Kaywin Feldman Named First Female Director of National Gallery of Art

Kaywin Feldman, 52, the director of the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA), has been appointed as the new director of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Feldman will become the first woman director of the prestigious museum. She will be replacing Earl “Rusty” Powell III, who announced his retirement a year ago, after having served as the director of the gallery for 26 years. Feldman previously worked as chair of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). She was instrumental in doubling the attendance of MIA, where she had led since 2008. She was also credited for increasing the collection of the museum. Prior to MIA, between 1999 and 2007, Feldman also served as the director of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in Tennessee. In a press release, NGA president, Frederick W. Beinecke said that Feldman will be the fifth director in the museum’s history. “She is a dynamic and highly principled leader, a gracious collaborator, and an innovator with the skills and vision to lead the National Gallery of Art in the 21st century,” said Beinecke. “For more than two decades, she has had a distinguished career as an art museum director with major successes.” Every year about 5.2 million visitors throng the National Gallery on the National Mall which employs around 1,100 people. The gallery’s annual budget is $168 million, most of it coming from federal funding. Feldman in an interview said that the National Gallery has an “extraordinary” collection, and called it “the nation’s art museum.” “As I prepare to take on the responsibility for this magnificent institution, I want to express my gratitude to the trustees for putting their faith in me, and to Rusty Powell for the example of his years of enlightened stewardship,” said Feldman. “I am eager to work with the talented team at the gallery in taking the institution to even greater heights.” Feldman will formally take over as the director of the National Gallery on March 11, 2019.