Anna Stothart at a walkthrough of 28 Chinese in September 2015 at the San Antonio Museum of Art. (photo: Page Graham)
Anna Stothart, the Brown Foundation Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA), has accepted a newly created position of Director at Lehmann Maupin Gallery in New York.
Stothart, who recently unveiled a new installation of the contemporary galleries at SAMA, had brought a lively energy and vision to the museum and we were looking forward to seeing what shows she would cook up there. She was at SAMA for just over a year and her reinstallation included simple but effective changes in paint color and wall placement that really brightened up the place, a column-filled former brewery that has never been the ideal space to show art, particularly large contemporary pieces.
“It is with sadness that I leave San Antonio. I leave behind great friends and colleagues, a welcoming art community, and a wonderful museum. This was an incredible opportunity that I couldn’t pass up,” said Stothart. “I look forward to furthering my connection to San Antonio through the Museum, and the city’s collectors and artists.”
Stothart is only the latest in the trend of museum professionals, both curators and directors, hopping to the dark side of the commercial market, lured by vastly larger salaries and budgets. Lehmann Maupin’s stable of artists includes Catherine Opie, Gilbert & George, Tracey Emin, and Juergen Teller, among other notable artists, and like many other galleries has expanded to two locations in New York and one in Hong Kong.
Although another curator search is probably the last thing SAMA wants to undertake right now, we hope they will be able to bring in another talented and energetic figure at the helm of their contemporary collection.
