Glenn Lowry, the longtime director of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), delivered a powerful farewell message this summer, warning that the prestigious New York institution must actively fight to preserve its commitment to pluralism and artistic freedom. Speaking at MoMA's Party in the Garden in June, just before stepping down from his 30-year tenure, Lowry appeared to address ongoing political pressures facing cultural institutions across the United States.
"If we believe in a museum that celebrates the values of pluralism, that honors freedom of expression, and protects minority rights and dissent, then we will have to actively defend our values," Lowry declared at the event. His comments were documented in a comprehensive New York Times assessment of his three-decade leadership of the modern art institution. "If we want a museum that will collect and display the most daring and challenging artists of our time, then we will have to fight for that. If we want a museum that is a home for artists, scholars, curators and visitors from around the world, then we will have to speak out loudly for that."
Lowry's remarks carried particular weight given the current political climate surrounding cultural institutions. The Trump administration has repeatedly targeted the Smithsonian Institution, which operates a vast network of museums primarily based in Washington, D.C. President Trump has accused these institutions of being influenced by what he calls "a divisive, race-centered ideology" and has threatened to impose restrictions on their exhibitions. While Trump has not yet directly targeted MoMA, the threat to cultural institutions nationwide has created an atmosphere of concern among museum leaders.
The director emphasized the gravity of the challenges ahead, stating that "in the months and years ahead, we will have choices to make that are consequential, perhaps more so than at any other time since the Second World War." This comparison to the World War II era underscores Lowry's belief that cultural institutions are facing unprecedented threats to their independence and mission.
Under Lowry's leadership, MoMA has already demonstrated its willingness to take subtle political stands. In 2017, when the Trump administration imposed a travel ban on citizens from seven majority-Muslim countries, MoMA responded swiftly by installing works by artists from those nations in its permanent collection galleries. This move was widely praised by New York critics as a thoughtful and appropriate response to the controversial policy. However, such explicitly political presentations have been rare in MoMA's programming, which has generally avoided direct commentary on current presidential policies.
The pressures facing cultural institutions have already led to concrete examples of alleged censorship. Artist Amy Sherald recently canceled her planned survey exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, claiming that the museum requested she remove a painting depicting a Black transgender woman posed as the Statue of Liberty. This incident highlights the real-world impact of political pressure on artistic expression and curatorial decisions.
Times critic Jason Farago, who authored the comprehensive appraisal of Lowry's tenure, suggested that MoMA is likely to face similar pressures as other institutions across the nation. Farago quoted Lowry's ominous prediction: "What we do over the coming years will define who we are." This statement reflects the director's understanding that the museum's response to current challenges will shape its identity and mission for years to come.
The responsibility for navigating these turbulent waters will now fall to Christophe Cherix, who has been named as MoMA's new director following his service as chief curator of drawings and prints. Cherix's first major project in his new role will be overseeing a retrospective exhibition of Wifredo Lam, the renowned Surrealist painter born in Cuba. This exhibition will serve as an early test of how the museum balances artistic excellence with potential political sensitivities, particularly given ongoing tensions between the United States and Cuba that have already affected the exhibition's planning.
