Glenn Lowry, director of New York’s Museum of Modern Art, to step down after 30 years

The longest-serving director of New York’s Museum of Modern Art will vacate his position in September 2025, he announced Tuesday.

Glenn Lowry, the longest-serving director of New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), is stepping down after three decades in the role, he announced Tuesday. The 69-year-old, who oversaw major expansions of both the museum and its role in American cultural life, told the New York Times that he will vacate his position in September 2025. “It’s the right moment to think about the future of the museum and I just thought, carpe diem. All the things I set out to do 30 years ago are either accomplished or in play in a very positive way,” he told the paper, adding: “I didn’t want to be the person who stayed too long.” The Times reported that Lowry’s current contract ends in June, and that the museum had been open to renewing it. MoMA did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for further comment. Joining MoMA from Canada’s Art Gallery of Ontario in 1995, Lowry is the sixth director in the storied museum’s 95-year history. He helmed the institution through a merger with the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in Queens, in 2000, and an ambitious 2004 renovation project that increased the museum’s gallery space from 85,000 to 125,000 square feet. Serving as a fundraiser and spokesperson, among other responsibilities, Lowry also developed a public profile of his own. In 2019, he topped the ArtReview Power 100 list, an annual ranking of influential figures in the art world. That year, he led the museum through second major expansion, with the $450-million revamp expanding gallery space by a further 30%.