The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, announced that Gary Tinterow has been named as its seventh director. Tinterow, an internationally recognized curator and scholar who is currently the Engelhard Chairman of the Department of Nineteenth-Century, Modern and Contemporary Art at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, succeeds the late Peter C. Marzio, who died in December 2010. Tinterow will assume his new role in early 2012.
“Gary Tinterow has built an impeccable record of scholarship and connoisseurship over several decades in his field, and he has achieved an extraordinary level of leadership within one of the world’s most renowned institutions,” Cornelia Long, chair of the board of the MFAH, said in announcing the appointment. “These qualities, along with his commitment to engaging a broad range of audiences through innovative programming and partnerships, are essential to the future of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.”
“Without question Gary Tinterow is the leader to guide the MFAH through the evolving complexities of what it means to be a museum of the 21st century,” commented Richard D. Kinder, chair of the search committee and long-range planning committee of the MFAH. “With the MFAH poised for its next phase of growth, and an expansion devoted to post-1900 art, his proven curatorial, leadership, fundraising and planning skills will assure the museum’s future success.”
“I feel deeply honored to be invited to join one of the most distinguished institutions in the country,” said Tinterow. “With its nearly unparalleled resources – passionate, experienced and knowledgeable trustees; a large and well-informed audience in a dynamic community; a fine collection with great strengths in many domains; remarkable and dedicated staff and volunteers; and the ability to mount ambitious programs while maintaining fiscal stability – the MFAH is perfectly positioned to become one of the best museums in the world. And, needless to say, I am thrilled to be returning to Houston, my hometown.” – www.mfah.org