australian art museums. Concurrent with her institutional activities, she hosted the National Portrait Gallery podcast “Portraits,” which was nominated for a Webby Award. She is currently writing a book on early photography for Princeton University Press. Related Tom Engels Appointed Director of Kunstverein München Mami Kataoka and Arja Miller to Curate Fourth Helsinki Biennial
“Kim brings with her a passion for making museums educational and meaningful while also ensuring accessibility and fun,” said Milwaukee Art Museum board chair Andy Nunemaker in a statement. “This moment marks a unique opportunity to bring in a leader who can unlock the museum’s full potential and advance its vision of connecting people with art and with each other.”