Who Became the First Director of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art in NY?

Art|Art Museum

In December 2019, the Museum of Modern Art in New York appointed its first Director of Photography, Roxana Marcoci. Marcoci has been with MoMA since 2000 and most recently held the position of Senior Curator in the Department of Photography. She brings decades of experience and expertise in the field to her new role.

Marcoci’s professional career began as an assistant curator at the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, Germany, where she worked from 1987 to 1997. She then joined the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Photographs as Associate Curator until 2000. In that year, she was appointed Assistant Curator at MoMA where she was promoted to Senior Curator in 2009.

Throughout her tenure at MoMA, Marcoci has been a major contributor to several exhibitions. Most recently she co-curated New Photography, a comprehensive survey of photography from 2018-2019 that explored the changing roles and practices for artists working with photography today. Her previous curatorial projects include The Original Copy: Photography of Sculpture, 1839 to Today (2010); Foto: Modernity in Central Europe, 1918–1945 (2015); and Betye Saar: Call and Response, which opened this past summer.

Marcoci’s appointment comes at a time when museums are increasingly investing in photography programming, expanding their collections and creating new initiatives focused on this medium. As Director of Photography, Marcoci will be responsible for leading all aspects of MoMA’s photography activities including collecting, research, exhibition planning, acquisitions and education programs.

Roxana Marcoci is well-positioned to become a driving force behind MoMA’s world-renowned photography program. Her extensive background in both curatorial and academic work makes her highly qualified for this position. With her appointment as Director of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Roxana Marcoci has become the first person ever to hold this title.

Conclusion:
Roxana Marcoci became the first Director of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York when she was appointed to this role in December 2019. She brings decades of experience and expertise to her new position and is well-positioned to become a driving force behind MoMA’s world-renowned photography program.