UCLA’s Fowler Museum Appoints New Chief Curator
The Fowler Museum at UCLA explores global arts with an emphasis on works from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the indigenous Americas—past and present. The Fowler enhances understanding and appreciation of the diverse peoples, cultures, and religions of the world through dynamic exhibitions, publications, and public programs; informed by interdisciplinary approaches and the perspectives of the cultures represented. In August, the museum launched a national search for a new chief curator.
Matthew Robb will join the Fowler Museum at UCLA as chief curator on June 13. Previously, Robb served as curator of the arts of the Americas at the de Young, one of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
“I am thrilled that someone of Matthew’s strong scholarly background and excellent museum and curatorial experience will be joining us,” said Marla Berns, the Shirley and Ralph Shapiro Director of the Fowler Museum. “Given the Fowler’s strong collections of ancient and historical arts from Mesoamerica as well as our stellar holdings of material from the Andean world, Matthew will bring fresh insights and expertise to future research and exhibition projects.”
At the de Young, Robb engaged in ongoing research into the permanent collection, particularly its murals from the ancient Mexican city of Teotihuacan. In 2013, he played a crucial role in bringing the Weisel Family Collection of Native American Art to the de Young. A specialist in the art and archaeology of ancient Mesoamerica, he has also compiled a database of over 500 examples of stone masks associated with Teotihuacan that serves as a catalogue raisonné of these enigmatic objects. This research was a focus of Robb’s time as a Scholar at the Getty Research Institute in the spring of 2015. — Rowanne Henry, May 18, 2016
Read the full article at the UCLA Newsroom website.