French curator and art historian Cécile Godefroy has been appointed curator in the Painting and Sculpture Department at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. The appointment marks a significant career move for the researcher, who currently serves as head of the research and archives department, deputy to the scientific director of collections, and director of the Picasso Study Center at the Musée National Picasso-Paris. She will join the American institution in November as the new Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Curator of Painting and Sculpture.
Godefroy brings extensive academic and museum experience to her new role at MoMA. She holds a doctorate in contemporary art history from Sorbonne University (Paris IV) and has taught for more than fifteen years at various French and American universities, including international programs at Columbia University and New York University. Throughout her academic career, she has worked simultaneously in the museum world, developing expertise in both scholarly research and curatorial practice.
Her curatorial portfolio includes several notable monographic exhibitions that have gained international recognition. Among her most significant projects was "Sonia Delaunay: The Colors of Abstraction," co-curated with Anne Montfort, which was presented at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris and Tate Modern in London from 2014 to 2015. More recently, she curated "Marcelle Cahn: In Quest of Space" at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Strasbourg and the MAMC in Saint-Étienne during 2022-2023.
Godefroy has also developed particular expertise in Pablo Picasso's work, having organized several projects dedicated to the artist's oeuvre. Notable among these were "The Music of Picasso" in 2020 at the Musée de la Musique - Philharmonie de Paris and "Picasso Ibero" at Centro Botín in Santander in 2021. She joined the Picasso Museum team more than three years ago at a pivotal moment in the institution's history, working alongside Cécile Debray, president of the Musée National Picasso-Paris, to contribute to the opening of its Research Center in March 2025 and various scientific and exhibition projects.
When asked about the importance of research in her career, Godefroy emphasized its critical role in contemporary museum practice. "Addressing innovative, societal, and sometimes sensitive research topics within a museum is essential today," she explained. She highlighted the importance of developing innovative research projects in partnership with cultural institutions, noting that the Picasso Study Center has already initiated about twenty such collaborations. Her work focuses on giving visibility to lesser-known or forgotten artists and responding to legitimate questions raised by critical reevaluation movements regarding emblematic figures and behaviors.
The exhibition on Marcelle Cahn exemplifies Godefroy's approach to rediscovering overlooked artists. Despite being celebrated in the 1920s by her peers and critic Michel Seuphor, Cahn's work had fallen into near-oblivion from the 1980s until Godefroy's exhibition brought it back to public attention. This project demonstrates her commitment to necessary rereadings of art history and her dedication to comprehensive scholarly investigation.
Godefroy has also shown courage in addressing controversial topics, particularly regarding Pablo Picasso. When debates emerged around Picasso's figure, involving contemporary questions about the representation of violence and sexuality in art, as well as political engagement, the museum chose to address these issues rather than ignore them. A seminar was organized in 2022 and 2023, bringing together historians, art critics, academics, museum directors, philosophers, sociologists, writers, and artists, including Miriam Cahn.
These discussions, which were broadcast on France Culture, created a space for reflection on the reception of modern art. The conversations culminated in a public symposium at UNESCO House in Paris. "The transversality of the themes addressed and the richness of the exchanges made this initiative a profoundly meaningful and structuring experience," Godefroy reflected on this groundbreaking project.
Regarding her upcoming mission at MoMA, Godefroy emphasized the institution's dual role as both museum and research center since its founding in 1929. "Research is at the heart of the institution's activities and guarantees its status of excellence," she noted. "It permeates all of its missions." Her responsibilities will encompass the full range of duties inherent to any museum curator, working alongside Ann Temkin, the Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture, and the curatorial teams.
Her specific duties will include overseeing the department's collection, considering the installation of permanent galleries, conceiving exhibitions, contributing to research and publications, and participating in institutional committees such as acquisition commissions. Godefroy expressed particular enthusiasm about joining a department whose collection plays a foundational role in art history, especially that which was largely constructed in Europe and more specifically in Paris. This background makes her uniquely qualified to bridge European and American perspectives on modern and contemporary art, bringing valuable international expertise to one of the world's most prestigious art institutions.
