Glenn D. Lowry became the sixth director of The Museum of Modern Art in 1995. He leads a staff of some 850 people and directs an active program of exhibitions, acquisitions, and publications. His major initiatives in the past ten years include guiding MoMA’s $900 million capital campaign for the renovation, expansion, and endowment of the Museum, reinvigorating MoMA’s contemporary art program, and challenging conventional thinking about modern art.
A strong advocate of contemporary art, Lowry, along with Alanna Heiss, director of P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, conceived and initiated the merger of their two organizations, which was announced in February 1999. He has lectured and written extensively in support of contemporary art and artists and the role of museums in society, among other topics.
Lowry is a member of the Williams College Board of Trustees, is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and serves on the advisory council of the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University. He is also a Steering Committee Member for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. In 2004, the French government honored Lowry with the title of Officier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Lowry’s most recent publications include Design for the New Museum of Modern Art (edited by Terrence Riley, 2004); ARTnews: Photography, What’s Hot: ‘Gained in Translation’ (2006); and Oil and Sugar: Contemporary Art and Islamic Culture (2009).
Born in 1954 in New York City and raised in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Lowry received a BA degree (1976) magna cum laude from Williams College, Williamstown, and MA (1978) and PhD (1982) degrees in history of art from Harvard University.
