The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Board of Trustees decided that Max Hollein, who now holds the position of Marina Kellen French Director of the Museum, will also assume the role of Met President and CEO beginning July 1, 2023, when Daniel H. Weiss will step down as originally stated. At that point, the Director and CEO will be in charge of the Museum’s overall management.
Based on the findings of a subcommittee, the Board unanimously adopted a resolution at its meeting concluding that Hollein had demonstrated during his four years as Director that he was a creative, enthusiastic, and inspiring leader of the Museum and was the obvious option to take over as CEO. The subcommittee commended Hollein and Weiss for their good working relationship as they overcame the enormous obstacles of recent years. They also praised Hollein for the positive programming he brought to the Museum and his position as a pioneer in the cultural sector.
“We are delighted to appoint Max to lead The Met into the future,” said Board of Trustees Co-Chairs Tony James and Candace Beinecke. “He has overseen the programmatic side brilliantly during this most turbulent period—finding a way to create an environment where the incomparable Met staff have been able to excel—while also benefitting from the partnership and stewardship of Dan Weiss, whose leadership and mentorship has been extraordinary. The Met is extremely fortunate to have a great leader in Dan for this next year, and to have Max ready and able to lead in future years.”
Following leadership positions at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and three of Germany’s most esteemed art institutions, including the Städel Museum, Frankfurt, Max Hollein was chosen Director of The Met in 2018. “I am greatly humbled by this appointment. The Met is an inspiration to all who visit, and to all of us who have the honor of working here,” said Hollein. “The energy, ambition, and creativity of my Met colleagues enables the Museum to be a place where people can come together to learn, share, create, and experience joy. It is a great privilege to be a part of The Met’s accomplishments these past years, and I am deeply thankful to all of my colleagues, to supporters of the Museum, and to the Board. I am particularly grateful for the great partnership with Dan Weiss and the counsel he has provided and on which I will be relying during the upcoming year and beyond.”
The Met’s Board has decided that the Director or the President will assume the position of CEO going forward. This fall, the Board will evaluate the responsibilities of additional leadership to decide what organizational structure will best serve the Museum going forward.
“Max has built an exceptional program for The Met during these past four years, and I am confident he will be ready to lead our Museum into the future,” said Weiss. “The Met is a perpetual institution, and each generation of leadership is merely a steward for those that will follow. This is a very large responsibility, and I have been heartened and inspired at the care Max exhibits towards our Museum and the cultural field.”
As The Met’s director, Hollein has launched a number of initiatives that are in line with his goal of expanding the ways that viewers and academics interact with the collection—both physically and virtually—as well as with the Museum’s iconic galleries at its Fifth Avenue building and at The Met Cloisters in northern Manhattan. His most recent successes include a number of projects that emphasize more interdisciplinary work presentations and, as a result, offer fresh, multifaceted tales and interpretations of art and history. In keeping with this, Hollein also unveiled a number of modern commissions for the Museum’s Great Hall and its facade niches. In these spaces, both established and up-and-coming artists have since produced works that were influenced by The Met collection, including Kent Monkman (2019), Wangechi Mutu (2019), Carol Bove (2021), and Hew Locke (opening September 2022).
Prior to joining The Met, Hollein served as the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco’s Director and CEO, where his tenure was distinguished by innovative programming, ground-breaking acquisitions, and strict financial control. Previously, he served as CEO and Director of the Schirn Kunsthalle, Städel Museum, and Liebieghaus in Frankfurt, Germany. During his leadership, each of these institutions saw significant growth and an increase in visitors.
Hollein was raised in Vienna and completed coursework at the Vienna University of Economics and the University of Vienna (Master of Art History) (Master of Business Administration). Six years after beginning his career as the Director’s Chief of Staff at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, he moved into his current position in Frankfurt. Hollein has arranged numerous significant exhibitions of modern and contemporary art in addition to numerous publications, lectures, and publications. In addition to numerous other international honors, he was named a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture in 2009 and a recipient of the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and the Arts. In 2016, he also received the Goethe badge of honor, the highest honor given by the Hessian Ministry of Culture, and a Hommage award from the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in 2020.