Kim Conaty Appointed Chief Curator at the Whitney

The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, has named Kim Conaty chief curator, effective April 8. Conaty, whosince 2017has served as the institution’s curator of drawings and prints, fills the position vacated by Scott Rothkopf last fall, whenhe assumed the mantle of director,taking over from longtime leader Adam Weinberg. In her new role, Conaty will oversee the museum’s permanent collection and acquisitions, as well as its exhibitions and conservation efforts.

“Kim brings to the role of chief curator an extraordinary range of talents. Her brilliance as an exhibition maker is matched by her deep scholarly expertise across the range of the Whitney’s program and collection from 1900 to the present,” said Rothkopf in a statement. “Beyond the Whitney, Kim has contributed generously to the entire museum field as a colleague and mentor, while demonstrating great care for our staff, artists, and audiences. I am thrilled to partner with her—and the entire curatorial team—on the artistic vision for the Whitney’s future.”

Speaking to theNew York Timesabout Conaty’s appointment, Rothkopf was candid. “In appointing Kim, it was important to think about someone who had the sensitivity interpersonally and the intellectual sophistication to help navigate the times that we’re in—I’m not going to be coy about that,” he said. “These are key attributes for someone at a museum like the Whitney, which is so committed to the art and the ideas of our moment.”

In her previous role at the Whitney, Conaty curated the widely lauded 2022 exhibition “Edward Hopper’s New York,” as well as major surveys of Ruth Asawa and Mary Corse, and the group show “Nothing Is So Humble: Prints from Everyday Objects.” She also co-led the development of the museum’s Collection Strategic Plan, a multiyear research initiative aimed at assessing the institution’s collection of more than 26,000 works and setting goals for its future. Prior to her arrival at the Whitney, Conaty worked as a curator at the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University and, earlier, as assistant curator of drawings and prints at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Before that, she was a biennial coordinator for the 2008 Whitney Biennial, following previous posts as a curatorial intern and researcher at the institution. She holds a master’s degree from Williams College and a PhD from NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts.

Conaty told theTimesthat as director she plans to focus on emerging talent, and on Latino and Indigenous artists, who remain underrepresented in the Whitney’s collection. As well, she plans to slow down the pace of collecting. “We’re being extremely intentional about how we’re building the collection,” she told the paper, noting that even gifts to the museum were attended by storage and preservation costs.

“It’s a great honor to take on this leadership role at the Whitney, an institution that has long held a special place for me,” said Conaty in a statement. “I’m excited to guide and empower our stellar curatorial team as we continue to shape the Whitney’s collection in meaningful ways and develop dynamic and rigorous exhibitions that tell stories, ask questions, and engage deeply with artists and audiences.”