MOMA NAMES MICHELLE KUO CHIEF CURATOR AT LARGE AND PUBLISHER
The Museum of Modern Art, New York, announced that it has appointed Michelle Kuo to the newly created role of chief curator at large and publisher, effective immediately. Kuo arrived to MoMA in 2018 as the Marlene Hess Curator of Painting and Sculpture. In her new capacity, she will continue to organize temporary and collection-based exhibitions, introduce digital initiatives, perform research and scholarship, and make acquisitions for the museum’s collection. As well, she will lead MoMA’s global publications program.
“Michelle has an impressive record as a curator, editor, scholar, and collaborator who has helped open up museums, publications, and audiences to new ideas and experiences with modern and contemporary art,” said MoMA director Glenn Lowry in a statement. “We are thrilled that she will bring her broad global perspective and deep engagement with the intersection of technology and art—past, present, and future–to this new role at the museum.”
During her tenure as curator of painting and sculpture, Kuo organized solo shows by artists including Refik Anadol, Montien Boonma, and Amanda Williams as well as “Artist’s Choice” exhibitions by Amy Sillman and Grace Wales Bonner, and the group show “New Order: Art and Technology in the Twenty-First Century.” With Feral File, she is currently cocurating the forthcoming exhibition “Sound Machines.” Among the acquisitions she shepherded are those of works by Huguette Caland, Pierre Huyghe, and Tsuruko Yamazaki. Prior to joining MoMA, Kuo served for seven years as editor in chief of Artforum, during which time she contributed numerous articles, helmed the magazine’s fiftieth anniversary issue, and oversaw special issues centered on themes including “The Ab-Ex Effect” (Summer 2011) and “The Politics of Everyday Life” (Summer 2017). She holds a Ph.D. in the history of art and architecture from Harvard University and a BA from Stanford University.
“I am elated to assume this new role and expand MoMA’s support of artistic experimentation in all forms,” said Kuo in a statement. “Art is not beholden to any one geography, medium, or set of techniques—and I look forward to building on the global range and interdisciplinary depth of the museum’s program, increasing access to new art and new media around the world, and elevating the voices of artists, writers, historians, and thinkers. These perspectives are essential in a time of acute social and technological change.”
