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THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF EL MUSEO DEL BARRIO ANNOUNCES UNANIMOUSLY NEW DIRECTOR JULIÁN ZUGAZAGOITIA |
| NEW YORK (September 24, 2002)
-- Tony Bechara, Chair of the Board of Trustees of El Museo del Barrio,
today announced that after a thorough search the Board of Trustees has unanimously
appointed Julián Zugazagoitia as Director of the Museum. Zugazagoitia
is currently a member of the Director's Office at the Guggenheim Museum
serving directly under Thomas Krens. Zugazagoitia is bringing to El Museo
extensive experience internationally in both museum administration and curatorial
work having held leadership positions at the Getty Conservation Institute,
the Spoleto Festival in Italy, and, having served as the cultural attaché
to the Mexican delegation to UNESCO. "We are thrilled with the unanimous selection of Julián Zugazagoitia as our new Director," stated Bechara. "Julián understands and is dedicated to our mission which serves the local Puerto Rican, Latino and Latin American community, while at the same time he has the vision to lead us forward as a world-class institution." El Museo del Barrio is New York's leading Latino cultural institution, having expanded its mission to represent the diversity of art and culture of Puerto Ricans, Latinos, and Latin Americans. Currently, El Museo features Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Twentieth-Century Mexican Art: The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection, widely regarded as the most significant private holding of twentieth-century Mexican art, which is comprised of superb examples of works by Kahlo, Rivera and other masters of modern Mexican art. Extended through September 26, the exhibition has drawn record attendance of more than 70,000 visitors. The selection of Zugazagoitia concludes a five-month international search by the Board of Trustees' Search Committee in consultation with Russell Reynolds Associates, the international executive search firm. The Board interviewed candidates from the US and Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and Latin America. Estrellita Brodsky, Chair of the Search Committee, said of the appointment, "We are delighted that Julián Zugazagoitia has been selected as the next Director. Julián is not only an intelligent, articulate and energetic leader, he is sensitive to the challenging issues facing El Museo del Barrio as the museum continues its commitment to growth and distinction within its community and beyond." Former Director of El Museo, Susana Torruella Leval, states: "Julián's experience, intelligence, and most importantly, talent for working with diverse communities, make him an ideal next Director to lead El Museo into the 21st century." Angela Cabrera, a Trustee of El Museo since the early 1970s comments: "I am impressed by Julián's commitment to, sensitivity towards, and awareness of the concerns of our community that as Director of El Museo he will fulfill the mission of our founders. I am confident that he will succeed and bring the museum to the next level." "El Museo del Barrio is a dynamic and forward-looking institution, and I am thrilled to be joining it at such a decisive moment in its history," said Zugazagoitia. "I intend to honor its mission as a museum of art and culture of Puerto Ricans, Latinos and Latin Americans, and to maintain its standards of curatorial and educational excellence. At the same time, I will seek new opportunities and cooperative partnerships that have the capacity to widen the scope and influence of its programs. I am looking forward to the Museum's upcoming exhibitions El Museo's Bienal and Rafael Tufiño, Pintor del Pueblo/Painter of the People, his first major retrospective in the United States, as well as to future programming to be developed under my directorship." At the Guggenheim since 1999, Zugazagoitia has been an organizer and a curator of Brazil: Body and Soul, and was the principal creator of all related programming for the exhibition. His other activities for the Guggenheim have included organizing, in conjunction with the Louvre, Paris, a lecture series entitled "The Total Work of Art"; the presentation of Miguel Rio Branco and Tunga, two commissions for the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; and the development of the ANY (Architecture New York) Conference. Prior to and during his work for the Guggenheim, Zugazagoitia served as the curator of numerous exhibitions internationally, including the New York section of the "Iconografias Metropolitanas" for the XXVth Sâo Paulo Bienal; Passion for Life, the Revolution of Mexican Art in the XXth Century for the Castel dell'Ovo, Naples, Italy; Par delà les Tropiques for the Maison de l'Amerique Latine, Paris; and, Tamis du Temps for the Musée des Beaux Arts, Lons-Le-Saulnier. During his eight years with the Getty Conservation Institute, Zugazagoitia was in charge of major projects such as the conservation of the Abomey Royal Palaces, Benin, West Africa and curated and organized the exhibition Nefertari Light of Egypt that originated in Rome and traveled throughout Italy. From 1997 - 99, Zugazagoitia served as the Director of Visual Arts for the Spoleto Festival in Italy, where he curated and organized exhibitions, publications and happenings. He was also a cultural correspondent for the Excélsior newspaper in Mexico City. A native of Mexico City, Zugazagoitia holds a Doctorate in Philosophy and Aesthetics from the Sorbonne, Paris, and is a graduate of l'Ecole du Louvre. Zugazagoitia will start at El Museo del Barrio on November 18, 2002. He replaces Susana Torruella Leval, who retired and was named Director Emeritus on June 30, 2002. Patricia Smalley, former Deputy Commissioner of Cultural Affairs, is currently serving as Interim Director. 
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