Home > News > Ann Philbin Appointed New Director of UCLA at the Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Cultural Center

Ann Philbin Appointed New Director of UCLA at the Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Cultural Center

Carolyn Campbell (ccampbel@arts.ucla.edu) (310) 825-6540
For Immediate Use Monday, September 07, 1998.

Ann Philbin has been named director of UCLA at the Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Cultural Center. The appointment, effective Jan. 11, was announced by Daniel Neuman, dean of the School of the Arts and Architecture. She succeeds Henry Hopkins, who is returning to teaching in the Department of Art.

Philbin comes from The Drawing Center in New York City, where she has been director for nine years. The Center is the only non-profit institution in the country to focus exclusively on the presentation of drawings. During her tenure there, she also functioned as chief curator and organized numerous exhibitions, both contemporary and historical. "Ann Philbin is a distinguished addition to UCLA's cadre of experts in the visual arts, a field in which the University is renowned for its innovative, high-quality programs," said Chancellor Albert Carnesale. "Under her direction, the UCLA/Hammer Museum will continue to thrive as a leading institution in both the cultural and academic communities." "We are delighted to welcome Ann Philbin to the Hammer," said former U.S. Sen. John V. Tunney, president of the Museum board. "We look forward to the contribution she will make not only in maintaining the Museum's standard of excellence but also in raising its visibility nationally."

"Ann Philbin has been a very positive force on the art scene in New York during the past decade," said Neuman. "Her vision and leadership, her scholarship and experience, her imagination and intelligence greatly benefited The Drawing Center. Her appointment at the Museum reflects the School's commitment to building strong academic and administrative leadership."

New York's Village Voice called Philbin "culture's brightest" and credits her with transforming The Drawing Center into "one of Soho's most vital showcases for contemporary art." The New York Times praised her for making the facility "a vital center of a largely overlooked aspect of contemporary art." The Drawing Center seeks out emerging and under-represented artists to form the core of its exhibitions programs; and four or five contemporary exhibitions are mounted annually. Under Philbin's direction, hundreds of new artists have been introduced to the New York public. In addition to showcasing unknowns, the Center has exhibited works of famous artists. Exhibits include "Guercino: Drawings from Windsor Castle;" "Plains Indian Drawings, 1865-1935;" the recent "Shadows of a Hand: The Drawings of Victor Hugo;" and the forthcoming "Willem de Kooning: Drawing Seeing/Seeing Drawing." Special programs and events are an integral part of the Center's mission. Exhibitions are frequently accompanied by moderated symposia featuring the exhibiting artists and curators. The Center regularly presents readings, lectures, panels, performances, workshops, and school programs designed for K-12 as well as college students.

Prior to her position at the Center, Philbin organized large-scale public art exhibitions such as "The New Urban Landscape," an exhibition of 28 installations at the World Financial Center in New York by renowned artists and architects, including Vito Acconci, Judith Barry, Kawamata, Morphosis, and Nam Jun Paik. She also organized "Art Against AIDS: On the Road," a nationwide exhibition presented on billboards, bus shelters, television, and in print to raise awareness of the AIDS crisis. She was director of the Curt Marcus Gallery and curator of the Ian Woodner Family Collection of old master drawings.

Philbin serves on the boards of Streb Dance Company, The H.I.V. Law Project, The Vera List Center for Art and Politics at The New School, and Etant Donne, a foundation for French-American cultural exchange. She holds a master's degree from New York University and a B.F.A. from the University of New Hampshire.

The UCLA/Hammer Museum, one of the public arts units in the School of the Arts and Architecture, presents a rich variety of exhibitions, music, dance, poetry, art history classes, and children's programming. Education is central to its mission, and its university affiliation encourages its staff to draw on the resources of the academy and the region. The Museum's permanent collections include The Armand Hammer Collection, The Armand Hammer Honoré Daumier and Contemporaries Collection, and the UCLA Art Collection. The Museum also houses the UCLA Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, one of the most distinguished archives of works of art on paper in the nation, and oversees the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden, one of the finest outdoor sculpture collections in the country.


Contact: Carolyn Campbell
Phone: (310) 825-6540
Email: ccampbel@arts.ucla.edu