Transformative Director Madeleine Grynsztejn to Leave MCA Chicago
31March 18, 2026
Madeleine Grynsztejn, who has served as director of theMuseum of Contemporary Art Chicagosince 2008, has announced that she will step down at the end of 2026, after eighteen years in the role. A search for her successor will begin this spring. Though Grynsztejn did not detail her post-MCA plans beyond saying she would remain supportive of artists, she was plain about the reason behind her impending departure.
“I asked myself, who should be on the dais in January 2027? Should it be the person who brought the museum to this moment for the last twenty years, or should it be the person who will take the museum forward for the next twenty years?” Grynsztejn toldArtnews. “The answer was easy for me.”
Grynsztejn’s tenure at MCA Chicago was marked by the growth of the museum’s operating budget and its collection. Among the gifts she shepherded were a major donation of works from Greek collector Dimitris Daskalopoulos and a trove from Chicago collectors Marilyn and Larry Fields. Grynsztejn told Artnews that the gifts helped diversify the institution’s collection.
“I grew up in places where I was excluded, either by language or other means,” she told the platform, referring to her peripatetic youth, during which she was raised in Peru, Venezuela, and England. “I have always been deeply, deeply invested in making a place as warmly accessible and inclusive as possible,” she said.
The museum under Grynsztejn originated a series of buzzy exhibitions, including major retrospectives of Virgil Abloh, Nick Cave, Takashi Murakami, Howardena Pindell, and Doris Salcedo, as well as Kerry James Marshall. Grynsztejn instigated Marshall’s survey herself, in a hands-on move not typical of most museum directors. Too, the museum hosted a number of high-profile traveling exhibitions, including those of David Bowie, Ólafur Eliaasson, Yoko Ono, and Luc Tuymans. Grynsztejn inaugurated the Ascendant Artists program, aimed at giving artists their first solo institutional shows. Among those who received their first major exhibition and catalogue as par tof the program were Wafaa Bilal, Anne Collier, Carolina Caycedo, Rashid Johnson, Otobong Nkanga, the Propeller Group, Christina Quarles, and Michael Rakowitz.
“Madeleine is one of the defining leaders of her generation. Her exceptional tenure has elevated the MCA Chicago to new heights—nationally and internationally—while remaining deeply rooted in and responsive to our Chicago culture and community,” said board chair Bill Silverstein in a statement. “Under Madeleine’s visionary leadership, expertise, and passion, the MCA entered a transformative era marked by the historic success of its exhibitions and a significant expansion of its world-class collection. Her tenure was defined by a commitment to institutional evolution, including an audience-centered renovation and the launch of the Bilingual Initiative to better serve the Chicago community. By championing the Women Artist Initiative and the internationalization of the board of trustees, Madeleine ensured that gender parity and global representation became core to the MCA’s identity, leaving the organization more inclusive and more influential than ever before. On behalf of the entire board, it has been a privilege and pleasure to work in partnership with her.”