“In his new position as Artistic Director, Massimiliano will take an even more active role working with me to envision and plan the next phase of our institution’s growth,” director Lisa Phillips wrote in a press release. “We are not a typical museum. Nor is Artistic Director a typical museum title. But it accurately reflects the expansiveness of Massimiliano’s vision and the wide spectrum of activities it contains.”

Gioni’s former title with the museum, “associate director and director of exhibitions,” belied his high profile in the art world. Besides working on memorable New Museum projects mentioned in the release—among them the exhibitions “Carsten Höller: Experience,” “Urs Fischer,” “NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star,” “Ostalgia,” “After Nature,” “Ghosts in the Machine,” and the inaugural Triennial “Younger Than Jesus” —he frequently collaborates with Maurizio Cattelan, and curated the most recent Venice Biennale, its 55th edition. Since 2002 he has also served as artistic director of the Nicola Trussardi foundation.

Image: Massimiliano Gioni. Courtesy of Fondazione Nicola Trussardi, Milano. Photo: Marco De Scalzi