Ann Philbin, who has been the director of the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles since 1999, will retire in November 2024, the museum has announced. Philbin is widely credited with having put the institution on the international map, initiating programmes like the biennial ‘Made in LA’ (the sixth iteration of which is currently on view) and leading a major transformation campaign, begun in 2018, which included the major expansion into the new Lynda and Stewart Resnick Cultural Center designed by Michael Maltzan Architecture, increasing gallery space by 60 percent, which was inaugurated in March. Under Philbin, admission to the museum became free in 2014.
Philbin came to the Hammer from the Drawing Center in New York, where from 1990 through 1999, she served as director. She is credted with revitalising the institution by her creative approach to exhibiting drawings, including, for example, Nicole Eisenman’s first institutional solo show, which included a new mural in the downtown Manhattan space. Philbin also curated a number of exhibitions while at the Hammer, including the much-acclaimed Lee Bontecou: A Retrospective (co-curated by Elizabeth Smith, MCA Chicago) in 2003 and Lee Mullican:
Drawings in 2000, as well as many early Hammer Projects.
‘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,’ Philbin said in a statement. She will remain in her role for the next 12 months, culminating with the exhibition Breath(e): Toward Climate and Social Justice, which is part of the Getty-funded initiative PST ART: Art and Science Collide.
