Marcy Carsey, Chair of the UCLA Hammer Museum’s Board of Directors, announced today that Director Ann Philbin will retire from the museum on November 1, 2024, after 25 years of leadership that made the Hammer into a landmark institution in Los Angeles and a leading museum of contemporary art for the nation and the world.

Marcy Carsey said, “When the history of the Hammer Museum is written, there will be a clear line drawn—before Annie Philbin, and after Annie Philbin. Thanks to her vision, the Hammer is known today as a world-class museum, internationally renowned yet uniquely and indisputably at the heart of Los Angeles. She has guided a complete transformation of the museum—its facilities, its collection, and its exhibitions and programs, which she has elevated in every way—while redefining the relationship of art museums to their communities and their society. We are profoundly grateful for her leadership and the values she has imbued into every level of this institution.”

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said, “Engagement with the arts is central to the UCLA experience, and Annie has done an incredible job of embedding the Hammer and its offerings more deeply within the fabric of our university. Beyond this, she has built for Los Angeles a true cultural gem that is accessible and inclusive, and whose exhibitions stand out for their remarkable quality and relevance.”

Brett Steele, Dean of UCLA’s School of the Arts and Architecture, said “Annie Philbin’s great success as the director of the Hammer has been in creating a space that is first and foremost for artists—a place where the creative communities of Los Angeles find inspiration not only in the museum’s galleries but also in its theater, where nearly every night of the week mind-opening talks, film screenings, and performances demonstrate the myriad ways the arts engage with the world, and vice versa. Her achievements for the Hammer, and her impact at UCLA and across Los Angeles, are beyond compare.”

Ann Philbin said, “It has been the privilege of a lifetime to lead the Hammer Museum for more than two decades, working closely with our supremely dedicated boards and brilliant staff to make this institution everything that Los Angeles and our wider community deserves. We have always said that the artists of Los Angeles are our core audience—and I think that in the way we have innovated in our programs and transformed our facilities, we have created a true ‘artists’ museum’ for them. I offer my profound gratitude to every member of our boards and staff, past and present, to the hundreds of artists we have worked with, to Michael Maltzan Architecture, our indispensable collaborators over the past decades, and the visitors we have been honored to serve over the years.”

Philbin will continue to lead the museum for the next 12 months, culminating with the fall 2024 exhibition Breath(e): Toward Climate and Social Justice, part of the Getty-funded initiative PST ART: Art and Science Collide. A search for Philbin’s successor will begin early in 2024, undertaken by a committee led by the museum’s Board of Directors.

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