Saint Louis Art Museum Names First-Ever Female Director

The Saint Louis Art Museum has chosen its first female director in its 142-year-old history.

The museum announced today it has named Min Jung Kim its new director following an extensive months-long search. Kim will succeed longtime Barbara B. Taylor director Brent Benjamin, who will be stepping down later this month. Kim will be the institution’s 11th director and the first woman to hold that role.

Kim, who currently serves as director and CEO of the New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut, brings almost 30 years of experience to her new role, including more than a decade at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, where she was director of content alliances, managing the collaboration among the Guggenheim; the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia; and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

As deputy director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University, she was in charge of implementing the completion of the new Broad MSU, designed by Zaha Hadid, which opened in 2014.

In her current position at the New Britain Museum of American Art – one of the oldest museums of American Art in the country – Kim enhanced the museum’s profile through exhibitions and collection development designed to expand the definition of American Art and reflect greater diversity, while strengthening community engagement and collaborative partnerships.

Kim graduated from Wheaton College and holds a master’s degree in art history from the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London. She was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea.

“The Saint Louis Art Museum is one of the most prestigious museums in the country and I am deeply honored to be chosen to lead this great institution,” Kim said. “It has a premier collection, a long and distinguished history and a terrific and experienced staff.

Kim’s appointment was a culmination of a four-month listening project by the museum’s selection committee. A board-appointed task force conducted interviews and focus-group discussions with more than 200 individuals from across St. Louis and the art field. The process identified the need for a director who will steward and champion the museum and St. Louis, become an active partner in the region’s dynamic art community, and serve as an architect for change, with a particular focus on advancing diverse global and cultural discourse in our community, according to Charles Lowenhaupt, president of the Saint Louis Art Museum board of commissioners.

“Thanks to Brent Benjamin’s strong and impactful leadership over 20 years, the museum is well positioned to have an active and impactful role in our community and the arts,” Lowenhaupt said. “Min Jung’s background, passion and energy will further advance our museum’s role as an important bridge between this great institution, our community and the world in which we live.”

Benjamin officially retires June 30. Carolyn Schmidt, the museum’s deputy director and controller, will serve as interim director until Kim starts as director later this summer.