The curator and scholar takes over from Elizabeth Ann Macgregor
Suzanne Cotter has been appointed director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. Cotter will take up the position in January 2022. She is currently director of the Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean (MUDAM), Luxembourg, and previous roles include director of the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Serralves Foundation in Porto, curator for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation New York, and deputy director and curator at large of Modern Art Oxford.
Cotter was a co-curator of the 10th Sharjah Biennial in 2011, and also serves as the secretary general of the board of the International Committee for Modern and Contemporary Art Museums. Her curatorial career was recognised by the French government in 2005 with the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
She said in a statement: ‘I am delighted to take on the role of Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA). I am inspired by the MCA and its collection, exhibition and social impact programs, its commitment to living artists, particularly the work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, and to the importance of art in the lives of everyone. In the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and in response to the growing force of environmental and social justice movements globally, the museum has a vital role to play for the diverse communities that it serves and in which they can recognise themselves and their world. The MCA is responding to this context and ensuring its place as an outstanding institution in Australian cultural life. I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to lead the MCA’s exceptional team and to participate in shaping the Museum’s future.’
Cotter is taking over from the MCA’s longtime director Elizabeth Ann Macgregor, who announced her departure in March. ‘The last two decades have been the most thrilling and rewarding of my professional life. The decision to leave has been extraordinarily difficult to make, but the 30th anniversary seemed like the right moment to hand the reins over to ensure the MCA continues to evolve and thrive,’ Macgregor said of her decision earlier this year.
