The New Museum in Lower Manhattan has named Massimiliano Gioni as its new director, effective August 1. Gioni, 52, has served as the museum’s artistic director since 2014 and has been part of the institution since 2006. The appointment follows an eight-month international search process that concluded the best candidate was already within the museum’s leadership.

The New Museum, a contemporary art center known for its focus on temporary exhibitions rather than maintaining a permanent collection, recently completed an expansion that doubled its gallery space and enhanced views of downtown New York. The museum’s president, James-Keith Brown, emphasized the need for a global perspective and expertise in producing innovative, commission-based exhibitions rather than a collection-focused approach. The museum’s nimble and experimental character was seen as a defining feature in the decision.

Gioni assumes leadership following the long tenure of Lisa Phillips, who directed the museum from 1999 until this spring and oversaw both the original Bowery building’s opening in 2007 and the recent expansion designed by OMA/Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas. The New Museum had only had two previous directors since its founding in 1977—Marcia Tucker, who founded the institution, and Phillips.

Gioni, born near Milan, built his reputation through curating major international exhibitions, including the 2013 Venice Biennale, where he became the youngest curator in over a century to helm the event. His curatorial work often combines emerging contemporary art with historical and scientific materials, outsider art, and elements of the occult. Notable exhibitions at the New Museum under his artistic directorship include “After Nature,” an exploration of environmental themes, and “Here and Elsewhere,” a survey of contemporary Middle Eastern art post-Arab Spring.

The opening exhibition in the expanded space, “New Humans: Memories of the Future,” curated by Gioni and his team, draws from over a century of art history to examine how technological and economic shifts redefine humanity. Featuring works by both historical figures like Marcel Duchamp and contemporary artists, the show challenges traditional expectations of a contemporary art museum’s role as a predictor of future trends.

Gioni has expressed a commitment to maintaining the museum’s avant-garde and experimental ethos, acknowledging the institution’s responsibility to foster intelligent, imaginative engagement rather than succumbing to entertainment-driven spectacle. While attendance is important, he indicated that audience experience and intellectual challenge take precedence over raw visitor numbers.

The museum’s recent reopening follows a two-year closure for renovation and a history of labor tensions, including the formation of a staff union in 2019 and negotiations resulting in improved wages and benefits. Gioni noted that the museum retained its employees throughout the renovation and emphasized the evolving relationship between management and staff.

Looking ahead, Gioni highlighted the challenges posed by the rise of artificial intelligence and changing perceptions of images and truth. He cited the work of contemporary artist Hito Steyerl, suggesting that the museum’s role in critically unpacking and contextualizing images becomes increasingly vital in a media-saturated world. He also described the museum as a space for grappling with complexity and difference, drawing on the ideas of Italian philosopher Umberto Eco.

In his new role, Gioni plans to oversee the museum’s programming broadly, stepping back from direct involvement in individual exhibitions while continuing to shape its curatorial direction without an immediate plan to appoint a chief curator. With the expanded facilities serving as new “hardware,” he views the programming as the “software” driving the museum’s future.