Ann Philbin, who made the Hammer Museum a destination for contemporary art during nearly 25 years as director and helped transform the cultural landscape in Los Angeles, will step down next year, the museum announced Wednesday.
Philbin’s decision marks a turning point in the city’s art world and opens a high-profile position as several other major institutions across the country have undergone recent leadership changes, including the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Under Philbin, the Hammer—originally built by industrialist Armand Hammer to display his collection of Old Masters and other works—devoted itself to contemporary art and became an important platform for emerging and underappreciated artists with a focus on social justice.
“She made it a major museum with an international reputation,” said Adam D. Weinberg, the Whitney’s director. “Annie will go down in history as one of the greatest museum directors of her generation.”
With the help of an outside search firm, the Hammer board will select a successor, whom it will then recommend to the University of California, Los Angeles, which took over management of the museum after Hammer’s death. At a time when awareness of the shortage of Black and Latino museum directors has increased, Marcy Carsey, the chair of the gavel, said the search would include a diverse pool of candidates.
Carsey said it would be difficult to follow in Philbin’s footsteps.
“The killer is Annie and Annie is awesome,” she said. “I can’t remember an organization being so impacted by one person.”
Philbin, 71, who plans to step down on Nov. 1, 2024, said in an interview over lunch in her office that she had been thinking about stepping down since the pandemic.
“It made me think about how short life is, but also think about what’s best for this institution,” she said. “There’s a generational shift happening – it’s a really important moment – and it’s time for the next person to come into this place and take it to the next level.”
Part of this generational shift requires the ability to deal with new challenges, including the emergence of artificial intelligence, diversity issues, labor disputes and work-life balance.
But there’s a core Hammer identity that Philbin would like to see permanent: “Paying attention to the things that are hidden or emerging or unknown.”
“I hope this museum will always do that,” she continued, “because the way we do it is unique.”
Philbin, who exudes both warmth and toughness and is known as a passionate advocate for artists, said she largely accomplished what she set out to do.
She built up the museum’s staff and expanded its budget from $6 million to $30 million and its endowment from $35 million to over $125 million. During her tenure, the museum expanded its collection to include more than 4,000 works of contemporary art.
The Hammer has also become a center for artistic creation as well as a meeting place for lectures, parties and lunches (at its popular restaurant Lulu). The museum’s annual fundraising event “Gala in the Garden” has also become a prominent event.
And it modernized the building with a $90 million stop-and-start renovation project that was recently completed.
“I saw her make the hammer what it is today,” said artist Mark Bradford, adding that Philbin did so “calmly” and “with a lot of grace.”
“Suddenly you see the building and it’s twice the size it was before,” Bradford added. “Diversity, equity and inclusion were already in the program. She was always there to support the artists’ vision.”
Philbin joined the Hammer in January 1999 after serving as director of the Drawing Center in New York for nine years. Under her leadership, the Hammer helped boost the careers of local artists with its biennial “Made in LA” exhibition and garnered national attention from curators who went on to lead other institutions, including Anne Ellegood, now director of the Institute of Contemporary Art , Los Angeles, and Connie Butler, who was named director of MoMA PS1 in May.
“She has made the hammer a true reflection of the complexity and vastness of the city,” said artist Barbara Kruger, who serves on the museum’s board.
The Hammer is also open about his progressive politics. The museum’s mission statement says it “believes in the promise of art and ideas to illuminate our lives and build a more just world.”
Artist Lari Pittman, a longtime art professor at UCLA who helped convince Philbin to come to the museum in the first place, said she has since “shone contemporary art and artists into the spotlight in a way that has never let up “.
As for her next chapter, Philbin said she doesn’t see herself leading another institution, but isn’t sure what comes next. “I don’t know what it is, but something will develop,” she said. “I would like to sit back for a few minutes. I haven’t sat back in 50 years.”